The Resistance, Persistence and Resilience of Black Families Raising Children with Autism presents nuanced perspectives in the form of counternarratives of what Black families who have children with autism experience at the intersection of race, class, disability and gender. It intentionally centers the expertise of Black parents, challenging what is considered knowledge, whose knowledge counts, and how knowledge can be co-generated for learning, sharing and advocacy. The book speaks directly to Black parents on the autism journey. To right systemic racial inequities and to cultivate culturally responsive practices, it is critical for practitioners and professionals to understand what is known about Black families' experiences with autism in general and how these experiences differ because of our intersecting identities. University faculty and students in programs involving medicine, speech and language pathology, occupational therapy, nursing, political science, school psychology, teaching, special education and leadership can benefit from the wisdom offered by these parents. This text is perfect for several courses, including those in departments of anthropology, women and gender studies, health sciences, psychology, special education, teacher education and administrative leadership. In addition, given the uniquely Black perspective presented in the text, this text is relevant to other fields, including ethnic studies, cultural studies, urban studies and African American studies. It is relevant to individuals who wish to better understand how issues of race and intra-racial differences shape lived experiences with disability in American society.
"Written from the rich and loving, frustrated and joyous intersection where gender, disability and race intersect, documenting the barriers, the moments of laughter, the resistance and wit of Black mothers and fathers raising children with autism, crafted through collaborative inquiry and participatory passions, The Resistance, Persistence and Resilience of Black Families Raising Children with Autism offers a beautiful GPS for navigating impossible systems, loving our children, battling the grotesque and banal forms of racism and ableism, resisting and joining with other Black families in fierce solidarities. This book is a story of race and motherhood, critical disability (in)justice, collaborative inquiry and a deeply complex and honest journey toward 'just' parenting. Filled with care and fears, courage and subversion, advocacy and sweet collaborations, we see the power of Black parents undeterred, mothers writing together and building a different tomorrow for children who deserve nothing less than 'just' childhoods."-Michelle Fine, Distinguished Professor of Critical Psychology and Urban Education; Founding Faculty member of The Public Science Project, The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY); author of Just Research in Contentious Times: Widening the Methodological Imagination (2017)
"This much-needed collaborative study provides a nuanced portrait of the challenges and successes of Black parents of children with autism. The parents' narratives, skillfully interpreted through the lived experiences of the authors themselves, reveal the multiple marginalization experienced by families who must navigate the intersections of race, socioeconomic status, and disability. The book presents a powerful claim for such parents' empowerment in a field that has been dominated by voices of privilege."-Beth Harry, Professor, Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Miami; author of Childhood Disability, Advocacy and Inclusion in the Caribbean: A Trinidad and Tobago Case Study (2019) and Melanie, Bird with a Broken Wing: A Mother's Story (2010)