Imani Barbarin

Imani Barbarin (born March 1990)[1] is an American writer, public speaker, TikToker, and disability rights activist who also goes by the username Crutches and Spice.

Imani Barbarin
Born1990
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
TikTok information
Page
Followers553.1 K
Likes47.5 M
Last updated: July 17, 2023
Websitehttps://imanibarbarin.com

Career

In 2014, Barbarin launched the website Crutches and Spice as a space for her to write about her experiences as a disabled Black woman.[2]

Social media

On Twitter, Barbarin has spearheaded several hashtags to promote discussion of disabled issues and experiences. In 2018 she started #DisTheOscars to call attention to the lack of disabled representation.[3] In 2019 she started #AbledsAreWeird, encouraging disabled people to share their experiences of abled individuals misunderstanding their needs and experiences.[4][5] In January 2020, she started the hashtag #MyDisabledLifeIsWorthy in response to remarks by former CDC director Rochelle Walensky about the "encouraging" fact that most deaths caused by the omicron variant of COVID-19 were in disabled individuals.[6] Barbarin joined TikTok in 2020, where she began posting both comedic and educational videos.[2] By February 2022 she had 140,000 followers on Twitter and 370,000 followers on TikTok.[7] In late 2022, Barbarin criticized Twitter policy changes after the company's acquisition by Elon Musk.[8]

Other work

Barbarin works as a communications manager for a disability legal office in Philadelphia.[9][10] She also writes for online newspapers and magazines[11][12][13] and has speaking engagements at universities.[14][15]

In 2020, Barbarin hosted the five-episode podcast Vote for Access, which investigated the difficulties of voting while disabled.[16] In May 2022 she appeared on MetroFocus to discuss her push to reinstate New York City's mask mandate.[17] In October 2022 she headlined the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Asexual College Conference alongside Schuyler Bailar.[18] In January 2023, she was a guest on The Assignment with Audie Cornish during an episode discussing long COVID.[19] In April 2023, she was part of the short film Unlucky in Love for the 2023 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.[20]

Personal life

Barbarin grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia.[10] She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 2.[9] She attended Eastern University where she earned a degree in creative writing and a minor in French.[21] Barbarin has a masters in communication from American University of Paris.[10] Barbarin is queer.[10]

Accolades

References
  1. Barbarin, Imani. "I'm A Black Woman With Cerebral Palsy, & I Didn't Think I'd Make It Into Adulthood". Refinery29. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  2. Samuel, Ruth Etiesit (31 March 2021). "'Representation matters': How these 4 Black women with disabilities are changing the narrative". Today. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  3. "Opinion | What Hollywood Gets Wrong About Disabilities". HuffPost. 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  4. Quraishi, Hafsa (20 March 2019). "#AbledsAreWeird: People With Disabilities Share Uncomfortable Encounters". NPR. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  5. Holohan, Meghan (1 April 2019). "'Ableds Are Weird' leads to discussion on how people with disabilities are treated". Today. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  6. "The Pandemic Tried to Break Me, but I Know My Black Disabled Life Is Worthy". Cosmopolitan. 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  7. Mendoza, Casey (2 February 2022). "Disability Rights Activist Imani Barbarin And Social Media Power". Scripps News. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  8. Morris, Amanda (18 November 2022). "Disabled people fear Twitter changes under Elon Musk leave them behind". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  9. Shapiro, Joseph; Bowman, Emma (26 July 2020). "One Laid Groundwork For The ADA; The Other Grew Up Under Its Promises". NPR. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  10. Brown, Keah (15 June 2021). "Trolls Can't Stop This Black and Disabled Activist From Taking Over TikTok". Vice. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  11. "Imani Barbarin". Bustle. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  12. Barbarin, Imani (31 March 2020). "Disabled people have long fought for accessibility — but coronavirus made it a priority | Opinion". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  13. "Imani Barbarin". Rewire News Group. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  14. Fishel, Maeve (1 March 2022). "Disability rights activist Imani Barbarin on the systemic obstacles facing the disabled community". The Eagle. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  15. "Nothing About Us Without Us: Tik Tok Activist Imani Barbarin Talks Intersectional Changemaking – Brock Pride Week 2023". experiencebu.brocku.ca. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  16. ""Vote for Access" Tackles the Barriers Disabled Voters Face". New Mobility. 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  17. "Metrofocus: May 19, 2022". MetroFocus. 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  18. "Schuyler Bailar, Imani Barbarin to keynote 30th annual MBLGTACC". mblgtacc.org. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  19. "The Long Arc of Long Covid – The Assignment with Audie Cornish – Podcast on CNN Audio". CNN. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  20. David, Menzies (2023-04-12). "JC actor is 'Unlucky in Love' for Easterseals Disability Film Challenge '23". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
  21. "About". Crutches and Spice. 2014-09-02. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  22. "Imani Barbarin – The Root 100 – 2022". The Root. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
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