KNOXROXS
A PHOTO ZINE AMPLIFYING BLACK AUTISTIC JOY
My definition of Mothering as an act of Resistance aims to empower and activate change - encouraging disabled and non/disabled families and communities to engage in conversations about acceptance, starting with how Disabled/Neurodivergent children are treated, valued, and seen. When my son was diagnosed as Autistic at the age of three, I felt it important to begin redefining my role as a mother of a disabled child exploring how my art and design practice could inform a framework for community engagement advocating for Autistic communities, breaking the visual cycle of unjust stigmas within social and clinical practices in the process.
Living with ADHD, I felt led to release a disability advocacy photo zine In October 2018, entitled "KnoxRoxs" dedicated to my Autistic son, as a way to amplify #AutisticJoy giving visibility to children of color in Neurodiverse communities.
Since its release, the zine has received national and international recognition, including features on AfroPunk, Today at Apple, and among design presentations within disability communities at Nike, Converse, and Amazon, and countless book fairs around the world! It is permanently archived in Libraries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Smithsonian National African American Museum of History and Culture.
This zine is by no means a clinical journal or a ‘how-to guide’ when it comes to parenting an autistic child. It’s a simple artistic expression examining the light and love a child can bring if you sit, look, and listen! It’s important to take back our narratives and tell stories for us and by us!
