Reclaiming Narratives
Reclaiming Narratives
Black History Month UK and ADHD Awareness Month
Hi ADHDers!
How is everyone doing?
This year has gone by soooo fast I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas!
So this is pretty much a last-minute post but October marks Black History Month UK and ADHD Awareness Month.
The theme for BHM this year is ‘reclaiming narratives’.
I’m sure we have all reclaimed narratives, proved people wrong or achieved something despite the odds in many areas of our lives.
When I think about what I have achieved as a Black Woman with ADHD I have to give myself a pat on the back!
We need to do a better job of celebrating ourselves and each other.
Stick around until the end and celebrate Simone Biles and Trevor Noah with me. Ps Trevor Noah knows I exist and likes the ADHD Flashcards.
Shall we begin?
Reclaiming Narratives
Reclaiming Narratives is about celebrating achievements, making our voices heard, and inspiring others to make a lasting impact in our communities.
I don’t know about you but I find it uncomfortable to talk about myself and my achievements.
Like I am cringing on the inside as I type out these areas where I have reclaimed narratives. But I do this to encourage you all not to dim your light.
1. Graduating University
I was never a ‘gifted child’ at school.
I was the ‘you have so much potential’ child.
The ‘you have the attention span of a goldfish’ child.
The ‘bang average’ child.
And this was because I had undiagnosed ADHD.
The struggle was real!
🏃🏾♀️ Rushing to complete assignments hours before the deadline
🤓 Studying so hard for a multiple-choice test only to flop
😵💫 Drinking so much coffee and energy drinks to break the mental barrier in my head.
🎉 BUT I SURVIVED! 🎉
I graduated with a degree in International Business BA (Hons).
If you’re in school and you are struggling, speak to your teachers or the student office about accommodations you could get.
Also, check Reddit, Twitter and Facebook to find ADHD student groups you can tap into for support.
2. Navigating the corporate workplace
Right, show of hands,
How many of us have worked in different roles and companies throughout our careers?
🤚 🤚🤚🤚
I quickly learned that I enjoyed roles that were fast-paced, had variety, and involved problem-solving and working with stakeholders.
I have used my position to influence changes in hiring practices, job adverts and interview guidance to ensure they are inclusive for Neurodivergent candidates.
➡️ So if you are in the workplace, contact HR or employee resource groups to volunteer to review job hiring docs for accessibility and Neuroinclusion.
3. ADHD Advocacy
Let’s face it, in many communities there is still a stigma attached to ADHD.
The stigma of being badly behaved, lazy, no home training, not smart.
In the Black community, it’s all of that plus shame and embarrassment.
🟡 If you were around when I started posting in 2020, you will remember, I was completely anonymous.
⚪️ I only started writing on Substack and Twitter because my post-ADHD diagnosis appts with my psychiatrist got cancelled due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
🟡 It took about 1 year for me to reveal my identity and I only felt the push to because I saw a post by someone saying they wished there were more Black ADHD advocates. I was nervous and felt embarrassed but I knew that representation mattered.
🎉 4 years later, 11k subscribers, thousands of ADHD flashcards sold, news features, and invited to speak at many companies, all thanks to the grace of God.
Your voice matters. Your story matters. You matter.
Successful Black people with ADHD
I want to end this by celebrating two successful Black people with ADHD, Trevor Noah and Simone Biles.
Trevor Noah 📺
Trevor Noah is what I’d describe as a multi-hyphenate. He was the host of The Daily Show, is a comedian, author, podcaster, storyteller, and producer.
I suspected Trevor had ADHD when he followed me on Twitter. But I couldn’t find anything online confirming it at the time.
But I shot my shot. I slid into his DMs on Twitter and told him about my ADHD Cards and offered to send him some. He replied with nice words and said he asked his assistant to purchase the ADHD Cards - I cried!
In his 60 mins interview, when speaking about ADHD impacting his depression he says “…. if I’m not careful about managing my routine, I can become overwhelmed and it can feel like the whole world is too heavy to bear”.
He recently spoke about ADHD and Depression on The Diary of a CEO podcast.
Trevor is a light, a joy, and such an important voice. His authenticity, kindness and, advocacy are worth celebrating.
Simone Biles 🥇
Simone Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history with 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship Medals.
Simone has ADHD and has tweeted about it in the past saying “Having ADHD, and taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of nothing that I’m afraid to let people know”.
Simone Biles took a break and withdrew from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to her mental health. There was a lot of negative press about her around this time.
BUT! Simone came back to win 3 Gold medals and 1 Silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Simone’s greatness and her ability to reclaim narratives at the 2024 Paris Olympics despite naysayers should be celebrated.
Black ADHD Advocates 👇🏾
There are many amazing Black people with ADHD raising awareness and providing educational content. Here are a few to check out:
René Brooks (blkgirllostkeys), ADHDBabes, wes_wade, SupernovaMomma,
j0n_j0n, FLOTUK, ndnarratives, ingershaye, sistaswithadhd.
Please leave a comment with anyone I forgot.
Reclaiming Narratives
Oh, we’ve come, to the end of the road 🎶
Extra points if you sang it!
I hope reading this encouraged you to celebrate yourself and the people around you.
As an adult, I’ve had to face the harsh reality of being ignored, my contributions being downplayed and my work being overshadowed - even in the Neurodiversity space!
But as a Christian, my faith keeps me going and, my passion to help people.
Your voice matters. Your story matters. You matter.
So in my new video, I tried to capture A Day in the Life Adulting with ADHD at Work - who can relate?
I really liking your cosplay 😁 Did you make it yourself?