Imani Barbarin
BornMarch 1990 (age 33–34)
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
TikTok information
Page
Followers553.1 K
Likes47.5 M
Last updated: July 17, 2023
Websitehttps://imanibarbarin.com

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.

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. 1 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 4 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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