issue #101-the one on Disability Pride

Qudsiya Naqui edits this week's newsletter

July 11, 2021

July is Disability Pride Month, with July 26 marking the 31st anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act—the first ever piece of disability civil rights legislation that would ensure access and inclusion for disabled people across all areas of public life. I’m so thankful to Hitha for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts as a blind, South Asian woman and daughter of immigrants during this important month of commemoration. As I describe in my podcast interview with the phenomenal Thomas Reid on his show, Reid My Mind Radio, I came to my disability identity later in life. Like almost every child in the country, I didn’t learn about disability history in school, and often felt invisible and alone as I experienced progressive vision loss. Then, I discovered the disability justice movement and, little by little, built a disability community that I have come to deeply love and rely on. I learned to honor my blindness as an important and beautiful part of myself. I learned to challenge the barriers to access that came in my path, and not accept a world that was not designed for me. I questioned the systems and structures that facilitate racism, ableism,and oppression, and, through my podcast, decided to make a small contribution to the arsenal of tools that disabled people and their allies can use to tear down those systems and structures. 

During this month of disability pride, I encourage each and every one of you to think about the discoveries you have made in the course of your lives about your bodies, your lived experiences, and the obstacles that have come in your path. I encourage you to honor everything about yourself, even if you don’t think it is in conformity with the way you think you “should” be. There is no “should”—there is only the reality of you and what you choose to do with it. I hope you spend this month learning about disability history and culture and find ways in your daily lives to make a few tiny cracks in the structures of ableism around you. We are all part of the solution, and it is the give-and-take of care work that will ultimately bring us to a better, kinder, more empathetic place.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and reflect on disability pride with me, 

Qudsiya

What we read this week

  • What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon - When the pandemic shuttered gyms, and many adaptive athletes like myself had a collective freak-out about how we would facilitate our exercise routines, I assumed the lockdown would be a total disaster for my emotional and physical health. As it turns out, being torn away from my normal health and wellness routines pushed me to rethink the concepts of health and wellness themselves. I did a deep dive into how costly marketing campaigns crafted by a handful of companies shape the way we think about our bodies and ourselves, and how those campaigns are fueled by ableism, racism, and anti-fat bias. Aubrey Gordon quickly became one of my most trusted sources on the issue  of anti-fatness, and her book is an absolute must-read. Like racism, sexism, and ableism, anti-fatness is structural, systemic, and deeply engrained in our society, and it’s going to take deep consciousness, kindness, and true empathy to end it. Reading this book is a great way to put those principles into practice, because doing so is, quite literally, a matter of life and death for our fellow fat humans, who deserve to live lives of dignity and safety, as we all do.

  • Disability Disability by Alice Wong - Reading Alice Wong’s edited volume of first-person disability narratives is the perfect way to celebrate Disability Pride Month. These stories are raw and honest, and will completely reshape the way you think about disability. You can also tune in to Season 3 of my podcast, Down to the Struts, dropping on July 13. In the first episode, I sit down with Alice in our respective home recording studios to talk podcasts, the need to elevate and support disabled creatives, and (exciting!) her forthcoming memoir. Interviewing Alice was one of the greatest privileges of my life—I am an unabashed fangirl.

Hitha

  • Space Series by Sarah L Hudson - if you judged this book by the cover, you’d be missing out on one of my favorite new romance series. The women are insanely smart (like rocket scientist/astronaut/novelist smart), the men are emotionally evolved, and it was like a vacation in book form. It’s available on Kindle Unlimited, if digital reading is your jam.

  • Chemistry Lessons Series by Susannah Nix - I’m in a smart-women-finding-love-they-deserve mood, and this series delivers on it perfectly. While this series is nowhere near as steamy as the Space series, it’s sweet and smart and incredibly soothing to my tired brain.

  • How To Change by Katy Milkman - I do read non-romance books, and this one is an EXCELLENT one that’s been helping me get out of a massive rut I’ve been stuck in. Milkman unpacks the psychology of why we procrastinate, and the advice she shares in this book is different than the same old, same old from other advice books. I highly recommend this one.

The Top 4

The Catch Up

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday (Qudsiya)

The Catch Up From Last Week 

Monday (June 28, 2021)

Tuesday (June 29, 2021)

Wednesday (June 30, 2021)

Things we love this week

Qudsiya

  • If you’re like me and not planning any international travel this year, Washington DC might be a fun domestic destination for a summer holiday. The free museums alone are unbeatable! If you find yourself in our nation’s capital, definitely check out this new brewery, recently opened by my dear friends, Melinda and James Warner. It’s got some refreshing alcoholic and non-alcoholic brews, and a family-friendly, casual atmosphere.

  • If you want to continue on the trajectory of home cooking that many of us started during the pandemic, I recommend this cookbook. I was one of those South Indian kids who resisted embracing the foods of my culture, but grew to appreciate them more and more over time. These recipes bring back childhood for me, and the author’s personal story brings life to each dish she writes about.

Hitha

  • These are the most perfect sandals. Having worn through mine over the past 5 years, I just ordered a new pair and am cautiously optimistic that I can wear heels again and not fall flat on my face.

  • If you missed out on my collection with The Accessory Junkie, a number of my pieces are available at Nordstrom! These pearl hoops and this ring are under $100, and this necklace is 60% off! This cuff is another classic piece that I’ve been wearing all summer.

  • I know I keep talking about MasterClass, but I’m truly enjoying them when I’m doing chores or answering e-mails in the evenings. I’ve been watching Chris Hadfield’s class this week and it’s just made my space-loving heart so happy. Elaine Welteroth has one coming soon, and I can’t wait to learn from her.

Take care of yourself, and please share #5SmartReads if you’re enjoying them!

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