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The Black Girls and Womens Autism Summit with Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

Release Date: 10/09/2024

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Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry

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Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry

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So, let’s talk about the FREE virtual summit happening on October 19th as organized by Autism in Black Inc…

Are you a Black autistic girl, woman, or female-presenting? Are you a parent or a caregiver who is raising or has raised a Black autistic girl? Are you a professional working with any of the said populations to help break the stigma and make their life better?

If your answer is yes to any of those three, then this episode—and summit—is for you.

Because in this episode, we’ll talk about The Black Girls and Women's Autism Summit, a FREE virtual event dedicated to addressing the unique needs and experiences of Black autistic girls and women.

A first to many more summits to be held annually, we’re doing this to educate, empower, and support the Black disability community—to drive home to the fact that our community needs to be observed, looked at, recognized, and more importantly, taken care of, because unfortunately, that's not happening.

So, together with my wife, Maria Davis-Pierre, join us as we take a step towards building a more inclusive and supportive future for our Black autistic girls and women.

Guest’s Bio:

Maria Davis-Pierre, the wife of Dr. Berry Pierre, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the Co-Founder of Autism in Black Inc. Through Autism in Black Inc., she helps educate, empower, and support Black parents who are raising autistic children, while also working with organizations, hospitals, and schools—among many others—that are helping lessen the harm to the Black disability community. As part of the spectrum herself, and being a mother to an autistic child, Maria is dedicated to bringing awareness to autism and reducing the stigma in the Black community.

Why you need to check this episode:

- Learn about the details of the upcoming Black Girls and Women's Autism Summit;
- Discover how you can avail a ticket for free, and/or upgrade to other options with additional inclusions; and
- Recognize the importance of having such summits and amplifying the voices of the Black community

“We’d rather have our children be prepared than unprepared, especially when we’re talking about children who have disabilities, who are neurodivergent. Because those conversations are different for them, and it just doesn't happen in the manner of ‘Now we're talking about it, [and] now you understand’. These are conversations that have to continue and continue and continue…And that’s why we’re having summits like these—to prepare you as a parent to be able to have these conversations.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

Notable Quotes:

“Let's make sure that we are satisfying the needs of our community and giving them the opportunity, like even if they can't pay for a conference ticket, to maybe still enjoy the community that Autism in Black has really grown and empowered over these years, while also getting some learning and some education.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

“When you're looking at research that specifically talks about Black autistic girls and women, we are considered ‘intersectionally invisible’, and that means we are not in the research. And it actually really does matter because we're out here, we need specialized supports, [and] we need people to understand that our voices matter. So yes, we do need a summit that focuses on what it means to be a black autistic girl and woman. Intersectionality matters when we're talking about being black, being disabled, and being female…It matters because oftentimes, we are talking to the most oppressed communities in that aspect.” – Maria Davis-Pierre, LMHC

“This is something that we will do every single year, to keep driving home the fact that our community needs to be observed, looked at, recognized, and more importantly, taken care of. Because unfortunately, that's not happening.” – Dr. Berry Pierre

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