Facebook Notes: Thank You, Shades of Noir

Kerima Cevik

August 13  · 2 min read  · 

Shared with Public

This is a note about supporting and accomodating the needs of disabled creatives. I am in this magazine because team members supported me during a series of health crises and opened a path for me to contribute. I want to talk about how this came about because I have lived experience of how important it is to reach out to disabled people of color and accommodate their disabilities so more voices will be heard going forward.If you believe in my voice and find benefit in my writing, please Tweet a thank you to the team at Shades of Noir. Before the pandemic and the collateral damage it continues to cost our planet, Shades of Noir offered me a chance to submit an article for this publication. I was on board with any project that included Leroy Moore. But Mu became ill, then it looked like I was on my way to the hospital again. Overwhelmed, I emailed the magazine team and let them know that I would be unable to meet their submission deadline.

Disability, as you all know, means there will be periods of time, like this week, when the pain will overwhelm, breathing will be a war, tasks will be put aside for the sake of the care and support of your offspring. So I want you all to feel what a miracle my face in this publication is. And understand that if Shades of Noir did not live their standards I would not be in it.
I was given a chance to submit an article for this publication. But I emailed to let them know I could not meet the submission deadline. What happened next was an immediate response from the team apologizing for not emphasizing enough that their team was ready to support and accommodate disabled authors and creatives. They asked how they could assist in helping me complete my submission. They helped, and told me to focus on healing myself and my son. I put this out of my mind and didn’t know that the submission had been approved. 
But there I am, on page 195 of this publication, complete with a photograph I was so ill I can’t recall submitting. All because I got the support I needed to be included in this issue.

Only Sara Luterman ‘s NOS Magazine and Shannon Des Roches Rosa at The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism were as supportive and understanding of the realities of parenting a disabled young person while being disabled and trying to have one’s voice heard. 
So thank you Shades of Noir. If only every publisher was this comfortable with giving the supports needed to have our voices heard.

Peace.