Autism Awareness: A Mother's Prayer For Her Gifted Sons
April is National Autism Acceptance Month; it is a month that we recognize the beauty and humanity of those in our community that have both unique gifts and unique challenges. It is also National Poetry Month, so it feels like the right time to share a poem that I wrote a few years ago in the wake of the deaths of Elijah McClain and George Floyd. Elijah was a beautiful soft-spoken young man with special gifts that were not recognized during his encounter with law enforcement.
As a mom of boys, each with unique needs, I cannot lose sight of the fact that many in our society treat black boys as grown men, robbing them of the innocence of childhood and the grace to learn as they grow, and even make a few mistakes that are normal to childhood. As a society, we have to make a concerted effort to make room for children with special needs who may not react the way that is expected in the classroom, when dealing with law enforcement, or just going about daily life. We need to create space for them through education, awareness, modified behavior, and advocacy, when needed. It should become second-nature to think - does this child have anxiety, is she on the spectrum, are there sensory issues, processing challenges - just to name a few human challenges. We should educate ourselves, assess the situation and make every effort to do no harm. Our goal should be to help, to be gentle, to deescalate, and to bring patience, grace and kindness to the situation.
As a person of faith, I wrote this prayer for my children, as well as all vulnerable children in our community.
A Mother's Prayer For Her Gifted Sons
For boys on the autism spectrum
For boys with unique gifts from the universe
I fall to my knees in fervent prayer to the
God of Moses and David and our ancestors
A prayer to heal the hearts and open the minds
of those in the world who are not conscious enough to recognize the beauty that is within you
I pray that our entire community will know the truth that your difference is not a deficiency
I pray because your light of greatness remains unseen, so I must pour wisdom into you and anoint you with knowledge
I must ask the ancestors for extra protection for you and hope that my works and my prayers are enough to stop the bullying, for your contributions to never be underestimated by teachers and administrators, for your talents to be recognized by employers, for law enforcement and those who hold positions of power to always see your humanity and treat you with kindness.
I fall on my knees in fervent prayers to protect you from
a world that pretends to celebrate uniqueness but won’t always see how grand you are.
Janet Autherine. Poem from the Poetry book, the Heart and Soul of Black Women
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