Vilissa Thompson — disability justice advocate, writer, and founder of Ramp Your Voice! — joins Dr. Victor Pineda for a candid conversation on intersectionality, identity, and power.

Vilissa reflects on navigating the world as a Black disabled woman, why she built the Black Disabled Woman’s Syllabus as a living archive of community knowledge, and the origins and impact of #DisabilityTooWhite. She and Victor dig into what it means to center those most often excluded from disability spaces, debate a James Baldwin quote on freedom, and talk openly about the politics of claiming a disability identity and the right to sexual expression as a full human being. Vilissa closes with practical advice on sustaining yourself through advocacy work and protecting disabled students’ education rights.

This conversation continues the mission of The Independent: elevating voices with lived expertise, honoring resilience, and building a deeper sense of belonging across our communities.