April 21, 2025 • 24 mins
In this episode of Disability World with Norma Stanley meet Marcus Boyd. Marcus Leonardo Boyd Has Autism was non verbal until he was almost 14 years old started speaking at a 2 year old level doctors said he would be brain dead and walking human vegetable but now he is a 11x award winning autism global activist a 13x award winning music producer and composer he has a humanitarian award 2 lifetime achievement awards he is a autism entrepreneur and a gospel rapper and he is a autism legend and a trailblazer For changing the narrative for Autism
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, My name is Norma Stanley and welcome to Disability World. Hello,
(00:36):
and welcome to another segment of Disability World where we
discussed various issues of interest and import as it relates
to the disability community as a whole here in Georgia,
around the nation and around the world.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I'm your host, Normas Stanley, and.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
On Disability World, we look forward to speaking with community leaders,
disability advocates, activists, parents, business owners, and anyone who cares
about this vast and vital community and population of about
seventy million people here in the US alone. And today
we are excited to speak to a mister Marcus Boyd
(01:17):
who is an activist and he is also someone with autism,
and he is showing the world how he has been
able to take that challenge of glowing up with autism
and turn it into a success with regards to his
becoming a musician, a producer and a speaker and sharing
(01:41):
with his sharing with the community at large how he
did it and how individuals can also maximize their potential
because they believe in themselves and they have the network
that believes in them. So here we like to speak
to mister Marcus vol Welcome, Hey, how are.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
You righty doing?
Speaker 4 (02:11):
Yes, ma'am, I am honored to be on this legendary platform.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Well, I am so excited to talk with you because
I know that you do from amazing work and uh,
you know, just I know you're from the musician side,
but you know you have been doing.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
This for a while now.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
So tell us a little bit about how you became
such an activist for the autism community, because you actually
dealt with that as a child, and I don't know
if you're still dealing with some of those challenges, but
tell us about that.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Yes, ma'am, as an adult at forty two, I'm still
dealing with the same challenges that I dealt with as
a child.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
The only difference is I know how to cope or
you know, deal with them in a different type of life.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
In setting I became autism, I became an autism advocate
at first, you know, because it's levels. So I became
an autism advocate because in the state of in the
wonderful state of Georgia. It's because my best friend that
grew up with me from childhood, knew I had autism,
knew my challenges, knew my situations, and she she had
(03:18):
a severe child that has autism, that cannot speak at all.
So she wanted me to go to her church and
tell my testimony. I wanted to go to Walmart. Between
I two eighty five and my apartment complex, I didn't
know where Walm. I didn't know where my apartment complex
was anymore because it was undering and raining and everybody
(03:40):
know I two eighty five was a big old circle.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
So when she.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Pulled over her car and told me to get out,
you know, you know, I kind.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Of went to her church. She kind of won because.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
I didn't want to walk, yes, didn't want to walk
in the rain, so I had to like do.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
What she says.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
So long story short, I went to her church and
I told my testimony and what I The.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Feedback that I got from that.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Experience was so eye opening, so life changing because a
lot of parents, guardians, people with autism, volunteers, grandparents was
asking me questions.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
They was giving me encouraging words.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Like hugs, like invited me to come to their church
and stuff with that nature. And this is my first
time meeting these individuals.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So I did not know the autistic community was like this.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
I didn't know like you can build a family and
deal with your situation at the same time.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Yeah, the autism community is a very very you know,
vital and vocal community. And it has to be because
it's such a such a growing situation.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And I mean some of the statistics, h what is it.
Speaker 5 (05:04):
I mean, it's huge.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
One in thirty six children have been identified with autism
spectrum disorder.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
And that's a lot of children.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
And every time you turn around, I mean a lot
of celebrities with children with autism also, and so that's
bringing a lot of visibility to it in the music industry,
people like you know, I think Tony Braxon, one of
her sons had dealt with that. Collie Robinson, Pete, I
think one of her children dealt with that. So tell
us when you realized what you were doing, and how
(05:34):
did your mom deal with that when you were growing
up and you were you were also non verbal, how
did she handle.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Manage that?
Speaker 1 (05:43):
That that that the challenge of getting you to overcome
the you know, the non verbal part and and become
a you know, start speaking on behalf of yourself as
well as the community.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
Well, I don't know if you're originally from Atlanta or
you expect Old Atlanta or the old de Catered the
cab County. My birth mother simply dealt with my autism
by going to the family court on Memorial Drive and
telling the family judge that she don't want to deal
with me. And I'm the R word. Tommy don't beat
the rest of the kids. He just beats Marcus. My
(06:18):
birth mother gave up on me when I was about
to turn five because she couldn't deal with it.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
You know, she was getting.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Abused at home by my birth father, so you know
she didn't. Instead of her trying to protect her children,
she tried to protect herself and say, if I give
markets up, maybe you won't.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Hit me no more.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Wow, that's a real situation, and a lot of families,
that is a real situation.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
And not everybody can handle having a child.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
With special needs. They just can't.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
It's just the reality.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
But despite all of that, you became who you became.
How did that happen? Who saw to your knees and
helped you along the way.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Many foster many foster parents, I was in their homes.
My birth grandmother, she was a four nine four eight
sized woman.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
She had twenty four children, and the Bible.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Was her love language. So you know, she always said
when she got kicked out of Emory Crow along Grady
and stuff like that, they used to stay kicking around
a grade. But the thing is, when she put hoy
All on, people start speaking in tongues and stuff.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
They thought it was like a scene from the Exorcus.
So the thing was, you.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
Know, she believed that God had a bigger plan and
a bigger purpose for me, and not just I'm gonna
be nonverbal, not just he's a walking human vegetable, not
just let's put him on Britlin Pact so difficult. Yeah,
you know, let's institutionalize him. She saw it bigger.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Than that, right, So she you know, fed into you
so that you can, you can believe in yourself and
push past some of those challenges. How long did it
take you, you know, once you started, you know, becoming verbal.
How long how old were you when you started talking?
Speaker 4 (08:19):
Well, I started speaking at a two year olds level
at almost fourteen years of age. I did not start
speaking like I do now that I'm almost eighteen.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
And that was years of therapy.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Peers, peers speech therapist, and I do mean peer because
my therapist daughter was my peers we went to the
same school.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
So when my when her.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Mom wasn't working with me, she was working with me.
But you know it ain't like she had to work
for men or something like that. You know, mom would
just met her.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
On the table.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
The point is that you had a support network to
help you become who you are today, and now you're
trying to, you know, pay it forward by showing young
people how they can maximize their potential. Also, so what
is it that you are loving to do in this
role as an activist and advocate for the autism community
(09:13):
or children with autism. What is it that you really
enjoy doing the most?
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Speaking of government officials, Democrats, Republicans, senators, mayors, governors in
different cities in different states, trying to and I love
coming up what I like to call autistic blueprints or
blue plans, because those are ways that we can strengthen
(09:39):
your city by doing more autistic activities, by doing more
inclusion fundraisers, by giving the parents and the caregivers more
financial assistance, and providing better therapy for that child.
Speaker 5 (09:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Yeah, And one of the things that that bothers me.
You know, my daughter was one of silber palsy but
she may have a little bit of the autism spectrum,
you know, disorder as part of her developmental development.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
And so I don't know exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
They don't talk, They have never really said that, but
I see certain things that that I can tell she
may have some of that autism challenges with her also
in addition to her silver palsy. But one of the
things that that bothers me. They said that that that
boys tend to get it more than girls. And I
know in the black community a lot of the times,
(10:40):
some of these young men being arrested have autism and
cops don't know how to deal with it, you know,
from whatever the behavior things. How does do you do
anything in that space with police officers and training them
as to what can be done to to better handle
some of the young men out here who may be
dealing with an episode and they don't know that, they
(11:01):
think it's something else.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
And some of these kids end up dead.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I've done a lot of police trainings.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
I have done a lot of police trainings in different
cities and different states. We like to and then once
the training is over, we like to call it a
safe blue station. That's what we like to call these stations,
a safe blue station. Even though some of these police
officers move and operate on their own drum, regardless of
the training, regardless of the skills that they learned, They're
(11:29):
still gonna move and operate on their own drum. And
as a teenager, I've dealt with there personally too many times.
They don't care if I had autism, if I was
having an emotional breakdown in public, if I was used
in the bathroom on myself, if I had sensory issues,
they still put them handcuffs right on me, just like
they did Jackie John.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
They didn't really care.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
The thing is is a quarter mark for them, So
as long as they locking up it's fifty or one
hundred people in a month, then they making their quarter.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
So the thing is, we have to continue to be.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
A void for those who may not understand how to
communicate with us, how to talk to us, or how
to deal with us if we are having an emotional
behavior in public.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
There's been too many times that's been on.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
The news of police brutality to individuals who have disabilities.
But because of autism, we don't show our disabilities physically.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
So you may not know.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
And yes, there are a lot of people that have
autism that's been locked up, and that's why disability DEIL
reform is needed.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Yeah, there's so much reform that needs to be that
needs to happen when it comes to the disability population.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
And you know, as much as the ADYA, the.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
American the Disabilities Acted, as much as it has done
to assist people with disabilities, there's so much more that
needs to be put in place, and people don't realize
that then.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
And I hear now that they're trying to roll back.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Some of those regulations that were put in place this
new administration, they're trying to pull some of those things away.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
So yeah, we we we've.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Got to fight as advocates for the whole community. And
you know, in addition to of course including people with disabilities,
I mean people with autism, because the whole community is impacted,
you know, no matter what, but no matter where you
follow the disability spectrum, you know, it's a community, and
it's a huge community, and it's a vocal community, and
(13:27):
it's a vital community.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
It's one of the largest minority populations in the nation.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
It is the largest minority population in the nation, and
people don't realize that either you know, it's not a
community that's poor. You know, even though a lot about
people are you know, may have to seek medicaid and
things like that, that doesn't mean their parents or relatives
(13:52):
or network are poor. That's not necessarily the case at all.
Five hundred billion dollars indisposable incomes, that's not a little
bit of money. So you know, so that's one of
the things that you know, I'm excited that you're doing
as an activist and somebody who's been through it to
(14:13):
be able to share with young people and their families
that you can walk this path and you can be successful.
Tell us a little bit about your music and what
you're doing as a producer and creator as a musician.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
How did that come about? But did you realize you
were a musician?
Speaker 4 (14:32):
My grandma realized I was a musician because she found
what it's called back then, it was called a church
in house church babysitter. You know, how you get like
one of those sisters or whatever the city right next
to your kid and your grandkid, the one that's acting
bad and stuff like that. They may pinch you a
little bit or sat you down and stuff like that.
You know, what I'm saying. So back then we was
(14:54):
in between New York and Atlanta. So one of the
organ players was in Atlanta because he came from New
York and so we was going to you know, a
big church out here and stuff with that nature. We
was going to gethet the Holy Spirit on flash Horse Parkway.
That was when they had the Picklie Wiggley, I'm Old Atlanta.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
We were gonna be Earl don Eu Old Polk Church.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
So the organ playing, the organ player allowed there was
good friends with my grandma. He allowed me to sit
him and play the organ because I was running around
trying to snatch past his wigs off the hair through
pays and stuff with that nature, yelling and screaming. They're
trying to catch the Holy Ghost. And you know, at
first they thought I was catching the two, but no,
I was just yelling and.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Screaming and running around.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
But you know, he taught me how to play the organ.
And he's the first one that suggested to my grandma
that she sent.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Me the band camp.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
So but the problem was that the band camp was
upstate New York. Thank God I had family close to
upstate New York. So you know, I feel you know,
miss normal. I feel like I was male before male
packages was even popular. I feel like I was a
male package because I kept going back and forth from
Georgia to New York, Georgia to New York, Georgia to
(16:17):
New York. So it was that's how I got into music,
because I had to learn how to play instruments. And plus,
my grandma felt like that was the only place I
was going to stay at and she don't have to
her or my sisters don't have to come get me.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
And so you fell in love with the creating music.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
I fell in love with the sound of music, not
so much of the creation at first. I fell in
love with different trumpet sounds, flutes, claiinet, you know, trombones, guitars, drums, organs.
I fell in love with that those sounds and harmonies
and melodies, not necessarily like the process of breaking down
bpms and kickbacks and looping and sampling and blending. It
(17:04):
was more so of I loved that sound. And plus
I was a plus. I was a motown fanatic. Okay,
anything motown, I.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
Was on it.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Yeah, So you just had a love for music from
as a young person, and it just developed until you
turned it into a full fledged producing kind of opportunity
for yourself.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Well well, no, no, no, because see I was in
band camp.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I was in concert band, marching band as a as
a child.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
And you know back then, you know, everybody was wrapping.
Back then, the Face Records was huge in Atlanta. Bobby
Brown at his club in Atlanta. Ill stand what I'm saying.
So you know, everybody was trying to get on and
at that time, I.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Was blessed to be introduced to a group of.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Men that was not even signed yet, but it was
the first ones in Atlanta to get a production deal.
One of my cousins knew one of them, so they
gave me.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
My first ACA laptop. I have a demo.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
Version of Fruity Loops one. I think we are at
twenty one now twenty twenty five. I think we had
twenty one. So they taught me instrumentation versus digital instrumentation,
because it's a difference.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
They taught me how to play real.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Instruments and take the real instruments that I'm playing and
converge them into digital sound.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Nice okay, very nice.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
And so do you work with young people who may
have a love for music, who may have be on
the auto the spectrum disabilities and how do what kind
of things do you do with the people who you know, artists,
Some of them may have a disability.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Some of them is hands on piano lessons and you know, trumpets,
sexophone lessons and different things of that nature.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
Some of them is virtual.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
It's the same lessons, you know, I mean, but it's
just giving them virtual because they live in a different
place and some of the more international Paris, France, London, Italy,
it's the same stuff. But thank god, when you're on video,
you have a translator that you can go on the
video they can translate everything that you're saying from English
(19:20):
to their language.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Awesome.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
And so so yeah, you've definitely been doing that, you.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
You've been doing that internationally now as well as well
as here in the US.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
And that's that's pretty cool. So so what are you
doing these days.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
That you know you want people to know about Marcus
Boyd and and what's looking what the future is looking
like for you and the work that you're doing.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Well, I will I will say that it's normal before
I get into what I'm doing currently in twenty twenty
five that you know, it takes special people.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
It takes special people like yourself.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
It took it took a special person to realize musically
that I can do more than just have my beats
playing on.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
A CD or playing in my room or something. Just then,
what I'm saying, the.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
Reason why I treasured Miss Sharon is because when I
didn't know how to open up to have my beats
in fashion shows, I have my beats in different stage
plays or whatever.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
I think I was. I think I don't forgot exactly
where I.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Was, but I know she was in the room and
when she heard my beat, she said, I gotta use it.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
I want to have it for my show.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Didn't know that it was going to be shows. That's
what the s You understand what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I didn't. I just knew it was going to be
one show.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Yeah, he's talking about a woman that we both know.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Her name is Sharon gary Dill, and she has He's
a fashion designer, and she was one of the first
people in Atlanta to put on fashion showcases that.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
Included people with disabilities.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
My daughter began her fashion modeling career as a result
of walking the runway or biting the one maker. She's
a wheelchair user in Sharon's showcases. So so Sharon gary
Dial was the one who kind of got you started
from using your beat. Isn't that something I wonder if
she even realizes that.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Yeah, you know, I mean, you got to get people
flowers while they can smell them, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
I will always say that she was the pioneer too,
you know undone hundreds of fashion shows in Georgia.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
She was the pioneer to start me off.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
Yeah, that's.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
So we've got to end up in our conversation right now.
But I want to tell people where they can reach you,
get more information about you, and if they want, you know,
you to help their children or come and speak, tell
them where they can meet you.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
You can meet me at any Facebook page. It's Marcus L.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Boyd, Marcus boyd On, Marcus Leonard or Boyd Our people
just call me at six oh one nine nine four
three four five four great.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Great, Well, thank you Marcus for taking some time out
to talk with me here on disability World. I know
you're doing some amazing things and we'll continue to do
so and we look forward to, you know, possibly doing
some things together down the road.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
You just never know.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
So I really appreciate all the work that you're doing.
I see you in the news all the time, and
I said, I know that guy.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
That is so cool.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
So anyway, thank you again for being a part of
disability world. And much continues to success to you.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yes, ma'am, be blessed.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Okay, Well, today was you know, a great conversation with
mister Marcus Boyd. You guys need to look him up,
look at the kind of work that he's doing.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
You know, all you gotta do.
Speaker 5 (22:57):
Is google him.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
You'll find some wonderful information about the work that he's doing.
And you know, I'm really proud of what he's been
able to accomplish over the years. I've only known him
for you know, a few years, but you know, he's
we don't live in Atlanta anymore. I I still live
in Atlanta, but he's moved to other parts of the
of the country.
Speaker 5 (23:15):
I think he's in Tennessee now.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
But but he does a lot of work all over
the country and he's doing some amazing things. So y'all
keep up with him on you know, his social media
and wherever you you know, just google him and you'll
find he's doing some really, really fantastic work. So that's
all the time we have today, but thank you for
being a part of disability World today and we will
(23:39):
see you again very soon with some other amazing guests
making incredible impact on our disability community all across this
nation and across the world. You'd be blessed until next time,
See you soon
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Up
Hi, My name is Norma Stanley and welcome to Disability World. Hello,
(00:36):
and welcome to another segment of Disability World where we
discussed various issues of interest and import as it relates
to the disability community as a whole here in Georgia,
around the nation and around the world.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I'm your host, Normas Stanley, and.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
On Disability World, we look forward to speaking with community leaders,
disability advocates, activists, parents, business owners, and anyone who cares
about this vast and vital community and population of about
seventy million people here in the US alone. And today
we are excited to speak to a mister Marcus Boyd
(01:17):
who is an activist and he is also someone with autism,
and he is showing the world how he has been
able to take that challenge of glowing up with autism
and turn it into a success with regards to his
becoming a musician, a producer and a speaker and sharing
(01:41):
with his sharing with the community at large how he
did it and how individuals can also maximize their potential
because they believe in themselves and they have the network
that believes in them. So here we like to speak
to mister Marcus vol Welcome, Hey, how are.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
You righty doing?
Speaker 4 (02:11):
Yes, ma'am, I am honored to be on this legendary platform.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Well, I am so excited to talk with you because
I know that you do from amazing work and uh,
you know, just I know you're from the musician side,
but you know you have been doing.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
This for a while now.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
So tell us a little bit about how you became
such an activist for the autism community, because you actually
dealt with that as a child, and I don't know
if you're still dealing with some of those challenges, but
tell us about that.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Yes, ma'am, as an adult at forty two, I'm still
dealing with the same challenges that I dealt with as
a child.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
The only difference is I know how to cope or
you know, deal with them in a different type of life.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
In setting I became autism, I became an autism advocate
at first, you know, because it's levels. So I became
an autism advocate because in the state of in the
wonderful state of Georgia. It's because my best friend that
grew up with me from childhood, knew I had autism,
knew my challenges, knew my situations, and she she had
(03:18):
a severe child that has autism, that cannot speak at all.
So she wanted me to go to her church and
tell my testimony. I wanted to go to Walmart. Between
I two eighty five and my apartment complex, I didn't
know where Walm. I didn't know where my apartment complex
was anymore because it was undering and raining and everybody
(03:40):
know I two eighty five was a big old circle.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
So when she.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Pulled over her car and told me to get out,
you know, you know, I kind.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Of went to her church. She kind of won because.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
I didn't want to walk, yes, didn't want to walk
in the rain, so I had to like do.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
What she says.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
So long story short, I went to her church and
I told my testimony and what I The.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Feedback that I got from that.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Experience was so eye opening, so life changing because a
lot of parents, guardians, people with autism, volunteers, grandparents was
asking me questions.
Speaker 3 (04:24):
They was giving me encouraging words.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Like hugs, like invited me to come to their church
and stuff with that nature. And this is my first
time meeting these individuals.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So I did not know the autistic community was like this.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
I didn't know like you can build a family and
deal with your situation at the same time.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Yeah, the autism community is a very very you know,
vital and vocal community. And it has to be because
it's such a such a growing situation.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And I mean some of the statistics, h what is it.
Speaker 5 (05:04):
I mean, it's huge.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
One in thirty six children have been identified with autism
spectrum disorder.
Speaker 5 (05:10):
And that's a lot of children.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
And every time you turn around, I mean a lot
of celebrities with children with autism also, and so that's
bringing a lot of visibility to it in the music industry,
people like you know, I think Tony Braxon, one of
her sons had dealt with that. Collie Robinson, Pete, I
think one of her children dealt with that. So tell
us when you realized what you were doing, and how
(05:34):
did your mom deal with that when you were growing
up and you were you were also non verbal, how
did she handle.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Manage that?
Speaker 1 (05:43):
That that that the challenge of getting you to overcome
the you know, the non verbal part and and become
a you know, start speaking on behalf of yourself as
well as the community.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
Well, I don't know if you're originally from Atlanta or
you expect Old Atlanta or the old de Catered the
cab County. My birth mother simply dealt with my autism
by going to the family court on Memorial Drive and
telling the family judge that she don't want to deal
with me. And I'm the R word. Tommy don't beat
the rest of the kids. He just beats Marcus. My
(06:18):
birth mother gave up on me when I was about
to turn five because she couldn't deal with it.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
You know, she was getting.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Abused at home by my birth father, so you know
she didn't. Instead of her trying to protect her children,
she tried to protect herself and say, if I give
markets up, maybe you won't.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Hit me no more.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Wow, that's a real situation, and a lot of families,
that is a real situation.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
And not everybody can handle having a child.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
With special needs. They just can't.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
It's just the reality.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
But despite all of that, you became who you became.
How did that happen? Who saw to your knees and
helped you along the way.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Many foster many foster parents, I was in their homes.
My birth grandmother, she was a four nine four eight
sized woman.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
She had twenty four children, and the Bible.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
Was her love language. So you know, she always said
when she got kicked out of Emory Crow along Grady
and stuff like that, they used to stay kicking around
a grade. But the thing is, when she put hoy
All on, people start speaking in tongues and stuff.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
They thought it was like a scene from the Exorcus.
So the thing was, you.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
Know, she believed that God had a bigger plan and
a bigger purpose for me, and not just I'm gonna
be nonverbal, not just he's a walking human vegetable, not
just let's put him on Britlin Pact so difficult. Yeah,
you know, let's institutionalize him. She saw it bigger.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Than that, right, So she you know, fed into you
so that you can, you can believe in yourself and
push past some of those challenges. How long did it
take you, you know, once you started, you know, becoming verbal.
How long how old were you when you started talking?
Speaker 4 (08:19):
Well, I started speaking at a two year olds level
at almost fourteen years of age. I did not start
speaking like I do now that I'm almost eighteen.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
And that was years of therapy.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
Peers, peers speech therapist, and I do mean peer because
my therapist daughter was my peers we went to the
same school.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
So when my when her.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Mom wasn't working with me, she was working with me.
But you know it ain't like she had to work
for men or something like that. You know, mom would
just met her.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
On the table.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
The point is that you had a support network to
help you become who you are today, and now you're
trying to, you know, pay it forward by showing young
people how they can maximize their potential. Also, so what
is it that you are loving to do in this
role as an activist and advocate for the autism community
(09:13):
or children with autism. What is it that you really
enjoy doing the most?
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Speaking of government officials, Democrats, Republicans, senators, mayors, governors in
different cities in different states, trying to and I love
coming up what I like to call autistic blueprints or
blue plans, because those are ways that we can strengthen
(09:39):
your city by doing more autistic activities, by doing more
inclusion fundraisers, by giving the parents and the caregivers more
financial assistance, and providing better therapy for that child.
Speaker 5 (09:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Yeah, And one of the things that that bothers me.
You know, my daughter was one of silber palsy but
she may have a little bit of the autism spectrum,
you know, disorder as part of her developmental development.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
And so I don't know exactly.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
They don't talk, They have never really said that, but
I see certain things that that I can tell she
may have some of that autism challenges with her also
in addition to her silver palsy. But one of the
things that that bothers me. They said that that that
boys tend to get it more than girls. And I
know in the black community a lot of the times,
(10:40):
some of these young men being arrested have autism and
cops don't know how to deal with it, you know,
from whatever the behavior things. How does do you do
anything in that space with police officers and training them
as to what can be done to to better handle
some of the young men out here who may be
dealing with an episode and they don't know that, they
(11:01):
think it's something else.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
And some of these kids end up dead.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I've done a lot of police trainings.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
I have done a lot of police trainings in different
cities and different states. We like to and then once
the training is over, we like to call it a
safe blue station. That's what we like to call these stations,
a safe blue station. Even though some of these police
officers move and operate on their own drum, regardless of
the training, regardless of the skills that they learned, They're
(11:29):
still gonna move and operate on their own drum. And
as a teenager, I've dealt with there personally too many times.
They don't care if I had autism, if I was
having an emotional breakdown in public, if I was used
in the bathroom on myself, if I had sensory issues,
they still put them handcuffs right on me, just like
they did Jackie John.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
They didn't really care.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
The thing is is a quarter mark for them, So
as long as they locking up it's fifty or one
hundred people in a month, then they making their quarter.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
So the thing is, we have to continue to be.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
A void for those who may not understand how to
communicate with us, how to talk to us, or how
to deal with us if we are having an emotional
behavior in public.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
There's been too many times that's been on.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
The news of police brutality to individuals who have disabilities.
But because of autism, we don't show our disabilities physically.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
So you may not know.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
And yes, there are a lot of people that have
autism that's been locked up, and that's why disability DEIL
reform is needed.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Yeah, there's so much reform that needs to be that
needs to happen when it comes to the disability population.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
And you know, as much as the ADYA, the.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
American the Disabilities Acted, as much as it has done
to assist people with disabilities, there's so much more that
needs to be put in place, and people don't realize
that then.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
And I hear now that they're trying to roll back.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Some of those regulations that were put in place this
new administration, they're trying to pull some of those things away.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
So yeah, we we we've.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Got to fight as advocates for the whole community. And
you know, in addition to of course including people with disabilities,
I mean people with autism, because the whole community is impacted,
you know, no matter what, but no matter where you
follow the disability spectrum, you know, it's a community, and
it's a huge community, and it's a vocal community, and
(13:27):
it's a vital community.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
It's one of the largest minority populations in the nation.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
It is the largest minority population in the nation, and
people don't realize that either you know, it's not a
community that's poor. You know, even though a lot about
people are you know, may have to seek medicaid and
things like that, that doesn't mean their parents or relatives
(13:52):
or network are poor. That's not necessarily the case at all.
Five hundred billion dollars indisposable incomes, that's not a little
bit of money. So you know, so that's one of
the things that you know, I'm excited that you're doing
as an activist and somebody who's been through it to
(14:13):
be able to share with young people and their families
that you can walk this path and you can be successful.
Tell us a little bit about your music and what
you're doing as a producer and creator as a musician.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
How did that come about? But did you realize you
were a musician?
Speaker 4 (14:32):
My grandma realized I was a musician because she found
what it's called back then, it was called a church
in house church babysitter. You know, how you get like
one of those sisters or whatever the city right next
to your kid and your grandkid, the one that's acting
bad and stuff like that. They may pinch you a
little bit or sat you down and stuff like that.
You know, what I'm saying. So back then we was
(14:54):
in between New York and Atlanta. So one of the
organ players was in Atlanta because he came from New
York and so we was going to you know, a
big church out here and stuff with that nature. We
was going to gethet the Holy Spirit on flash Horse Parkway.
That was when they had the Picklie Wiggley, I'm Old Atlanta.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
We were gonna be Earl don Eu Old Polk Church.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
So the organ playing, the organ player allowed there was
good friends with my grandma. He allowed me to sit
him and play the organ because I was running around
trying to snatch past his wigs off the hair through
pays and stuff with that nature, yelling and screaming. They're
trying to catch the Holy Ghost. And you know, at
first they thought I was catching the two, but no,
I was just yelling and.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Screaming and running around.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
But you know, he taught me how to play the organ.
And he's the first one that suggested to my grandma
that she sent.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Me the band camp.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
So but the problem was that the band camp was
upstate New York. Thank God I had family close to
upstate New York. So you know, I feel you know,
miss normal. I feel like I was male before male
packages was even popular. I feel like I was a
male package because I kept going back and forth from
Georgia to New York, Georgia to New York, Georgia to
(16:17):
New York. So it was that's how I got into music,
because I had to learn how to play instruments. And plus,
my grandma felt like that was the only place I
was going to stay at and she don't have to
her or my sisters don't have to come get me.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
And so you fell in love with the creating music.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
I fell in love with the sound of music, not
so much of the creation at first. I fell in
love with different trumpet sounds, flutes, claiinet, you know, trombones, guitars, drums, organs.
I fell in love with that those sounds and harmonies
and melodies, not necessarily like the process of breaking down
bpms and kickbacks and looping and sampling and blending. It
(17:04):
was more so of I loved that sound. And plus
I was a plus. I was a motown fanatic. Okay,
anything motown, I.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
Was on it.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Yeah, So you just had a love for music from
as a young person, and it just developed until you
turned it into a full fledged producing kind of opportunity
for yourself.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Well well, no, no, no, because see I was in
band camp.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I was in concert band, marching band as a as
a child.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
And you know back then, you know, everybody was wrapping.
Back then, the Face Records was huge in Atlanta. Bobby
Brown at his club in Atlanta. Ill stand what I'm saying.
So you know, everybody was trying to get on and
at that time, I.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Was blessed to be introduced to a group of.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Men that was not even signed yet, but it was
the first ones in Atlanta to get a production deal.
One of my cousins knew one of them, so they
gave me.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
My first ACA laptop. I have a demo.
Speaker 4 (18:06):
Version of Fruity Loops one. I think we are at
twenty one now twenty twenty five. I think we had
twenty one. So they taught me instrumentation versus digital instrumentation,
because it's a difference.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
They taught me how to play real.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Instruments and take the real instruments that I'm playing and
converge them into digital sound.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
Nice okay, very nice.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
And so do you work with young people who may
have a love for music, who may have be on
the auto the spectrum disabilities and how do what kind
of things do you do with the people who you know, artists,
Some of them may have a disability.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Some of them is hands on piano lessons and you know, trumpets,
sexophone lessons and different things of that nature.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
Some of them is virtual.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
It's the same lessons, you know, I mean, but it's
just giving them virtual because they live in a different
place and some of the more international Paris, France, London, Italy,
it's the same stuff. But thank god, when you're on video,
you have a translator that you can go on the
video they can translate everything that you're saying from English
(19:20):
to their language.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Awesome.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
And so so yeah, you've definitely been doing that, you.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
You've been doing that internationally now as well as well
as here in the US.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
And that's that's pretty cool. So so what are you
doing these days.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
That you know you want people to know about Marcus
Boyd and and what's looking what the future is looking
like for you and the work that you're doing.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Well, I will I will say that it's normal before
I get into what I'm doing currently in twenty twenty
five that you know, it takes special people.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
It takes special people like yourself.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
It took it took a special person to realize musically
that I can do more than just have my beats
playing on.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
A CD or playing in my room or something. Just then,
what I'm saying, the.
Speaker 4 (20:15):
Reason why I treasured Miss Sharon is because when I
didn't know how to open up to have my beats
in fashion shows, I have my beats in different stage
plays or whatever.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
I think I was. I think I don't forgot exactly
where I.
Speaker 4 (20:34):
Was, but I know she was in the room and
when she heard my beat, she said, I gotta use it.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
I want to have it for my show.
Speaker 4 (20:40):
Didn't know that it was going to be shows. That's
what the s You understand what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I didn't. I just knew it was going to be
one show.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Yeah, he's talking about a woman that we both know.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Her name is Sharon gary Dill, and she has He's
a fashion designer, and she was one of the first
people in Atlanta to put on fashion showcases that.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
Included people with disabilities.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
My daughter began her fashion modeling career as a result
of walking the runway or biting the one maker. She's
a wheelchair user in Sharon's showcases. So so Sharon gary
Dial was the one who kind of got you started
from using your beat. Isn't that something I wonder if
she even realizes that.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
Yeah, you know, I mean, you got to get people
flowers while they can smell them, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
I will always say that she was the pioneer too,
you know undone hundreds of fashion shows in Georgia.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
She was the pioneer to start me off.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
Yeah, that's.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
So we've got to end up in our conversation right now.
But I want to tell people where they can reach you,
get more information about you, and if they want, you know,
you to help their children or come and speak, tell
them where they can meet you.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
You can meet me at any Facebook page. It's Marcus L.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Boyd, Marcus boyd On, Marcus Leonard or Boyd Our people
just call me at six oh one nine nine four
three four five four great.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Great, Well, thank you Marcus for taking some time out
to talk with me here on disability World. I know
you're doing some amazing things and we'll continue to do
so and we look forward to, you know, possibly doing
some things together down the road.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
You just never know.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
So I really appreciate all the work that you're doing.
I see you in the news all the time, and
I said, I know that guy.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
That is so cool.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
So anyway, thank you again for being a part of
disability world. And much continues to success to you.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yes, ma'am, be blessed.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Okay, Well, today was you know, a great conversation with
mister Marcus Boyd. You guys need to look him up,
look at the kind of work that he's doing.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
You know, all you gotta do.
Speaker 5 (22:57):
Is google him.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
You'll find some wonderful information about the work that he's doing.
And you know, I'm really proud of what he's been
able to accomplish over the years. I've only known him
for you know, a few years, but you know, he's
we don't live in Atlanta anymore. I I still live
in Atlanta, but he's moved to other parts of the
of the country.
Speaker 5 (23:15):
I think he's in Tennessee now.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
But but he does a lot of work all over
the country and he's doing some amazing things. So y'all
keep up with him on you know, his social media
and wherever you you know, just google him and you'll
find he's doing some really, really fantastic work. So that's
all the time we have today, but thank you for
being a part of disability World today and we will
(23:39):
see you again very soon with some other amazing guests
making incredible impact on our disability community all across this
nation and across the world. You'd be blessed until next time,
See you soon
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Up
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