Marcus Boyd is the very first person with Autism to be a Distinguished Person Humanitarian Award Winner and a Lifetime Presidential Award winner with a medal and a letter from President Joe Biden. Let’s dive into a recent interview with FEMI Magazine to learn more about his passion for educating others on autism. His journey represents resilence and shows there are no limitations to be placed on those with autism.
How does it feel to be distinguished as the first person with autism to win the medal of honor and presidential letter from Joe Biden?
With this question I must start off by saying I had to thank God for even blessing me to be chosen to receive such an award and honor. I come from poverty welfare lines and food stamps. I come from getting it out of the mud to have something that you do that is now nationally recognized. I just couldn’t believe it. But in my heart, I knew it wasn’t me, it was God he set this vision to come true. My work as an autism activist is to reach people, help them and stand to be a voice for them. To me this showed me that my work and my dedication matters, and it showed me that I have much more work to do, it’s more than acceptance and inclusion it’s about giving real opportunities and real training and giving real careers to special needs and autism individuals. Most of my childhood I fought to have a voice. Now millions of people get to hear my voice and learn more of my story and why I give my life for autism. To me this award means when my family said I wouldn’t be nothing or no one wants to deal with me and my mental problems, when my teachers put me on ieps and self-contained classrooms and said my mind was to gone to learn, when medication became my best friend and to keep me calm or my behavior in check they zombified me, just thinking of what I went through I praise God because I’m no longer in that pain and now I get to show the world what being a vessel for God looks like. I’m not bragging, I’m very humble, but that award put me in the driver seat to become a game changer, now when you think of autism you can’t just speak of the negative. It’s too many people changing the world who have autism so continue to watch this story, it is not done.
What do you think it will take to help continue to dispel the myth that autism means you cannot achieve your dreams?
Come on now look who you are interviewing I am a black man who has autism proudly I was never supposed to beat the odds. 11 different doctors in two different states said the left side of my brain doesn’t function correctly and based off that and my behavior, I will never get an education or live on my own or do things for myself; I will need a caregiver for the rest of my life but God said different. What else?! I been homeless in multiple states eating out of dumpsters and stealing out of stores for food, sleeping in abandoned houses for weeks at a time, sleeping in the parks and near apartments complexes outside and there were times I didn’t eat or bathe because I had no choice. On top of that, being in the streets living the street life selling drugs going to jail and prison facing 70 years of my life in prison over drugs and having the judge say no I believe this young man deserves a second chance. My life was on a course to failure. I was in gangs and carrying guns and pistol whipping people in my youth but look what God did! Look how he changed me and turned my life around. To say now I’m living my dream would be a understatement.
“I am claiming my purpose and destiny in this life we have to stop with what your child can’t do all because he or she has autism.“
I know many people with anger issues but they still get to their bag and have a family and do what they need to do. Its only with autism that we are treated as if we are crippled and we can’t make sound decisions for our lives. Yes we will need more help and assistance but that doesn’t mean we can’t do it at all. Any person who has autism are geniuses and kind hearted and lovable people and only if we were given a chance to show our true talents and gifts imagine how we could really change the world. If we are never put in the leadership roles then how do you expect us to lead? I am living proof what an opportunity and God can do to make a impact on a diagnosis. Yes I still struggle and have my bad days with having autism but guess what? I won’t allow it to stop me from leaving a legacy with being an autism activist.
Did you have a strong family support system that helped with your tenacity and boldness to fulfill your goals and purposes?
Well growing up I was alone and didn’t have no family support at all. It was so hard to have autism and I was being abused and sexually raped by my uncles for four years. I didn’t understand how they would touch a child that’s non verbal and had mental issues and make him do things that’s unspeakable but that’s my family, I had to understand that everything happens for a reason and God won’t put more on me then I can bear, and if my blood family is not going to be my family then I have to find people that will.
So what ended up happening was I found my best friend Gary Sinatra and I found my business partner Tracey Davis and I finally got a family. The Edmondson’s, my mom, dad, sister, aunt, uncle and grandmother are the greatest. I never had someone love me like they do, I’m so honored to have them in my life and they are my backbone. They are the reason why I push so hard every day and the way they see my vision and my purpose is so life changing. Like my dad is retired and he has been at Wal-Mart for years, but how he still makes a way for my mom and sister and the rest of the family is so priceless. He is my role model and my mother, oh lord I can go on all day about how selfless and how much she is a giver and will give her last just to make sure you have. I know her heart and the type of mother that she is to my sister and my brother and going through the things she had to face its only God that keeps her pushing through, she is my inspiration. My sister Racheal aka super star what can I say about Gods gift to the world, she is a one of a kind type of person, her heart is filled with gold and she brings so much to life and the people around her. I admire her because she has autism but autism doesn’t have her, and she gets up everyday ready to face the world with so much positivity I truly learn from her. So I have to take this time and thank my village, my support system and my family because without them I don’t know where I would be.
You are an award-winning music producer and composer. What is your favorite genre of music to create?
Music has been in my soul and spirit ever since I could remember. Some people love the lyrics, but for me, I am a beat man. If the beat is unforgettable then I know the song is a hit. When I first started making beats I started learning hip hop and boom bap, like how to make those drums come alive and kicks and snares have a life of their own. I learned about blending samples and what sample would be right for the drums that I created. See let me let you in on a little secret, a lot of producers make their drums first then put the sample in after the drums are made, but I pick the sample first then I make the drums or play the piano or whatever other instrument that I’m using around the sample that I have chosen. So because I make 18 different genres of music, some of my favorite genres of music to make are neo soul trap beats hip hop and boom bap. I mean I like making other genres too but those for me stick out. I am a neo soul head at heart. I love those melodies and sounds they are so peaceful and really talk to your spirit. All of my life music has been the voice that I didn’t have and what I have learned early was to make the music speak for you because people aren’t going to care about your disability if the music is talking to their soul. So with me having autism and knowing that I am unique and different, music was the only thing that gave me a fair chance and didn’t judge or make fun of me or stopped loving me, so I owe music more than what I can repay because honestly music saved my life.
What words of wisdom can you share with children who may feel they can’t succeed just because they are on the autism spectrum or have been counted out by society or loved ones?
For any parent or guardian for any child or teenager that is reading this question please hear me and know that you are somebody. Dream big and don’t allow a no to cripple you from getting you to your yes! Reach beyond infinity and tap into your gifts and talents. Now in this life you’re going to get tried and people are going to want to push your buttons but remember who’s you are and we have to love people despite how they treat us. Also know this, every trial and tribulation that you go through is only building you for the force that you will become. Oh my God, to everyone that is reading this you are perfectly made, and you are royalty and don’t let nobody I mean nobody say any different I support I love you and theres nothing you can do about it.
Do you do speaking engagements or what does your autism advocacy look like?
Yes I do speaking engagements I am a international keynote speaker who has spoken in 10 different countries in almost 7 years. I use my platform to speak to governors, mayors, city officials, senators and democrats about how we have to make a better opportunity for the autism and special needs communities. My day normally starts with prayer and breakfast and a lot of phone calls and emails and zoom meetings with different policy holders and staff members of these government offices to have conversations that will start to spark the minds of these people that we have to make issues and situations better for these communities. They been listening slowly but not like I would like them too. This is a everyday type of fight and you have to push for new laws and rights on a constant basis to the law makers. I do travel to tell my story to give hope and encouragement and hopefully one person can learn from me and my mistakes and don’t follow the same road I went down. As long as God continues to give me a voice I will use it to continue to spread awareness inclusion and change for autism and special needs. This fight will take most of my life but I’m prepared for it and I give my life and time for autism because I know the next generation will have it better than my generation and that’s a promise.
I am Autism Activist Marcus Boyd.
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