American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Winter 2023 JOURNEYS
Blind Girl Magic
by Jeanetta Price
From the Editor: At the 2022 NFB National Convention in New Orleans, Jeanetta Price was honored with a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award in the amount of $15,000. The Bolotin Awards are given each year to people and organizations whose groundbreaking work helps change what it means to be blind. Jeanetta's work is bold and original. In this article she shares her story.
I grew up in Beaumont, Texas, thinking of myself as a healthy person without any disabilities. My life took an unexpected turn when I had a brain aneurysm at the age of twenty-one. The condition could have killed me, but by the grace of God I made a full recovery. As I liked to say, “I took that lickin’ and kept on tickin’.”
Then, when I was twenty-five, I developed a very aggressive form of glaucoma. Over the next four years I underwent more than twenty surgeries in a desperate effort to save my sight. Nothing worked for long. By the time I was twenty-nine I was blind, with only light perception in one eye.
When I had the aneurysm I never lost my confidence. I never lost hope. But I was really undone by vision loss. In short order I lost my job, I lost my fiancé, and I lost my confidence. I felt as if blindness had stolen my life, and I sank into a deep depression.
Eventually I realized I had to do something to rebuild my life. I enrolled in college to get a degree in social work, and I applied for a scholarship from the National Federation of the Blind. I didn't win a scholarship, but I got connected to the Texas affiliate of the NFB. Kim Flores was our president, and she put me in touch with a wonderful mentor named Gracie Jackson. I ordered my first long white cane, and the shame of being blind faded away as I gained blindness skills. I also started journaling and writing poetry from a place of healing as I transitioned from being sighted to being blinded by ambition.
As I worked through my feelings about becoming blind, I realized that countless other people were also experiencing challenges with sight loss. I desired to help others realize that there is still life after blindness, and you can live your best life outta sight. I started reciting my poems all over my community and beyond. I'm a strong believer that your gifts will make room for you, and my gift of writing poetry has made room for me in places I could only have imagined.
In 2019 I went to a social mixer with a Texas group called Black Girls Rock. I wanted to share information about the blind community to show that blind Black girls rock, too! I invited some of my blind friends to the Black Girls Rock mixer. I came up with the idea of wearing red T-shirts that said Blind Girl Magic.
I thought I was at the mixer to spread awareness about blindness. I didn't know I was there to build a company! Then one of the organizers told me she wanted to buy a T-shirt and sunglasses. When I said I had none to sell, she said to me, "What? You're at a Black Girls Rock mixer, and you've got no product?" That planted the entrepreneurial spirit!
After the mixer I contacted the local vendor and ordered a hundred more shirts. I took them to the 2019 NFB National Convention in Las Vegas. My whole supply sold out in just three days. Suddenly I realized I had a business! I was an entrepreneur!
After that, Blind Girl Magic really took off, and I had to catch up with it. I sell shirts and other products all over the world. All of my gear incorporates the long white cane. I come up with eye-catching statements that bring confidence to blind women, letting them know that we are beautiful. Once you rock Blind Girl Magic gear, you will activate the magic that lives within us all. I became an entrepreneur with purpose on purpose.
There was a time when I couldn't bear to say “Jeanetta” and “blind” in the same sentence. I couldn't imagine I'd ever say I'm proud to be a strong blind, Black woman, which I consider to be a triple blessing. Blind Girl Magic is an independent movement that is leading blind women to freedom. We have to be here for each other and share what we know. We're each other's support system.
When the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, I started hosting seminars online. I lost two people who were close to me due to COVID, and I knew other people were experiencing challenges as well. For this reason, I started Zooming into various organizations, hosting "The Write to Heal Seminars."
I begin the seminars by reciting some of my poetry. My freedom of expression, vulnerability, boldness, and confidence set me aside from other artists and advocates. As I recite I take you on a poetic journey, so buckle up! We may experience some bumps in the road, but know we'll reach our destination of healing. The fire that is shut up in my bones spread wildly around the atmosphere and set others on fire to stand fearless in their truth while exercising their voice for change and healing.
I was overjoyed and in disbelief when I received a call telling me that I was one of the 2022 Jacob Bolotin Award winners. All I could say was, "Who, me?" Then I asked myself, Why not me? I have served as a blind advocate throughout my journey on a local and national level. My family and friends have labored with me, as my visions require a team of visionaries. My work has ranged from hosting live events to spread awareness about life after blindness, holding seminars to inform individuals about sight loss as a new beginning, mentoring newly blind individuals, and providing sensitivity training to local businesses and support groups for the blind. For over fifteen years I flown, Zoomed, Ubered, and bused around the world to plant seeds of hope by sharing my spoken word, motivational speaking, and volunteering to inspire, educate, and empower one to live their best life outta sight! I share not to brag but to encourage you all to be driven by purpose, and the world will see and feel your passion.
It was an honor to receive the Bolotin Award! I was the top winner in the Individual Category. No, we are the top winners of the individual category. We won! Every blind person who thought their life was over. We won! Every blind woman who thought her beauty faded as she lost sight. We won! Every blind, Black woman and man who have been discriminated against. We won! This win is all about all of us! It took for me to lose sight to gain vision, and God allowed me to see better days.
My name is Jeanetta Price. I am founder and CEO of Blind Girl Magic. I am the visionary of the bestselling anthology The Write to Heal. I am president of the Golden Triangle Chapter of the NFB of Texas. I am also president of NFB’s Community Service Division. I am a licensed mortgage originator, and I am a licensed professional counselor. Most of all, I am a child of God. So why not me?
Blind Girl Magic isn't just for blind people. It's for everybody. We don't make moves, we make movements. We are changing what it means to be blind with our motivational merchandise, our seminars, and our fabulous daily lives. Please join our movement! You can find us on Facebook at Blind Girl Magic and The Write 2 Heal.
We look forward to being in Houston this summer for the 2023 NFB Convention, so please visit the Blind Girl Magic booth. We'll be there, bold and beautiful, screaming, "Blind Girl Magic this way!"