Conversations with Monie Gwaltney

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monie Gwaltney.

Hi Monie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I currently work as a social worker, providing mental health counseling to the deaf community in the Bay Area. Since I was young, I always had people coming up to me, confiding in me about the issues that they were going through in life and I don’t know what it was about myself that made people safe to reveal the deepest parts of themselves but I am glad they feel comfortable to do so. I like to say that I didn’t choose to be therapist, this profession found me. It was my fate before I even realized it. The other reason is a bit personal as well, we know what it like to feel like we are going through our problems alone. It was important to me to continue to pursue this kind of work because there are people like me who are deaf and BIPOC and don’t people in the mental health field who are able to empathize with their struggles. That’s why I believe representation is important in all aspects of life. People want not only feel heard and supported but belonged. I try to maintain this kind of mentality when I branch outside of the social work sphere as well.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The challenges I have faced in life have not been easy. People have very little expectations of you when you’re disabled person of color. You have all the odds stacked against you. And because of my resilience, I am always finding out the hard way but it’s what keeps me going. There’s a lot of misconceptions about deaf people, we have been painted in a negative light, we’re incapable of success, undesirable, unworthy people of contributing to society because we cannot hear but that’s simply not the case. We are capable of achieving the same success as our hearing counterparts if not more. We learn to overcome obstacles, adapt and try to make the journey easier for the next person that comes along.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an artist at heart. Art is my niche even though I spend majority of my time in the social work world. I do stage performing and a bit of acting, I’m still building portfolio. I’m deaf but can communicate verbally but when I am doing stage performing or acting, I always incorporate American sign language in my work to expand people’s knowledge about deaf culture and deaf people. I try to show the audience I am performing for that deaf people can be multidimensional beings and rich, compelling stories that are worth sharing that people can relate to, deaf or not. I recently had the honor to be a part of a production that involved a multi-diverse cast with a female lead navigating the world through deaf lens. To me, this is a big deal because I’ve never seen anything like it. A younger part of me always longed to see a person like me who is black and deaf reflected on the big screen. So I’m proud to be a part of something that I think would be groundbreaking for TV.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Do not be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. If you’re afraid, do it anyways. if there is anything I have learned about stepping out of comfort zones is that opportunities are waiting for you on the other side of fear. Dive into a new experience with an open mind, be willing to engage in conversations with people of different backgrounds because the possibility of a new adventure or experience may arise and you do not want to miss that chance. And plus, its fun to build new connections with people, professionally and personally.

Image Credits
Jadefilms Projects