Introducing Leaving Sunbeams

Bold, wild, fearless existence. Reintroducing Sulaiman R. Khan's refreshed and reimagined personal blog, as of November 2023. Xx

[OPEN QUOTE] “If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.” [CLOSE QUOTE]

— Audre Lorde.

IMAGE  DESCRIPTION 1: On a hot and sunny day on his birthday in July 2020, closeup of Sulaiman wearing his rainbow-coloured mesh jacket from his friends Danny + Ioana and his silver Nkonsonkonson (Family) Adinkra pendant via Ahima Jewellery against Sulaiman’s bare upper chest in the sunshine. Sulaiman wears the pendant as to him it represents “family” since family, whether by blood or bond, is everything to him. END.

Who I Am

Sulaiman R. Khan ( سلیمان راشد خان ), FRSA [he/him/his/Disabled¹]

IMAGE DESCRIPTION 2: Portrait photo from a secret and sacred family trip to Scotland in July 2023 of Sulaiman (a wholeheartedly Disabled AF, British-Pakistani man with black buzzcut hair and tattoos on each wrist) sitting in his new power wheelchair (the M5 Corpus via Permobil) at full elevated eye-level height on the balcony deck @The_Treehouses of Lanrick in his wheelchair-accessible treehouse amongst the canopy of tremendous trees, Sulaiman’s non-human kin. In the background, you see a forest of tender trees and a stream of the River Teith. Sulaiman is wearing his new white t-shirt via his dearest friend @jtknoxroxs featuring a red and pink illustrated eye with a star shining in the pupil of the eye representative of our demand for radical healing and dreaming, underneath there’s the dark red text that reads “Calling all radical resters” in capital letters, and a dark red illustrated star all on the front of the t-shirt. He also wears his light blue skinny jeans and blue sequinned Converse shoes. Sulaiman has a huge smile, feeling joyful and grateful for every radical breath he takes every single second of every day. END.

Daringly integrating Disability. I am a multiple award-winning Disabled: Founder, Speaker, and Activist. Disabled Oracle. I am the Founder and Chief Radical Officer of ThisAbility Limited, a Disability and Person of The Global Majority²-owned Disability Justice business and a Certified B Corporation. I am a highly acclaimed, sought-after radical speaker. I am a joyful activist from my first breath, with every breath until my last breath. Ultimately, my life’s work and goal are to create radical, infinite, interdependent ecosystems of care (and curiosity), Access Intimacy for collective liberation, and acts of daily Revolutionary Love. More here: https://sulaimanrkhan.com/

Sunbeams

Why sunbeams?

Like sunbeams, I want this space to embed my warmth and love forever, even after I am long gone. I want this space to be where I share my wisdom and richness through words, as this personal blog. I want this space to be one of my lasting legacies of Revolutionary Love.

I continue to do so by taking one breath at a time.

Because for many of us, a day at a time can be too difficult.

Because radical healing demands radical dreaming, and radical dreaming demands radical healing.

So, I will be radical in my healing and dreaming.

Hence, I am going gently and confidently in the direction of my dreams and fears, always guided by my ancestors and descendants, and always centring Revolutionary Love. I am daringly doing and becoming what my ancestors, descendants, Disabled global family, and Mother Nature destined me to do and become. Not doing so would dishonour their belief and prayers in me. Thus, I am grabbing my destiny (wholeheartedly with my Soma, Bodymind) to bring what I deserve and what is meant for me into my life.

[OPEN QUOTE] “Conformity, palatability, and dehumanisation are built on fear, hate, intolerance, and injustice. Revolutions are made with community care, collective liberation, interdependence, and, most critically, revolutions are built on love. Revolutionary Love is the only way forward for our (collective and loving) thriving beyond surviving. Healing is interdependent and intertwined. We choose Revolutionary Love as our North Star for the collective liberation of all of our kin (by blood or bond, our human and more-than-human kin, and our inner and outer selves). I will be my own North Star by existing infinitely through Revolutionary Love.

In simple terms, this means don’t be an arsehole; leave that energy and behaviour back to pre-2020. I, for one, refuse to be an arsehole because I’m too much of a (and too busy being a) revolutionary lover.” [CLOSE QUOTE]

– Me (Sulaiman R. Khan – سلیمان راشد خان ).

We must leave sunbeams. Sunbeams that we were here, that we lived, that we prevailed and loved and ached. Sunbeams of the fullness we never felt and the immense sense of wholeness we gave to each other. Sunbeams of who we were, who we thought we were, who we never should have been. Sunbeams for each other that there are different ways to live--past sustaining ourselves, past isolation.

Leaving Sunbeams is a blog of my sexy, spicy, and sacred being of my Soma, Bodymind. Radical, restful, regenerative. Progression over perfection. Always x

IMAGE DESCRIPTION 3: Horizontal Leaving Sunbeams Newsletter Wordmark. Sexy, spicy, sacred. In the bottom centre of a green fluid abstract painting background is an abstract rising sun with black and gold rays. A large radiant white text in the centre of the image says, “LEAVING SUNBEAMS” in capital letters. On the right centre, cursive white text has Sulaiman’s initials “SK” in capital letters. Below in white text are the words “Sulaiman R. Khan” in capital letters. END.

Also, although I aim for Leaving Sunbeams to regularly updated, it will always be imagined, written, created, and shared in Crip Time.³ I’m wheeling away with zero tolerance to your ableism, racism, patriarchy, anti-blackness, anti-fatness, colonialism, capitalism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, classism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, hegemony, heteronormativity, carceral ideology, anti-abolition, subjugation, supremacy, toxicity, and all systems of oppression. Oppressors, you can put it where the sun doesn’t shine. Also, I have never been able to walk and don’t want to ever walk, so as a power wheelchair user, “wheeling away” is my cheeky take on “walking away.” Standing and walking are SO overrated! Xx

I no longer tolerate being capitalism’s plaything, ableism’s commodity, racism’s tool for power, colonialism’s puppet for violence, white supremacy culture’s fetish for manipulation, cis-able heteronormative patriarchy’s armour for bullying, and oppression’s pawn for harm. My ancestors and descendants demand and deserve better from me and for me. Onwards and upwards. 🔥

[OPEN QUOTE] “We are living in the imaginaries of those long gone before us, one day people will be living in the imaginaries we’ve created.” [CLOSE QUOTE]

– Angela Y. Davis.

Sun, Sex, And Suspicious Sustainability

Apart from my regular blog posts, I will write a new monthly feature within Leaving Sunbeams on the first Monday of every month, starting 8 January 2024. The monthly feature will called “Sun, Sex, And Suspicious Sustainability.”⁴

Radical answers are regenerated by radical questioning. So, the “Sun, Sex, And Suspicious Sustainability” feature will radically question everything (even everything I know about my Disability and identities) and highlight three things, reimagining by daringly integrating Disability:

1. Sun – Radiant things that warm my spirit, heart, and soul.

2. Sex – Saucy things that push me out of my comfort zone and challenge people in society across the world.

3. Suspicious Sustainability – Beyond sustainability, courageous things that put regeneration in the forefront and push our curiosity to daringly centre Disability (and Disabled people) into regenerative conversations and solutions.

Curious, courageous, and compassionate. Again – sexy, spicy, and sacred. Always x

WORDS ARE WEAPONS. USE THEM WISELY.

Create. Agitate. Educate. These are ways I like to communicate through stories, as people relate and connect the most with stories.

Words are the most powerful to do this (and writing is the most potent medium). They allow the imagination to soar, unlimited and unrestricted. They are the most active call to action. They can build and sustain a brand (in conjunction with action, strategy, intellect, integrity, energy, agility, and neuroplasticity). They change and unify the world or move a nation (or a society) into more significant justice for everyone. They are the cure (in conjunction with unconditional kindness) to isolation, loneliness and self-doubt through a text, a letter, a compliment. However, adversely misused words (and writing) can devastate, decay, divide, destroy, and demolish individuals, society, organisations, and the world.

Words are weapons of (the imagination’s) wisdom. So, use them wisely for the better and to define yourself for yourself.

I love words (and writing) too, which is ironic as I cannot hold a pen + notebook to write things down, and typing is extremely fatiguing due to my physical Disability. Regardless, as someone who’s ongoingly open-minded and open-hearted to unlearn (and relearn) and transform everything forever, here you’ll find my thoughts through words. And here I share stories as a continual work-in-progress, adding my touch of sunshine, spice of my melanin magic and a sprinkle of my sequins, dark humour, and emotion.

If you’re ready for a story (or two) and you dare, read on and share!

[OPEN QUOTE] “To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality.” [CLOSE QUOTE]

– bell hooks. 

ONWARDS and UPWARDS. Xx

IMAGE DESCRIPTION 4: Leaving Sunbeams Newsletter Cover Photo. Sexy, spicy, sacred. In the bottom centre of a green fluid abstract painting background is an abstract rising sun with black and gold rays. A large radiant white text in the centre of the image says, “LEAVING SUNBEAMS” in capital letters. Also, the white cursive text at the top centre of the image says, “Sulaiman R. Khan.” Below in white text are the words “Daringly Integrating Disability” in capital letters, which is Sulaiman’s personal brand slogan and credo. END.

1. Personally, I use Disabled interchangeably with Crip (a term only to be used by the Disabled community and in no way to be used by not-yet-Disabled people) as I am done making my Disability palatable for an ableist (and racist) world. I don’t wish to erase my Disability or Disabled identity nor be a part of “overcoming Disability” and “Disability Paradox” narratives – I haven’t “overcome” my Disability; I have overcome ableism and ableists. I prefer not to use problematical person-first language such as “person with a Disability”, and he is not keen on using ableist language such as “differently-abled,” “handicapped,” “wheelchair-bound”, or “special needs” that worsens my internalised ableism. This is my personal choice and may not reflect all Disabled people nor the whole Disability community across the world. We are all on different journeys in our Disabled identity journey, and that’s okay. If in doubt, ask the Disabled person directly.

2. People of the Global Majority: coined by Rosemary M. Campbell-Stephens MBE is “a collective term that first and foremost speaks to and encourages those so-called, to think of themselves as belonging to the majority on planet earth. It refers to people who are Black, African, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or, have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities'. Globally these groups currently represent approximately eighty per cent (80%) of the world's population, making them the global majority now, and with current growth rates, notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic, they are set to remain so for the foreseeable future. Understanding that singular truth may shift the dial, it certainly should permanently disrupt and relocate the conversation on race.” (R. Campbell-Stephens, 2020). This aligns wholeheartedly with my Disabled AF, British-Pakistani existence.

3. Crip Time: In short, Crip Time is the bending of time (and time travel) that Disabled people are experts in practising, and centres Disabled bodies and minds by and for Disabled people.

4. It’s my cheeky take and a play on words on Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents, which is “a British documentary/reality television series aired on BBC Three from 4 January 2011 – 8 July 2015.” The concept of the series is “...People in their late teens and early twenties go on their first girls'/lads' holiday abroad under the belief that they are getting away from their parents. However, their parents are also sent to the holiday destination and secretly watch footage of their children on video screens and also spy in their hotel rooms and at nightclub locations. The parents then reveal themselves on the last night of the holiday, to the dismay of the children, and tell them what they've seen and learned.”