Today we’d like to introduce you to Trinity Jagdeo.
Hi Trinity, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The start of this organization began with the friendship of our president, Trinity Jagdeo, and her best friend, Alexus Dick. Alexus has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, also known as SMA. SMA is a degenerative disease that robs people of basic movement like walking, talking, and eating. The pair met in Kindergarten and they have been inseparable ever since.
In 2015, Alexus went through a terrifying life-or-death battle at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. During Alexus’s six month admittance, Jagdeo realized how the disabled community is underrepresented in the entertainment industry.
A report from GLADD shows that only “2.1 percent of regular characters on primetime TV in the 2018-2019 season actually had a disability.” Other studies report disability representation is even less than 2.1%.
Jagdeo then made a video reaching out to Disney directors asking them to create princesses & princes with disabilities. The absence of a response from Disney inspired Jagdeo to take matters into her own hands.
As Jagdeo noticed the yearn for representation, she found it essential to create characters that embody who they are. Therefore, in 2018, From We Can’t to We Can was born.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
not really! i was 17 years old with no money whatsoever, so i worked at wawa for about a year to fund the organization. Our nonprofit operated under a $25,000 budget for six years. Though we have grown, we are still small to this day, but we’ve made a great impact.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am known for starting my nonprofit organization at the age of 17 because of my bestfriend who has SMA type 2. She’s the inspiration behind the books that I write, as I create children’s books that feature real kids with disabilities as superheroes. I also continuously create initiatives and programs that support the disabled community.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
through the people that i help, i know a job well done by the appreciation and looks on their faces when families and children with disabilities receive the support they need.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wecant2wecan.org
- Instagram: trinity.jagdeo or wecant2wecan
- Facebook: trinity.jagdeo or wecant2wecan
- LinkedIn: trinity.jagdeo or wecant2wecan
- Youtube: trinity.jagdeo or wecant2wecan
