MEET JEIRI FLORES

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

Who is Jeiri Flores?

Who is Jeiri Flores I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that. Jeiri Flores is Lourdes Flores’s daughter and I know that that might not mean much to folks, but my mother built me from scratch.

BY NICOLE HEROUX WILLIAMS I PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO

and I just want to see what it feels like to lead folks to their next steps. And realistically, I want folks who look and sound like me to relate to their keynote speaker on a personal level to feel comfortable and genuinely celebrated.

What is one piece of advice you have been given that you have never forgotten?

I was the first person in my immediate family to graduate college, and when I got to the ceremony, it all felt surreal. I couldn’t believe I was there. Only 1% of disabled college students actually graduate, and here I was at a finish line that, in the beginning, I couldn’t even envision. So on my way to the gym where the ceremony was happening, I was on the elevator processing out loud, and this little old lady looked at me and said “Why not you?” and I’ve carried that with me ever since. Why not me?

What’s the most important risk you’ve ever taken? How did it play out for you?

I turned down a job opportunity to be a fellow in a fellowship program that didn’t pay much. I felt like the fellowship better aligned with my goals as an advocate. And honestly, it proved to be the better choice as it continues to pay dividends.

What is your mission for helping to make Rochester a better place to live?

Rochester made me. I owe the dirt of this city something. It is my mission to give where I can what I can whenever

I can. My mission for this city is simple it is my deepest desire to help this city become a place where families bloom, where difference is acknowledged and celebrated, and where those who have made it pull up as they climb because we are each other’s business! This place can only get better if we see and take care of each other.

As a person with a disability yourself, do you find it easier or harder to be an advocate and have your message heard?

It is unfortunate, but disability is still super taboo. And there is so much stigma attached to being disabled. Every day is a fight. Being an advocate for myself is hard because I am fighting to be respected, heard, and acknowledged. I have to watch how I say things, how I interact with others, remember to keep my emotions in check, and to stay vulnerable while also being guarded. It’s all a complicated balance and I don’t always get it right. Am I always heard? I am not sure because I am not just disabled; I am a woman of color who openly uses AAVE, so there are a lot of isms I am constantly combatting.

Tell us about your biggest success. How did it change you?

I feel like my biggest success is yet to come. I’m still swimming against the current to make it. But if I had to pick a moment, I’d say being interviewed by TIME magazine. When the interviewer first reached out, I thought I was being scammed and didn’t trust it till I did a deep dive on google. Once I figured out it was legit, I felt like I made it. TIME magazine is big. And after the article went to print, I felt like I had to work harder and continue to grow my presence in the disability advocacy realm.

Where will we see Jeiri Flores next? Hopefully, you’ll see me keynoting a conference, starting a podcast, and continuing to push the envelope when it comes to advocacy.

“Only 1% of disabled college students actually graduate, and here I was at a finish line that, in the beginning, I couldn’t even envision.”