Washington, DC is Autistic (Episode 05)

A: Yeah, dude liked books, had a real big library, wanted to read all the books, too busy to talk to you. Matt: The library is the life of our people.

In this episode of The Autistic Culture Podcast:

Two Autistic celebrities, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Banneker, were instrumental in the design and layout of the beautiful (and symmetrical) Washington D.C.

Benjamin Banneker was a self-educated African American mathematician and astronomer who was brought in by Jefferson to help survey and plan the city. His logical, systematic approach resulted in the orderly grid layout of streets and quadrants that makes navigating D.C. straightforward (if you can see the pattern).

Jefferson and Banneker connected as fellow Autistics and Banneker challenged Jefferson to take action against slavery and promote racial equality. Though Jefferson was sympathetic, he did not take bold action due to political considerations.

“But Autistic people often will see the—I don't know—genius, or the skills, or the talents of other Autistic people.” —Angela

The podcast hosts analyze how Autistic traits are evident in the accomplishments and personalities of both men, like intense focus, pattern recognition, and a strong call to social advocacy. They highlight Autistic giftedness and the empathy that Autistics can have for each other (“the double empathy problem”), as well as the difficulties masking and fitting in can cause.

“Yeah, this is a common, allistic, erroneous belief because studies have shown that allistic researchers, when interacting with autistic people—because they misread our natural body language, they misread our natural tone, they misread our Autistic accents—they erroneously believe that we don't have empathy because it turns out, they did not have empathy for us.”
—Matt

Banneker and Jefferson shared special interests and supported each other’s careers despite years of fighting about the key social justice issue of the time—ending the enslavement of fellow humans.

On this virtual culture trip, the #ActuallyAutistic hosts conclude that D.C.'s logical design and early influences make it an inherently Autistic city.

Do you have Autistic justice sensitivity? How has it impacted your relationships? Tell us about it in the comments!

Biography on Banneker

Roberta Grimes on Jefferson, Asperger’s, and Race

Letter to Jefferson from Banneker

Want to learn about another Black Autistic celebrity? Check out: Questlove is Autistic
Want more about groundbreaking Autistic contributions? Check out: Apple is Autistic

Check us out on Instagram

Find us on Apple podcast and Spotify

Learn more about Matt at Matt Lowry, LPP

Matt’s social media: Autistic Connections Facebook Group

Learn more about Angela at AngelaLauria.com and Difference Press

Angela’s social media: Twitter and TikTok

TACP’s Autism-affirming TeePublic merch shop

Find these designs and more in our merch shop! (link above)