Marlon Moore (B.A. '24)
Marlon Moore (B.A. ’24) is an inspiration to many. Born with spina bifida, Moore became an advocate for those in the disability community. While at Georgia State, he led an organization supporting students with disabilities and was awarded the university’s coveted George M. Sparks Award for his impact. Here, Moore shares how determination and perseverance helped him achieve his goals.
Interview by Jordan Ferguson
What led you to Georgia State and your calling for advocacy?
I started at Georgia State’s Perimeter College on the Clarkston Campus in 2018 and got my associate degree. After a quick break, I transferred to the Atlanta Campus in 2021. From there, I continued my education and took a lot of Africana Studies classes. From the start of my time on campus, I searched for organizations for students with disabilities. I worked with Access Coordinator Victor Robertson in the university’s Access and Accommodations Center (AACE), and he told me about an organization called DREAM: Disability Rights Education Activism Mentoring, for which he was the adviser. DREAM really resonated with what I wanted to do: Advocate for people with disabilities.
Can you share more about your work with DREAM?
DREAM has been around since 2020 and initially started through the AACE. But after my friend and I started sharing the news of DREAM, it transformed into a student-led organization. Since then, we have brought more than 60 active members to the DREAM organization, promoting disability identity, being a voice for change and awareness, and advocating for more accessibility on campus. We’ve introduced an accessibility map and pinpointed accessible parking and the locations of elevators and shortcuts to make navigating campus easier.
As a history major, what is your goal?
I am still deciding on my career path. I plan on working in the nonprofit sector, and I am passionate about working within the community. I see myself working in a job where I am immersed in the disability community and helping young adults with disabilities develop life skills and live independently.
How has Georgia State supported you and your mission?
Georgia State gave me the opportunity to have a leadership role. When I first joined DREAM, it was mainly online, and I didn’t have an in-person, on-campus experience due to COVID. As we shifted DREAM into a student-led organization and became more active on campus, Georgia State opened the doors and allowed me to take on leadership roles. Through DREAM, I received many networking opportunities, from reaching out to other organizations at different universities that are disability related and connecting with them to building this community and seeing other people positively affected by it.
What was it like to win Georgia State’s highly selective George M. Sparks Award for your work with DREAM?
Winning the Sparks Award provided me a platform to speak about disability representation and inclusion within the university community. One of the biggest things that Georgia State has done for me is to provide me with a seat at the table and allow me to represent students with disabilities on campus. I am grateful to Georgia State for recognizing my efforts with the Sparks Award. They could have chosen someone else, but they chose me and a few others, and I am grateful for the opportunity.
What was one of your most rewarding memories at Georgia State?
DREAM rented out CineFest Film Theatre and showed a documentary called “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.” It was rewarding because many people showed up to see the film, which instills disability pride but also highlights what the characters with disabilities went through to get to this point. It had people crying because it’s an emotional movie, but it was just good because it felt like, in the moment, everyone in the theater related to one another. We all felt like family, in a sense.
What advice would you give those from a similar background coming to Georgia State?
My advice would be to embrace your identity and who you are, embrace your disability and find ways to enjoy campus life. Also, be confident in your ability to do whatever you set your mind to do. Your contribution to the overall greatness of Georgia State matters because you matter. Although it might not feel like your contributions are at a major scale, you never know whom you’re going to influence.
