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Actress Holly Robinson Peay thanks Hackensack City for recognizing Autism Acceptance Month
Summary
Holly Robinson Peay sent a recorded message to Hackensack Mayor Gaines and the City Council thanking them for recognizing Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month and urging the city to move from awareness to acceptance for people with autism.
Holly Robinson Peay, an actress and autism advocate, sent a recorded message to Hackensack Mayor Gaines and the City Council thanking them for recognizing Autism Awareness — and, she emphasized, Autism Acceptance — Month.
Peay, who identified herself as a mother of a son on the autism spectrum and an advocate, told the council that gestures like the proclamation matter to families. "You belong here," she said, adding that "autism isn't a limitation. It's just a different way of experiencing the world." She also said, "I wouldn't change RJ for the world, but I would always try to change the world for RJ."
The message framed the proclamation as a way for the city to send "a powerful message to families," urging civic leaders to emphasize inclusion and support for people with autism. No formal vote or action was recorded in the transcript; the council received the recorded message as the city's recognition of the month.
Mayor Gaines introduced the proclamation and explained that the recorded message had been arranged because Peay could not attend in person.
