In 1998, October 22 was designated as International Stuttering Awareness Day. It is observed to shine some light on the speech disorder called stuttering. It is estimated that one percent of the world’s population is afflicted with the speech impediment.
Stuttering, also referred to as stammering, is a disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the person is unable to produce sounds.
The exact cause of stuttering is unknown, nevertheless, neurophysiology and genetics are speculated as contributing factors.
Being in the public eye brings its own set of challenges and anxieties.
For the following seven black celebrities, stuttering is or was a barrier that doesn’t break their stride.
