Finding My Voice, Building a Community: Codi Lamb’s Story

By Codi Lamb

College was supposed to be a time for connection and self-discovery, but for me, it was isolating. As a covert stutterer, I worked hard to mask my stutter, unsure how to disclose it or talk about it openly. I didn’t know communities like the NSA existed, and I felt alone and unseen for a long time.

I longed to meet other young Black women and men who stuttered, people who understood what I was going through and shared similar experiences. I remember admiring a fellow student in the National Council of Negro Women at my university. She stuttered, and she was only the second Black woman I had ever met who did. But our schedules never quite aligned, and we didn’t get the chance to connect deeply.

It wasn’t until my final semester in summer 2021 that everything changed. I was just a few months away from graduating from the University of South Florida (USF) when I started researching and came across the NSA. To my surprise, there was an NSA Chapter right on my campus. Even though I’d soon be heading back home to Jacksonville, I decided to attend a meeting with the USF Tampa Adult Chapter.

That decision changed my life.

I walked into that meeting and quickly realized I was the only woman and the only Black person in the room. But then Dr. Nathan Maxfield, one of the Chapter co-hosts and a speech-language pathologist at USF, asked us to share what we hoped to gain from the group. I said, “I would love to meet other Black women and men who like to look good, have fun, network—and stutter.”

Dr. Maxfield followed up with an email encouraging me to create the first-ever support group specifically for women of color who stutter. He even connected me with some of his clients who fit the profile. And just like that, the vision started coming to life.

When I facilitated our very first meeting for Melanin Stutter Queens in September 2021, I was terrified. But deep inside, there was a spark, a sense of peace, purpose, and empowerment that I’d never felt before. That first gathering was small, but our group has grown to include around 75 members worldwide.

It hasn’t been easy. I’m still navigating my own journey as a person who stutters. I still have moments of doubt, fear, and frustration. But what keeps me grounded is the power of community, the support we give each other, the strength we share, and the way we show up for one another even on hard days.

Leading this group has taught me that it’s not just about me. It’s about every young girl or woman who feels lost or invisible because of her stutter. It’s about representation, connection, and reminding others that stuttering isn’t a flaw.

This space is for them, for us, and for every person who stutters and is looking for somewhere to belong.