Noted autism activist Marcus Boyd moved to Vicksburg about seven months ago.

“I’ve been an autism activist for seven years now,” Boyd said. “I have autism, so I was nonverbal until I was almost 14. I started speaking at the two-year-old level and I didn’t start speaking like I do now until I was almost 18. Eleven different doctors said that I was going to be brain dead, a walking human vegetable, that I will never be educated, live on my own. I would never have those type of experiences because my left side of my brain doesn’t function correctly (for) a child of my age at that time.”

Boyd had a difficult childhood. He said he grew up in a family with 22 children and endured severe physical abuse before being put into foster care.

Born in the early 1980s, Boyd said his parents did not know how to deal with having a non-verbal, autistic child.

“They didn’t understand the uniqueness,” he said. “And so I came from very horrific abuse, foster cares, group homes, homelessness at a very early age.”

Today, Boyd is an accomplished musician and producer, having worked on feature film soundtracks.

Boyd said he has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, given to those who have donated more than 4,000 hours to community service in their lifetime.

“I have six other autism activist awards. I have 13 music awards for being a music producer and composer,” Boyd said. “Now, I’ve been nominated for major awards, like a Grammy, but I never won one.”

But, Boyd said he is now thinking of moving away from the music industry.

“(It’s been) 25 years in this game. I’ve been a music producer and composer; 18 different genres of music I make. I play eight different instruments,” he said. “But I’m about to retire from that because I feel like it’s a young person’s game.”

Boyd said he was persuaded by a friend who has an autistic child to pursue activism. He remembers the first time he spoke in public about his condition as an activist.

“I went to a church, I spoke, there was a lot of people, there were single parents, couples or caregivers for somebody who has autism. And I realized then it was not about me,” he said. “It was about trying to be a voice for those who are voiceless, trying to help change things that have not been changed, and trying to put more inclusion and acceptance into a word that some people deem to be bad.”

Boyd said he recently returned from Denver, where he founded the Marcus Boyd Foundation, an organization that aims to provide support for those with autism. He is expecting to release a feature film about his life in 2026.

Boyd first came to Vicksburg for a business meeting and found that he enjoyed the River City. He then decided to move here.

“I felt like Vicksburg, you know, is something new, it’s something vibrant, and I wanted to be in this amazing city,” he said.

Boyd said he has big plans for his work locally.

“I do plan on visiting schools. I do plan on working with local organizations,” he said. “I’m having another meeting with mayor (George) Flaggs again to see what we can do to have more programs and actually have a festival or some type of event in April of 2025 that will be local and homebound to give Vicksburg autistic individuals and autistic families in Vicksburg more of a voice and more togetherness.”

He also wants people to know that he is a resource for families and individuals dealing with autism.

“I am here for the great city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Anybody that has an autistic child or a teenager or adult, anybody that may need encouragement or advice, please feel free to reach out to me at 601-994-3454,” Boyd said. “Because we’re a village, we are family. We all have to stick together.”