When A Board of Directors Goes Bad

Listen 29 min

Stephen Drake of “Not Dead Yet”

When the Board of Directors at the Disability Rights Legal Center in L.A. announced that it had hired an executive director with a history of lobbying for physician-assisted suicide, gasps were heard nationwide.  

All of the major national disability groups have taken a position to oppose bills legalizing assisted suicide as a matter of public policy.  In September of last year, twenty six disability organizations and prominent individuals wrote a letter to the L.A. Board of Directors asking for a meeting to discuss their hiring of Kathryn Tucker.  They received no response.

That controversial hiring decision didn’t happen in a vacuum. 

Today, we talk to Steven Drake, research analyst from “Not Dead Yet,” about disability non-profits and the boards that are responsible for their oversight.

The L.A. center’s board is filled with white employment defense attorneys who identify as non-disabled.  These are people who built their careers fighting for the Big Guys.  The board of “Not Dead Yet”  has many members who live with a disability — and many seasoned disability activists — among its ranks.

Hosts Eddie Ytuarte and Adrienne Lauby, talk to Stephen Drake about the policies and hard work needed keep our beloved institutions healthy.  We only have to look at the “Disability Rights Legal Center” for an example of what happens when they fail.

(Despite repeated requests, the Disability Rights Legal Center declined to appear on this program.)

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Dis/Play

Group exhibition in which artists with and without disabilities artists claim and define their own identities, experiment, and make their own rules

Group Exhibition on view March 24–April 23, 2015. Free admission during gallery hours: Tuesday–Friday, 12–7 pm and Saturday, 12–5 pm.

Dis/Play Opening Reception
Visual art opening reception features live participatory painting, comedy, and interactive installations including musical instruments.
Thursday, March 26, 6–9 pm. Comedy at 7pm.
Click here for more info. 

Axis Dance Performance & DIS/PLAY Artists Panel
Wednesday, April 8, 6–9pm. 6 pm exhibition tours, 7 pm performance, film screening, 8pm panel. Free with RSVP on EventBrite.
Click here for more info. 

Dis/Play Closing Reception
Visual art closing reception features a poetry performance & screening of “Sins Invalid”
Thursday, April 23, 6–9pm. Free with RSVP on EventBrite.

All events, and the exhibit itself, are free, but some need an advance RSVP.  Everything is wheelchair/ADA accessible.  ASL interpretation will be provided during each of the events.

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Next Thursday, March 26, is the opening reception for the exhibit Dis/Play at the SOMArts Cultural Center.  This exhibit is an unusually large and exceptional gathering of artists who work within the disability culture.   It opens next Tuesday and runs through April 23 at 934 Brannan Street—between 8th and 9th streets in San Francisco. SOMArts is easily reached by car or public transportation.  

Sally Lewis, The Swinging Castle, silk free-form

The opening reception from 6-9 pm next Thursday includes hands-on art exploration and a 45-minute performance by “The Comedians With Disabilities Act.” 

On Wednesday, April 8, there will be a performance by the Axis Dance Company, and the closing night, April 23, highlights film and poetry performances.  The late Casper Banjo is one of the artists featured in the exhibit.  As many of you know, Casper Banjo was killed by an Oakland police officer in 2008 and this is a rare opportunity to see his work.  

Before you decide NOT to go, take a look at this expanded description.  There’s a lot here you probably don’t want to miss.

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