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This week on Pushing Limits, black disability justice activist Leroy F. Moore Jr. makes a stunning indictment of the black community’s treatment of its disabled members.
His speech was part of a webinar called “Disability Justice and COVID-19†that also included Elandria Williams, Lateef Mcleod and Dorian Taylor.
We bring you excerpts from these black disability leaders who sit at the nexus of class, race and disability.
–They talk about Cure Culture, how our desire to fix disability is dangerous to the health of people with Covid-19.
–They talk about capitalism and how the desire to restart the economy produces disability.
–They talk about those living in psychiatric institutions and group homes, people who are all but forgotten when we talk about protecting ourselves from the corona virus.
–Finally, they talk about self-sufficiency; it’s difficulty and its necessity.
Elandria Williams is the Executive Director at Peoples Hub. She also provides development support to cooperatives, mostly in the Southern United States, and is a co-editor of Beautiful Solutions
“I am a poet, blogger, activists, and friend. Living in the multicultural center of the Bay Area with cerebral palsy gives me an unique, genuine prospective that I depict in my writing. In my website you will find links to my blogs, poetry, and where you can buy my poetry book. Please enjoy what I have to offer.”
Founder of Krip-Hop Nation
Krip-Hop Nation’s Mission is to educate the music, media industries and general public about the talents, history, rights and marketability of Hip-Hop artists and other musicians with disabilities. Krip-Hop Nation’s main objective is to get the musical talents of hip-hop artists with disabilities into the hands of media outlets, educators, and hip-hop, disabled and race scholars, youth, journalists and hip-hop conference coordinators.
Krip-Hop Nation also reports on the latest news about musicians with disabilities through this website, , and columns http://www.poormagazine.org/krip_hop, Krip-Hop internet radio show and other Krip-Hop publications. Krip-Hop Projects consists of forums, presentations and performances. Our products include: Mixtapes, resource pamphlets, books and T Shirts
Dorian began as an advocate for the rights of folks with disabilities and surviving the experiences of institutional violence since their own life has been shaped and molded by such experiences. After years paving the way to advocate medical, housing, and transportation needs for himself and others, Dorian now attends school with hope of a Bachelors in Law and Policy. They hope to bring his motto “accessibility as an afterthought is the opposite of inclusion” into all gender-affirmative services and organizations. Dorian’s other passion is all things Kayak.
This program produced by Sheela Gunn-Cushman and Adrienne Lauby. Adrienne Hosts.
The poster for this event was adapted from a 1943 painting by Jacob Lawrence called, “Harlem Series: Harlem Hospital’s Free Clinic Is Crowded with Patients Every Morning and Evening”. It shows a hospital waiting room with a high wall. Behind the wall a black person in a white coat is doing something with a person is a striped orange shirt. The larger part of the picture shows about 20 people sitting on rows of benches. There are crutches in the picture.
Jacob Lawrence was one of the first nationally recognized African American artists. At one point in his life he was deeply depressed and entered a hospital for a lengthy stay.
The webinar “Disability Justice & COVD-19†was hosted on May 8, 2020. It featured Dorian Taylor (webinar organizer), Elandria Williams, Lateef Mcleod, Leroy Moore Jr, and chat moderation by Cyree Jarelle Johnson (webinar organizer). It was a self-funded/organized effort without the support of any institutions. HEARD & Talila A. Lewis (webinar organizer) contributed to the coordination of access and funding of the platform + a portion of the interpreting/captioning services.
Original air date: 7-17-20
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