Disabled Black Lives Matter

I felt the need to write about my experience with the BLM movement recently. Maybe I’m bored, maybe I’m manic, maybe it’s Maybelline. 

I grew up in the quite literal ass crack of the Idaho/Oregon border. Tumbleweeds and potatoes aplenty. I can remember having one African American friend there my entire 20 years of existence. I, much like my very sheltered white kin, did not have to experience racism on a first hand basis. What I can tell you about is my first time hearing the “N word,” that has recently been playing over and over in my head.

I was 15. I was always that token white girl friend who instead of listening to Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw, I much preferred Three Six Mafia and Juicy J. 

At this time in my life I had not one single African American friend or knew anyone of color outside of my Hispanic friends. So while standing at lunch with a group of friends one day, I remember talking with my girlfriends about Trey Songz. This was when a group of white males that I considered my “friends,” at the time interjected and referred to me as a “n****r lover”. 

“Terra likes n*****s. You’re a n****r lover,” they repeated. At this moment in time, I wasn’t necessarily even aware of what the word or term meant and the history behind it (thanks public schooling). I only knew that it was a “bad word”. Looking back now at the age of 27, I realize just how many times I’d continue to hear that word and term from then on. 

I am now 27 years old living with my boyfriend and have left the ass crack of Oregon/Idaho for 7 years. I should also mention that my boyfriend is in fact African American, he is also in a wheelchair. He is a T10 paraplegic and uses a manual wheelchair to get around.

As Coronavirus continues to shake the room, so does the BLM movement. Living with someone who is African American at this time as a white woman who has not had to experience first hand racism in my lifetime has brought out a number of feelings in me. Ranging anywhere at anytime  from fear, anger, disgust, sadness, rage, the list continues to go on. 

This, however is only a small taste of what African American people experience on a day in and day out basis and have continued to experience for hundreds of years now.

Not only has the BLM movement opened my eyes to the systemic racism in our country, but it has also opened my eyes to the prejudice against other minorities as well, like people who have disabilities. If you wanna talk to someone that we as a society give not a single, absolute, flying fuck about, talk to someone who has a disability. 

We are taught a SLIVER of a white washed history concerning the Civil Rights movement and the peaceful protests lead by MLK. We are taught even less about the civil rights movement lead by and for disabled people. 

I am more than ashamed to say that the only reason we have been made aware of this movement is due to a Netflix documentary called Crip Camp, produced by none other than Michelle and Barack (still my president) Obama released March 25, 2020 in the United Kingdom.

Did you know that in 1977 a group of ONLY 120 disabled people, their families, caregivers, and parents did a sit-in for 26 days at the HEW building in San Francisco in order to get BASIC human rights? Like being able to access a building, to go to school, take the bus, to have a job? Did you know the BLACK PANTHERS helped support and FEED the people who staged the sit-in for the entire 26 days? Look it up!!! 

 

 Do you know what it’s like having your boyfriend look you in the eye from across the room and casually say to you “so if I was alive back then I would have had no rights at all.” It is, quite literally the only word I can find to even somewhat describe it, TERRIFYING.

The BLM movement however, gives me hope. It gives me hope because people are starting to wake up. Society is waking up. We’ve had enough. We have had the largest Civil Rights Movement in all 50 states and across the globe in our entire history in the last month. That. Is. HUGE.

 As we continue to move forward, let us not forget change is possible. Let us not forget about our INEXCUSABLE healthcare system. Let us not forget about global warming. Let us not forget about unaffordable housing. Let us not forget about our mental health crisis. Let us not forget about our homeless. Let us not forget about our hungry. Let us not forget about police brutality. Let us not forget about the unjust, unsolved, unwarranted murder(s) African American’s continue to face. Let us not forget about our DISABLED. Let us continue to not fall back asleep. Let us remember to stay awake.

Here is a quote from 

http://www.disabilityhistory.org/BlackPantherParty_504.html

During the 504 protest in 1977:

“I’ve been thinking since I’ve been here this morning that the United States has always had its n*****s,” Ericka said. “And they come in all sizes, shapes, colors, classes, and disabilities.

“The signing of 504, this demonstration, the sit-in, this beautiful thing that has happened these past weeks, is all to say that the n*****s are going to be set free…”

Over and over the significant themes were repeated at the rally – “human rights,” “equal access,” “and end to segregation,” “finally feeling like a human being” – all summed up by Kitty Cone when she simply yelled into the microphone the one thought behind all the smiling emotions, “WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!”