March 15, 2001
RE:
ADVOCACY PACKET for the April 17th Leave Out for Equal Justice
To
All Participants, Co-Sponsors, and Allies:
Thank
you for your interest in the April 17th nationwide Leave Out
for Equal Justice, sponsored by the National
Disabled Students Union (NDSU). With a little over 4 weeks until the protest,
preparations are currently in full swing to ensure a coordinated, organized,
and successful action that will deliver a powerful message to the Supreme Court
of the United States that any elevation of “states’ rights” over civil rights
in this country will not be tolerated.
Phase
1 of the protest preparations involves the widespread dissemination of the
documents in the enclosed Advocacy Packet. This Advocacy Packet includes:
1. A
targeted flyer announcing the April 17th
Leave Out specifically geared to your particular constituency.
There are four targeted flyers available: 1) for students,
2) for parents of youth with disabilities, 3) for the disability community in general, and 4) for our natural allies. If you would like any of these flyers (in
addition to the one you received in this packet), please feel free to ask and
we will be more than happy to send them out right away.
2. A sheet with ideas for
leave-out organizers
3. A sheet describing the
meaning of the NDSU symbol – THE BRAID
4. A description of NDSU and our formal Mission Statement
5. A copy of the invitation
to join the NDSU listserv
In approximately a week and a half, we will distribute a Media
Packet that will include step-by-step strategies for working with
the media, sample materials
you can modify as appropriate for your local media outlets,
and other related
materials. This packet will also include a national
petition, as well as a model state petition, for distribution in your
particular state.
If
you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Sarah Triano at
773-463-4776 (V or Relay) or at mailto:strian1@uic.edu.
In
Solidarity,
Members of the NDSU Leadership
Team
Co-Sponsors for this Event
Include:
Access Living of Chicago, IL, ADA Watch, ADAPT
LA (ADAPT of So. California), ADAPT Montana, Alliance for Disability and
Students of the University of Montana (ADSUM), American Association of
People with Disabilities, American Psychological Association Graduate Students
(APAGS), Chapman University Organization for Disability Disability Advocacy
& Awareness, Chicago ADAPT, Citizens for Legitimate Government, Coalition
of Citizens with Disabilities in IL, Disability Advocates of Minorities
Organization, Disabled Students Union at the University of California, Berkeley
(DSU), Disabled Students Union at the University of Illinois at Chicago (DSU),
IMPACT, Inc. of Alton, IL, Justice for All, Kids as Self-Advocates, Lake County
Center for Independent Living, MCS: Health and Environment, Monroe County
Women's Disability Network, National Association of Protection and Advocacy
Systems, National Council on Independent Living, National Strike One, Not Dead
Yet, On A Roll Radio, PACER Center, Progress Center for Independent Living of
Forest Park, IL, Suburban Access Squad, The Associated Blind, Inc., The
Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco, The PhD Program in Disability
Studies at UIC, UIC Circle Greens, UIC College Democrats, UIC Department of
Disability and Human Development
The National Disabled Students Union (NDSU) is a national, cross-disability,
student organization. We
recognize all disabled people -- those with traditionally recognized
disabilities and those who have often been left out of the movement -- as our
brothers and sisters, and we recognize all students -- those who work to
learn, whether or not they are at
recognized schools -- as our
colleagues.
The
NDSU was founded on February 21, 2001, in response to the US
Supreme Court decision limiting the enforcement of Title I of the 1990
Americans with Disabilities Act (Board of
Trustees of the University of Alabama et al. v. Garrett et al.). Students with disabilities throughout the
United States recognize the far-reaching impact of this decision, and we oppose the Supreme Court’s pattern
of undercutting civil rights legislation in America. Although the Garrett decision still requires
the states to treat disabled and nondisabled employees equally, it makes
enforcement more difficult.
The
US Supreme Court has weakened other civil rights laws besides the ADA (including the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act and the Violence Against Women Act), and
we are concerned about this trend. We
wonder whose rights are next and how long we will have the guarantee of
equality. We are committed to
everyone's right to equal protection under the law and equal rights within
society, and we don't want to wake up a year or a decade from now wishing
we'd acted earlier.
We
recognized the need for a concerted, nation-wide response
that would put the Supreme Court -- and the rest of the American public -- on
notice that students with disabilities in this country will no longer accept
anything less than full participation, full equality, full justice, and the
full dignity and respect that we (and all people) deserve as equal human
beings. On Tuesday, April 17, 2001,
we will come together with our allies in a nationwide demonstration of our
opposition to the Court’s actions.
We
will mobilize and organize students with disabilities
throughout the nation in order to continue the legacy of empowerment and
community solidarity that is our heritage. As one of the great leaders of our
movement, Justin Dart, once said, “We
are here, we are united, and we are proud." We will work to ensure that all disabled students have the
opportunities they need to learn, the opportunities they need to live and work,
and the opportunities they need to be full participants in their communities
and full members of American society.
For more information,
contact Sarah Triano at strian1@uic.edu or 773-463-4776
THE
MEANING OF THE NDSU SYMBOL
Braid
Marlin Thomas
Colors For Unity
Textures For
Diversity
Woven
Into
Our Consciousness
Woven
Into
Our Souls
Woven
Into
Our History
Woven
Into
Our Movement
Woven
Into
Our World
Woven
Into
Existence
Woven
Into
Each Other
Braid
Cal Montgomery
Throughout history, people have
used symbols to identify themselves. Sometimes these are public symbols, to
demonstrate support for a cause to everyone; sometimes they are private
symbols, to allow people to identify themselves to others like them. Think of
the marked doors in the Passover story, of the brightly lit candle in the
window in the history of the Underground Railroad. Think of the obscure symbols
on buttons; think of the school logos on students' ballcaps; think of the
familiar ways of speaking that tell you the stranger in front of you is a
friend.
Throughout history, people have
used symbols to identify themselves. We use a braid to demonstrate our
commitment to the way a diverse group of strands can come together to make
something strong and sure. We use a braid to symbolize the many different
fabrics out of which the disability cloth is made. We use a braid to symbolize
the many different threads in our communities that, together, make a thick
rope.
Throughout history, there have
been symbols: ours is a braid.
Purple, For Pride. In Ourselves, History, and Disability
Green, For
Grassroots. Growing from Souls to Strong Plants
Orange, For
Perseverance. In the Fight for Our Equal Rights
Though
one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly
broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12
Ideas for Leave-Out Organizers
We are a rich and diverse
community, and we expect a rich and diverse range of demonstrations, in which
we will teach and learn about our community, about our struggles, and about our
allies’ struggles. Every different
person, every different group, every different community will add a thread to
our human braid; and the braid will be stronger than any of us alone. Here are some suggestions:
à
On college campuses
across the country, students will be simultaneously “leaving out” of their
classes and congregating at one central spot.
Many local activists will be joining in the Leave-Outs at nearby
schools.
à
An elementary school
activist has decided to organize a petition drive at her school, asking other
students to think seriously about disability rights and to show their support.
à
Some students whose
campuses will be on Spring Break on April 17 will hold Leave-Outs or Teach-Ins
or petition drives in their communities.
à
CILs, clubhouses, and
other community groups may wish to host Teach-Ins for students and their
families, and for other members of their communities. At these Teach-Ins people can discuss the Garrett decision and
its implications and the disability rights movement, make braids in support of
a strong and diverse movement made of many threads, and work together to build
and strengthen the human braid.
à
Display your own braid
on April 17, in your hair, on your shirt, on your front door, or anywhere, to
symbolize your support and membership in the human braid.
à
Some groups may wish to
hold Teach-Ins where many civil rights issues are discussed, and where people
from many different backgrounds and different movements can teach each other
and learn from each other.
à
Writers can write op-ed
pieces and letters to the editor, and submit them to local newspapers. Groups can work together on letter-writing
campaigns to state legislators, urging that the protections we have lost
nationally be reinstated at the state level.
Groups can come together to make music or art to celebrate our
communities and remind people that there is strength in diversity.
à
Groups may choose to
have marches or rallies.
à
One activist is
organizing a virtual teach-in on the web.
à
Some individuals may
participate in the Leave-Out as individuals, knowing that at the same time,
people all across the nation are doing the same thing.
à
You may have ideas we
haven’t thought about yet – do you?
Whatever you do, we want to hear about
it.
We’d love to know what you’re planning:
we can offer you some help in organizing and in trying to get local
media to cover your event, and if we know of anyone else working on the
Leave-Out in your community, we can help you connect. And we’d love to hear, afterward, how it
went, and see any media coverage that you might have gotten. We will all learn from each other, and
together we will create something wonderful.
We hold this truth to be self-evident: that all of us are created equal.
Patricia Garrett got breast cancer. Then she got fired.
This is a story that’s all
too familiar to people with disabilities.
If you’re disabled, other people assume it’s okay to pass you over, turn
you down, and leave you out. They
assume you’re not quite as equal as everyone else and it’s okay to treat you
that way.
Ten years ago, our activists
fought long and hard to win the right to be treated equally. They got the Americans with Disabilities
Act passed, and they got it signed into law.
For the last ten years, our activists have been fighting to get the law
enforced, to get the benefits the law promises. And now the Supreme Court has made that fight harder, by ruling
that state employees can’t recover damages when their Title I rights are
violated.
LEAVE OUT
with the
National Disabled Student Union on Tuesday, April 17, 2001
We are students, adults,
professionals, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and we are People with Disabilities (in bold
strong colors, ringing out in song, beating strong rhythms). The Garrett case is not the beginning and it
is not the end, but it is the time to show that we will not let anything happen to our rights; we will fight to make and keep
our rights equal. As we know from the
past, justice will not be given to us.
We must demand it because it is simply Our Right To Equality.
On April 16, you will join people across the nation in
paying your share of state taxes.
On April 17, join people with disabilities across the
nation to call for your share of the benefits.
On April 17, 1960, the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in Raleigh, North
Carolina. SNCC became a major civil
rights force in the United States, but the legacy of SNCC and other civil
rights groups is being eroded by a Supreme Court insistent on weakening our
rights in the name of “states’ rights.”
41 years after the birth of SNCC, students are speaking out for justice
again. The National Disabled Student
Union asks you to join with us to call -- again -- for all people to be treated
with justice and fairness as equals.
We're tired of being left
out, and on April 17 we're leaving out.
At 1pm Eastern (noon Central,
11am Mountain, 10am Pacific) on April 17, disabled students and our allies will
"leave out" of our schools, our jobs, and our homes, to remind
the government that when business as usual means discrimination, we want no
part of it.
If you want more information about participating in the
national demonstration or if you want to organize some other activity in your
area to demonstrate your opposition, please contact Sarah Triano at
strian1@uic.edu or 773-463-4776. An Advocacy Packet and a Media Toolkit are
available upon request.
No-One
Should Be Left Out
LEAVE OUT
with the
National Disabled Student Union on Tuesday, April 17, 2001
In 1990, Congress passed the
Americans with Disabilities Act, which says that disabled people -- who have
historically been left out of schools, jobs, and communities -- have the same
rights as anyone else in this country.
Schools, employers, and places of public accommodation, the ADA says,
may no longer leave us out. The ADA
follows in the tradition of earlier laws like IDEA in demanding that all of us
be able to live and learn and grow and give in our own communities.
Last year the Supreme Court
weakened the Violence Against Women Act. Then they went after the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. And now, in yet another decision that weakens
the guarantee of full membership in society, the Supreme Court has decided that
even though states have to comply with the ADA, state employees can't recover
money damages when they've been discriminated against. This will make it easier for the states to
break their promises to people with disabilities and our families. It will make it easier for the states to
leave people out. And we have to wonder: who’s
next?
We're tired of people being
left out, and on April 17 we're leaving out.
At 1pm Eastern (noon Central,
11am Mountain, 10am Pacific) on April 17, disabled students and our allies will
"leave out" of our schools, our jobs, and our homes, to remind
the government that no-one should be left out.
Our Families. Our Communities. Our
Taxes. Our Government.
On April 17, 1960, the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in Raleigh, North
Carolina. SNCC became a major civil
rights force in the United States, but the legacy of SNCC and other civil
rights groups is being eroded by a Supreme Court insistent on weakening our
rights in the name of “states’ rights.”
41 years after the birth of SNCC, we ask you to join with us to call --
again -- for all people to be treated with justice and fairness as equals.
On April 16, everyone will pay taxes. On April 17, join us in proclaiming that
everyone should benefit from the government those taxes support.
If you want more information about participating in the
national demonstration or if you want to organize some other activity in your
area to demonstrate your opposition, please contact Sarah Triano at
strian1@uic.edu or 773-463-4776. An Advocacy Packet and a Media Toolkit are
available upon request.
If you're
tired of being left out
LEAVE OUT
with the
National Disabled Student Union on Tuesday, April 17, 2001
In 1990, Congress passed the
Americans with Disabilities Act, which says that disabled people -- who have
historically been left out of schools, jobs, and communities -- have the same
rights as anyone else in this country.
Schools, employers, and places of public accommodation, the ADA says,
may no longer leave us out.
But this year the Supreme
Court, in yet another decision that weakens civil rights, has decided that even
though states have to comply with the ADA, state employees can't recover money
damages when they've been discriminated against. This will make it harder for state employees like Patricia
Garrett -- who was fired by the
University of Alabama because she’d had breast cancer -- to fight against
discrimination in the workplace. It
will make it easier for state universities to discriminate against disabled
faculty and staff. It will make it
easier for state agencies to discriminate against disabled people looking for
jobs. It will make it easier to leave
us out.
On April 17, 1960, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC) was founded in Raleigh, North Carolina. SNCC became a major civil rights force in
the United States, but the legacy of SNCC and other civil rights groups is
being eroded by a Supreme Court insistent on weakening our rights in the name
of “states’ rights.” 41 years after the
birth of SNCC, we ask you to join with us to call -- again -- for all people to
be treated with justice and fairness as equals.
On April 16, 2001, your federal and state taxes are
due. The following day, we ask you to
remind the government that our taxes must not be used to discriminate against
us.
At 1pm Eastern (noon Central, 11am Mountain, 10am
Pacific) on April 17, disabled students and our allies will "leave
out" of our schools, our jobs,
and our homes, to remind the government that when business as usual means
discrimination, then we want no part of it.
We're tired of being left out, and on
April 17 we're leaving out.
If you want more information
about participating in the national demonstration or if you want to organize
some other activity in your area to demonstrate your opposition, please contact
Sarah Triano at strian1@uic.edu or 773-463-4776. An Advocacy Packet and a Media
Toolkit are available upon request.
LEAVE OUT
with the
National Disabled Student Union on Tuesday, April 17, 2001
In 1990, Congress passed the
Americans with Disabilities Act to protect the civil rights of people with
disabilities. The ADA says that
disabled people -- who have historically been left out of schools, jobs, and
communities -- have the same rights as anyone else in this country. Schools and employers and places of public
accommodation, the ADA says, may no longer leave us out.
Same
struggle, different difference.
But the Supreme Court has
been weakening civil rights laws in the name of protecting “states’
rights.” Last year they went after the Violence Against Women Act. They went after the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Now it’s the ADA. The Supreme Court has decided that even
though states have to comply with the ADA, state employees can't recover money
damages when they've been discriminated against. This will make it harder for state employees like Patricia
Garrett -- who was fired by the University of Alabama because she’d had breast
cancer -- to fight against discrimination in the workplace. It will make it easier for state
universities to discriminate against disabled faculty and staff. It will make it easier for state agencies to
discriminate against disabled people looking for jobs.
It will make it easier to leave us out.
And we have to wonder: who’s next?
We will not
go back.
The promise of equality, the
dream of justice, that so many people in America have fought so long to
realize, is threatened by these decisions.
But we will not abandon the
promise; we will not give up the dream. On April 17, 1960, the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in Raleigh, North Carolina. SNCC became a major civil rights force in
the United States, but the legacy of SNCC and other civil rights groups is
being eroded by a Supreme Court insistent on weakening our rights in the name
of “states’ rights.” 41 years after the
birth of SNCC, students once again ask
you to join with us to call for all people to be treated with justice and
fairness as equals.
On April 16, 2001, we will
all pay federal and state taxes. The
following day, we ask you to remind the government that our taxes must not be
used to discriminate against us. At 1pm Eastern (noon Central, 11am
Mountain, 10am Pacific) on April 17, disabled students and others who call for
equal justice will "leave out" of our schools, our jobs, and our
homes, to remind the government that when business as usual means
discrimination, we want no part of it.
If you want more information
about participating in the national demonstration, if you want to organize some
other activity in your area to demonstrate your opposition, or if you want to
join with NDSU in calling for justice, please contact Sarah Triano at
strian1@uic.edu or 773-463-4776. An Advocacy Packet and a Media Toolkit are
available upon request.
INVITATION
TO JOIN
THE NATIONAL DISABLED STUDENTS UNION
(NDSU) LISTSERV
The National Disabled
Students Union (NDSU) listserv is an e-mail discussion list for students with
disabilities of all ages throughout the United States. The overall purpose of
this cross-disability listserv is to mobilize and organize students with
disabilities throughout the nation in order to continue the legacy of
empowerment and community solidarity that began with our predecessors in the
1970s (which is now being threatened by the Supreme Court).
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE NDSU LIST:
Address your email to:
listserv@listserv.uic.edu
In the body of the message type:
SUBSCRIBE
NDSU Jane Doe
Replace "Jane Doe" with your first and last
name.
If you have any questions or
concerns about the NDSU list, please feel free to contact Sarah Triano at
strian1@uic.edu or at 773-463-4776.
PLEASE COME
PLAN WITH US
To get in touch with other NDSU organizers and allies working on the April 17 protest, contact Sarah Triano at strian1@uic.edu or
773-463-4776.
Whatever you do locally, we want to hear about it. We’d love
to know what you’re planning and to see whether we can help. We can offer you some help in organizing and
in trying to get local media to cover your event. If we know of anyone else working on the Leave-Out in your
community, we can help you connect. And
we’d love to hear, afterward, how it went, and see any media coverage that you
might have gotten.
We’d like to invite you to join our listserv. The
National Disabled Students Union (NDSU) listserv is an e-mail discussion list
for students with disabilities of all ages throughout the United States. The
overall purpose of this cross-disability listserv is to mobilize and organize
students with disabilities throughout the nation in order to continue the
legacy of empowerment and community solidarity that began with our predecessors
in the 1970s (which is now being threatened by the Supreme Court).
TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE NDSU LIST:
Address your email to:
listserv@listserv.uic.edu
In the body of the message type:
SUBSCRIBE
NDSU Jane Doe
Replace "Jane Doe" with your first and last
name.
If you have any questions or concerns about the list,
please feel free to contact Sarah Triano at strian1@uic.edu or at 773-463-4776.