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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.