In the last few issues, we’ve remembered the lives of Marilyn Golden, Deborah Danner, and Engracia Figueroa. Today we continue to mourn.
The life of 10 year-old Izzy Tichenor was stolen by racist and ableist bullying. Her death comes just weeks after the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division cited “serious and widespread racial harassment” at schools in her district. You can support the family and follow updates on how to demand protections for disabled Black students here.
Neil Marcus taught so many of us that disability itself is a form of art, “an ingenious way to live.” He leaves an indelible mark on the field of disability artistry. This oral history of Neil’s life from 2004 demonstrates the playful and revelatory form of his work. We hope he’s waking up where trouble melts like lemon drops.
Composer and musician Lizzie Emeh leaves us with an album, an EP, and several singles, in addition to the memory of her performances at the London Paralympics Opening Ceremony, 10 Downing Street, and venues across Europe as part of Heart n Soul from 1997 to 2007. She is remembered as “ebullience personified.”
Lastly, this year’s Trans Day of Remembrance offer us the chance to understand the ongoing legacies of trans, intersex, and disabled eugenics.
In political news:
The Build Back Better spending bill that has now passed in the U.S. House of Representatives includes $150 billion for home and community based services, $300 million for fairer wages for disabled workers, $450 million for supportive housing for disabled people, and requires that engagement with disability communities during the implementation of these and other game-changing initiatives. Its passage in the Senate remains uncertain as holdout Democrats reap millions of dollars from conservative donors.
Yet another white supremacist is acquitted of murder. Meanwhile, ableist systems that take the lives of literally countless disabled people remain unchanged. We don’t even have a clear picture of the crisis of state violence against Black disabled people because data collection remains inaccurate. Not to mention the lack of data about race and disability in the astronomical rise of opioid deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tennessee has granted a temporary reprieve of the planned execution of disabled elder Pervis Payne.
CVS announced it will be closing 900 stores over the next 3 years. Maybe with the money dedicated to housing in the spending bill, we can use these spaces to build live-work residences for disabled artists and disability-centric apothecaries.
Glenna Gallo has been appointed the new head of special education at the federal Department of Education.
Asked for transparency around the development of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine through a Freedom of Information Act request, the FDA says it will get back to us in 55 years.
And now, art news:
NYU’s Center for Disability Studies announced a major book and community engagement project, Proclaiming Disability Arts, directed by Simi Linton, along with Co-Principal Investigator Mara Mills. I can’t wait to report more on this project’s development!
Frida Kahlo’s Diego y yo sold for $34.9 million, setting the record for Latin American work and far outpacing the record set by her husband, whose emotional abuse is depicted in the self-portrait’s iconic third eye.
Disability access is central to the use of $241 million to redevelop Melbourne’s Southbank arts district.
Heidi Latsky Dance is calling interested participants to training sessions for their annual ON DISPLAY GLOBAL “sculpture courts.” Use this form to register for Nov. 28 or Nov. 30, with the 24-hour Zoom performance happening on Dec. 3.
Descriptions of 2 videos from Christine Sun Kim on Instagram:
“1. it’s a video excerpt of myself explaining about how i struggled to accept the word “disabled” and it’s ableist af.
2. another video excerpt about my relationship with captions and how they’re different from subtitles.”
An Instagram post by Indigenous Action shows a flyer for the 14th annual No Thanks No Giving event on Nov. 25 at 4pm PST.
It’s Thanksgiving on Turtle Island this week. Despite the lies, this holiday is about America’s coloniality that disappears Indigenous women, creates profound health disparities for Native people, and continues to threaten food security and food sovereignty for Indigenous people.
I am thankful for the work of Native disabled artists like Vanessa Dion Fletcher, Jen Deerinwater, and Michel Dumont who teach us about the ways that colonization and ableism maintain each other.
I also wanted to take a second this week to give some gratitude to some amazing organizers whose work helps me decide what to include in Crip News each week:
Alice Wong’s Disability Visibility Project and her content collation across all platforms
The Daily Disability on Twitter
Fierce Pharma’s fierce reporting
Listserv moderators for the Society for Disability Studies and DS-HUM
Barbara Glassman’s link roundups for IncludeNYC’s weekly newsletter
Beth Haller’s Facebook page for Representing Disability in an Ableist World that has collected links for over a decade
Disability Twitter, especially the stewards of #CripTheVote
And all the friends and fam who’ve written to me directly and post about their fab work for me to boost here.
THANK YOU!
And finally, this week’s events:
As part of the Disability and Intersectionality Summit 2021, Pato Hebert will present “Lingering” today, Nov. 22 at 4pm ET on Zoom. ASL, CART, and Spanish interpretation. No cost. Register here.
People’s Hub is offering another Community Care Clinic for Disabled and Chronically Ill Movement Folks, facilitated by Dustin Gibson, on Tuesday, Nov. 23 from 7-8:30pm EST. Access features by request. No cost or pay what you can. Register here.
Vancouver Writers Fest and Arsenal Pulp Press will host the launch party for The Care We Dream Of: Liberatory and Transformative Approaches to LGBTQ+ Health featuring Zena Sharman, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, jaye simpson, and Joshua Wales on Wednesday, Nov. 24 from 6-7:30pm PST on Zoom. ASL and CART. Pay what you can, $0-20. Tickets here.
ASL Nation Expo and ASL Black Nation will host a Post-Thanksgiving Party on Saturday, Nov. 27 from 7pm-2am EST in-person at The Space at Flatiron NYC. Performances by Sho’Roc and DJ Deaf Tunez. $50 until the 27th, $65 at the door. 21+. Open bar. Tickets here.
If you have some coin to spare this week, please consider supporting a nonbinary neuroqueer drag artist and cultural work, Themme, to get to Puerto Rico to work with CEPA, a decolonial healing justice project.
