We Must Go Beyond

Like Kryptonite for Superman, this society saps me of strength and will. It always seems as if I've been exactly here before. Sometimes edges are a little too sharp and the walls are seemingly made of eggshell. It's like nobody ever dug far enough to find a solid footing for the collective house we find ourselves in. Yet we mostly act as though we don't feel unsettled. We've grown entirely too comfortable with the Nihilism at our doorsteps. Is this the way the world ends? Is this the way the world ends? Is this the way the world ends and what exactly is it that's slouching to Bethlehem? Yet still we exist, floating through while the sand creeps in to stifle us. What's more, most of us would probably WELCOME the chance to be buried in existence. After all, we are a people of scraps and leftovers who beg for crumbs and are happy, HAPPY to settle. I say NO MORE!

Yes we're disabled. Yes we're marginalized. Yes we're told over and over again that we're lucky for the gift of life and we should accept that and that alone. Ultimately, what truly blocks attainment of the world we want? It's us and our self pity and our settling and our apathy. A movement culminated in the 1960's that had it's roots take hold a century before. The African American Civil Rights movement, which continues to this day, stands as a model and a warning to those in the Disability Rights movement. The model is the tireless work millions of African Americans put in to improving their lot. All over the country, people pitched in to achieve the end of systemized segregation and to gain the ability to vote without harassment. They cared and pushed and didn't SETTLE. We need to LEARN AND EMULATE this kind of dedication.

The warning lies in what happens when a group gets a taste of what they want. When Segregation fell and people could safely vote, the marches ended and the boycotts were canceled. From where they started, the plight of African Americans seemed to have improved by light years by 1969. They had stopped the most glaring discrimination and for some that was enough. Of course, having a frightened and uncertain white Establishment kill their leader didn't help the Civil Rights movement any but I digress. Nothing excuses the "we accomplished everything we needed to and can now sit in Lazyboys and watch the Jeffersons" attitude of many people. The warning is this: SOME IS NEVER ENOUGH. We need to push until the World's EQUAL AND JUST for EVERYBODY or until the ground takes us back. It is the only worthwhile path.

Now, every few years, persons with disabilities are rounded up, taken to Helena and essentially BEG for their programs and services. I've seen this and even done this myself a few times. Well, I say WE ARE NOT BEGGARS OR CHARITY CASES OR THE "LAST AND THE LEAST." True empowerment is understanding that we have ALWAYS had the power to live and fight. Nobody gives it to us. It just IS. While playing the MLK role is tempting because of how much I personally believe in his wisdom, I can no longer bite my tongue or turn cheeks. Therefore, I choose to speak in the voice of Malcolm X. We got a raw deal and I ain't talking about being disabled. I have never thought of myself as lesser than any man. If "created equal" is remotely true, then we are as American as anybody, disability or not. If a place at the Table of Decision will not be given to us, we must TAKE IT! We are equal therefore we will BE equal. We must go beyond the begging and pleading. It is high time we took our places on the other side of the Legislative podium or City Council desk or Congressional Office door. It is time that representatives arose from the disability community to truly look after their interest and the interest of their disabled brothers and sisters. I will take up the sword of candidacy and challenge others to do the same. We must go beyond.