I think we’re all feeling under siege from so many different directions that it's hard to know what to do next. Our anxiety levels are constantly rising, fear has become commonplace and many frequently feel helpless.
Does this resonate with you?
If it does, or even if it feels like it could, then we need to figure out what to do to stop it right away. I say we because if we are serious about stopping the cycle of reactionary fear, anxiety, and helplessness it's going to take all of us to name it, describe it and defeat it.
What's interesting to me is that the current political environment has given a platform and a spotlight to the unseemly underside of American life. Racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and ableism, to name a few, have been festering under the surface of society since humanity has been recorded.
Not since the McCarthy era have we been so paranoid and suspicious of government. I can think of a few good reasons why we're in this place today and, interestingly, they correlate with the "Red Scare" of the 50s. We were manipulated by Congress to believe that communism was taking over our country and it would somehow destroy us; "better off dead than red" was what the far right believed to its core.
Now, the preferred bait is Muslims and Mexicans. Instead of communists, we're being attacked by Muslims and Mexicans; Muslims are killing people in the streets and Mexicans are stealing all the jobs. This is the right-wing narrative as we speak. Just watch Fox News!
They’re not alone, that's for sure because disabled people are also in the crosshairs. We’re not as egregious as a Muslim but we’re more of a bother. Remember Donald Trump's mocking a disabled journalist. He summed up how the White House and the Republican members of Congress feel about people with disabilities. It's disgusting
We've been fighting back and joining with other groups to collectively declare war on the wholesale slaughter of poverty programs that support millions of families, children, and people with disabilities to be able to live with independence and dignity in the community. When the ACA was under attack by the Republicans and the White House, many proposed changes in Medicaid would have destroyed waiver programs that we rely on for Long Term Services and Supports in the community. But intersectionality got disability issues included in the narrative and actions of several national organizations that fight for issues like reproductive rights, race discrimination, and healthcare.
ADAPT, once again, gave a face and an understanding of disabled people in the media and in the Congress. Their actions were perfectly timed and powerful enough to sway public opinion to think more favorably about supporting disabled people's need for adequate and appropriate Medicaid funded services. While people in wheelchairs are being dragged out of House and Senate offices and broadcast on national TV, the general public got a wake-up call. Wow, even cripples our getting screwed over!
We did eventually win that fight and it was sweet! But it's relentless -- the Republicans voted to strip away key provisions of the ADA, the secretary of education has significantly weakened "special-education" for children with disabilities, the secretary of HUD is proposing a 5% increase in rent for low-income housing and now Congress is requiring that people with disabilities who use personal assistants for daily living must have their location tracked by satellite to monitor the hours they work.
It's endless and this White House has, minimally, two and a half years left. Can we agree on one thing? Disabled people are angry about the constant attacks on our lives and we'll fight back at the ballot box to bring in new and more competent people to represent us.
I think most Americans want to see change in the White House and in Congress. They've let us down and don't deserve to be reelected. I hope you work hard this summer organizing in the disability community to get out and vote on November 6. Don't forget to align with other community organizations that fight for social justice and support their issues as well.
Nothing About Us Without Us!