Mon. March 1 @ 7 PM: Disability Day of Mourning

 

Dear community members, Disability Culture at UM, in partnership with the Disability Alliance and Caucus at Virginia Tech, will host an online vigil on March 1 at 7 PM EST for the annual Disability Day of Mourning. Over the last 5 years, more than 700 disabled people have been murdered by their parents and caregivers. National media coverage of the dozens of murders of people with disabilities by their family or caregivers each year too often focuses on sympathy for the murderer. Many others go unnoticed. We will commemorate their lives and remind the world that they had value. In the words of Mother Jones, "Mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living." You can learn more at disability-memorial.org During the vigil, we will discuss the history of the event, excerpt poetry, essays, and speeches regarding the value of disabled lives, and read the names of those we have lost. March 1, 2021 at 7 PM EST Hosted on Zoom in a webinar format CART and ASL provided Free, open to the public Share this event on Facebook!   The event is open to all community members, so we appreciate you sharing this information within your campus networks and beyond. If you're interested in Disability Culture at UM, we can be reached at disabilityculture@umich.edu. Additionally, you can sign up for our Disability Culture Events Listserv or follow us on Facebook). About Disability Day of Mourning (from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network) "We see the same pattern repeating over and over again. A parent kills their disabled child. The media portrays these murders as justifiable and inevitable due to the “burden” of having a disabled person in the family. If the parent stands trial, they are given sympathy and comparatively lighter sentences, if they are sentenced at all. The victims are disregarded, blamed for their own murder at the hands of the person they should have been able to trust the most, and ultimately forgotten. And then the cycle repeats. Since 2012, ASAN and other disability rights organizations have come together at local vigils across the country to mourn those losses, bring awareness to these tragedies, and demand justice and equal protection under the law for all people with disabilities. On March 1st, we will come together again, and we ask you to join us." Sincerely, The members of Disability Culture at U-M

Please contact  disabilityculture@umich.edu with any questions or accessibility requests.