Civil rights

I wanted to post this blog a few days ago but other things got in the way.

A few days ago I was watching Oprah.  Most of the time what she says on her show is in the background.  Sometimes there is a big movie star on. or some one with some crazy story. These things are mildly interesting.  This day was different.  It was the 50 year anniversary of the freedom riders.  These people got on buses and went to places to protest the fact that Americans who were black were kept separate and often mistreated by white people.  This segregation was part of accepted laws at the time

This era in history can be quite fascinating to those of us who try to improve the way people with disabilities are thought of and treated.  We model our ways of peaceful protest after this era so whatever I hear about this time is always interesting.

I would love to be involved in a protest march or some major protest that leads to positive change for people with disabilities.  I have been involved with smaller ones.  Positive change for us would be.  More jobs, better access to our community, better transportation, and less trying to box us in to this program or that one.  For me I would not even mind going to jail if the situation came up. There is one major difference between what I am involved in and what they had to do.  I will protest and go to jail.  They could have been killed.  They knew that going in too.  Several people said things like " If I cant live free I'd rather die."  One person told a story about how he was beaten bloody by a member of the racist group the Klu Klux Klan.  The police asked if he the beating victim wanted to press charges.  He said no he did not want to he was not there to make trouble.  Later the beating victim became a senator.  The person who beat him went to his office and apologized.

Because of what these people accomplished, I am able to be a part of peaceful protests without worrying about physical harm coming to me.  As I work for a better life,  I want to think about and thank all those that went before disabled and non who risked everything,  Thank you