Join Accessibility and Disability Service and Student Disability Services in honoring Black History Month.

Rediscover how some members of the Black Civil Rights Movement also played essential roles as activists in the US Disability Rights Movement, and paved the way for disability rights activists to influence social change and legislation. Many people with disabilities were part of both movements and continue to be today.

Dr. Sami Schalk is presenting on 504 and Beyond: Disability Politics and the Black Panther Party on February 23 at 4p (details and registration are linked) via the Dresher Center and co-sponsorship with ADS and I3B.

Some of the intersection of  Crip Camp shows how intersectional being black and disabled can be - beyond the Black Panthers. Further back in history, learn new things about the famous Black figures who also had disabilities. For instance, Harriet Tubman lived with epilepsy and narcolepsy, a reminder that disability is both directly and indirectly linked to many forms of violence.

In the links described below, you may rediscover or learn for the first time about Black history  being made in this moment, and there is so much to learn from the past.  Research forays have been known to start at Brad Lomax, and end up at the Wild Zappers, a DC-based all black all deaf dance company - what new-to-you ancestral influencers and history-makers will become front-of-mind to you? Within the past month we learned of the research of Dr. Stephanie Keeney Parks via In A Different Key. In 2022 Megan Thee Stallion launched a website to support mental health.

Test your knowledge by taking this quiz with the National Black Disability Coalition (NBDC): (link)http://www.blackdisability.org/content/black-disabled-trivia

Important figures in Black History:

• National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) has a Black History Bio for each day of February: (link)https://www.ndrn.org/resource/disability-rights-in-black/
• On the website for Respect Ability, an advocacy organization, you can find an article featuring the experiences and voices of current African-American celebrities who have disabilities. (link)https://www.respectability.org/2018/02/highlighting-african-americans-disabilities-honor-black-history-month/
• Learn about Black History heroes who are or were deaf or blind: (link)https://dcmp.org/learn/203-black-history-month

·       Enter “Black History” plus any disability (i.e. "autism," "dyslexia," etc.) into a search engine and explore more about the intersectionality of disability.

Explore Black History and Disability Rights:

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has a great article about the integral role Black disability rights activists played in securing rights for all US citizens with disabilities.  (link)https://www.ncld.org/news/honoring-black-history-month-unsung-heroes-of-the-disability-rights-movement/ For more on Brad Lomax, a leader in the 1977 protests that led to the implementation of section 504 of the rehabilitation act, see this NYT obituary (link) https:/www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/obituaries/brad-lomax-overlooked.html

Black Disabled and Proud: College Students with Disabilities is a website by the HBCU Disability Consortium. Their page titled “Black Lives Matter and Disability” speaks to the recent and daily making of Black history as it intersects with disability. (link)https://www.blackdisabledandproud.org/black-lives-matter.html The page includes links to thoughtful articles as well as self-care info.

The Disability Visibility Project’s Black Lives Matter page has podcasts (with transcripts) that explore the individual experiences of people who are actively contributing individually and/or organizing to raise awareness about being Black and having a  disability.  (link)https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/tag/black-lives-matter/  Click through on the posts and find things like Jen White Johnson’s Black Disability Lives Matter mural (link)https://jenwhitejohnson.com/Black-Disabled-Lives-Matter-Mural-Project 

If you are looking for UMBC-based disability resources - use these links:

• Student Disability Services: For ALL students - graduate and undergraduate, as well as Information for Faculty working with student accommodations
• Accessibility and Disability Services: Work Accommodation for Faculty, Staff and Student Employees as well as technical accessibility support
• Report Accessibility Concerns online 24/7 here

A photo of two black young women with their hair in white headbands at a 1960's era protest  with one larger sign behind them reading "Martyr Medgar Evers" and a poem that begins "The Black Man Fell and helpless lay,/ A Gaping Wound upon his back,/ A Witness to the Savage Way,/ A Beast Had Made His Foul Attack...." accompanies this post. Photo credit: Unseen Histories downloaded from Unsplash.com 

"How to Be a Better Ally", is a co-facilitated workshop series that focuses on various underrepresented and/or marginalized populations. The series aims to provide UMBC community members with the basic practices for allyship, specifically for the highlighted population.

For the Spring 2023 semester, the "How to Be a Better Ally" series has now expanded to include the following programs. These programs serve as a foundation for allyship under the intersectional identity areas. "How to Be a Better Ally" as a stand-alone program is a workshop to further participants' understanding of the targeted population. This workshop can be requested using the i3b workshop request link here.

FaithZone: Exploring Faith & Spirituality at UMBC

Thursday, February 23rd | 3:30 - 5:30pm

The Mosaic 2B23 The Commons

Monday, March 27th | 3:30 - 5:30pm

The Gathering Space 103 CWB

Join the conversation and exploration of religion, faith, and spirituality in this workshop at UMBC. This session will include a brief overview of the national landscape of religious practice and spirituality on college campuses, encourage storytelling and connection through the lived experience of participants, provide an opportunity to learn and discuss best practices, and introduce participants to resources and opportunities to engage further with this topic and the UMBC community.

Living into the Tension: Faith, Diversity, & Allyship

Wednesday, March 8^th | 4:00 – 5:00pm

The Mosaic 2B23 The Commons

In partnership with The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being, join the conversation and discuss the importance of being an ally during the intersections of race & ethnicity with religious & spiritual beliefs and identity. This workshop will further unpack the understanding of living at the intersections of religious, spiritual, and racial identities.

For further information and updates on our "How to Be a Better Ally" series, check our myUMBC page for additional information. 

Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, & Belonging join in honoring, celebrating, and bringing awareness to our Black and African American community. We recognize the incredible impact and influence on our history and country while also celebrating the culture, families, love, and service of all Black and African American folks. 

Per the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the 2023 theme for Black History Month is "Black Resistance". 

For more information about ASALH and the 2023 Black History Month theme, click here. 

Officially and nationally recognized as of 1976, Black History Month honors these great contributions while acknowledging all that has happened both past and present to the Black and African American community. The lives, culture, joy, and impact of Black history can be seen within all of our spaces and this celebration is not confined to only February but in special tribute. 

Throughout the month of February, join in our UMBC community in celebrating with events and programs. 

Buymaye Dance Workshop

February 2nd, 7:00pm - 9:30pm | Retrievers Activity Center Room 130

Sponsored by: the African Students Association 

Black Excellence Gala 

February 11th, 7:00pm - 10:00pm | The Commons Skylight 

Sponsored by: the Africana Council, Association of Black Artists, African Students Association, Black Student Union, Black Men's Society, Caribbean Students Association, National Society of Black Engineers, and The Lambda Kappa Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta National Sorority, Inc. 

Continue to check back for updates on programs and events. 

To further connect with our Black and Africana student organizations please check out https://my.umbc.edu/. 

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