[BlackRose1042]

Day 12: "An African-American Woman's Perspective on the Independent Living Movement in the Bay Area 1960-1980"
Screenshot of Johnnie Lacy in dialogue with David Landes from "Johnnie Lacy: Director, Community Resources for Independent Living: An African-American Woman's Perspective on the Independent Living Movement in the Bay Area 1960-1980," 1998.

A series of interviews with Johnnie Lacy, a disability rights and independent living movement leader, highlight her contributions to Black history and her tireless efforts to center the voices of Black disabled communities.

About Johnnie Lacy

Johnnie Lacy was born in 1937 in Huttig, Arkansas,  as the youngest of five. Her family lived in several towns in the South before moving to California. Her experience growing up in segregated schools informed her work throughout her lifetime.
 
Lacy contracted polio at the age of 19 while working on a nursing program at San Francisco State University.  What started as neck pain, headaches, and blurred vision worsened quickly. Ultimately, the disease left her paralyzed and in rehab for 2-3 years. During that time, she met  Ed Roberts and Bill Tainter, two other men with polio that would also become prominent leaders in the independent living movement (Ramp Your Voice).
 
Afterward, she wanted to pursue a degree at the San Francisco State University in speech pathology but was initially denied because of her disability. Lacy realized that the school wouldn’t be justified to discriminate against her if she were “just” a woman, or “just” a Black woman. It was her disability that allowed them to. She ultimately graduated in 1960 but wasn’t allowed to participate in the ceremony (Medium).
 
From here, Lacy became an adamant advocate for Black disabled rights. She noticed how the Civil Rights Movement seemed to overlook – and ignore – the needs of the Black disabled community. In that way, she realized that the discourse needed to change to center the needs of the disabled community within the fight for racial equity.
 
 

"I believe that African Americans see disability in the same way that everybody else sees it--worthless, mindless--without realizing that this is the same attitude held by others toward African Americans. This belief in effect cancels out the black identity they share with a disabled black person, both socially and culturally, because the disability experience is not viewed in the same context as if one were only black, and not disabled. Because of this myopic view, I as a black disabled person could not share in the intellectual dialogue viewed as exclusive to black folk. In other words, I could be one or the other but not both."
 --Johnnie Lacy, II Seeds of Disability as A Civil Right: Experiencing Tokenism, Condescension, Empowerment, and Pride
 
 
 
Lacy created the Center for Independent Living (CIL) in Berkeley and then led CRIL (Community Resources for Independent Living), a peer-based disability resource organization that advocates and provides resources for disabled people.  From 1981 to 1994, Lacy worked tirelessly to develop CRIL's visibility and presence in Hayward. She raised funding from corporations, the City of Hayward, and individuals to build the Hayward CRIL Center on A Street in Hayward, completed in 1984 (Ramp Your Voice).
 
Throughout her work, she advocated for the Black community to center those disabled in their fight for racial equity. She served as a role model for many other disabled Black women (Independence Now). Lacy was named Woman of the Year by the California State Senate in 1988, served on the state Attorney General's Commission on Disability, and served on Mayor's Disability Council for the city and county of San Francisco. She passed away on November 15, 2010.
 
To this day, the Black disabled community is still disproportionately impacted by racial injustices. Studies show that one-third to half of the Black people killed by the police are disabled (Time). And Black disabled people are most impacted by COVID-19 – not just for any potential pre-existing health conditions, but also because of how the pandemic has hampered access to healthcare and accessibility. Disabled people across the country, for example, are being denied access to care based on "low quality of life” decisions (NPR).
 
 
 

Reflection Questions

1. How are the needs of the Black disabled community prioritized in your community, workplace, etc?
   
   
2. Consider: how many Black leaders have you learned about that focus on disability justice?
   
   
3. What is your perception of disability justice? Are you learning from a diverse group of leaders on the subject?