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by Leroy Moore
Leroy discusses the lack of financial
support and recogniton for small
grassroots non-profit organization.
Warning! Warning! To My Black disabled brothers
and sisters: Black traditional organizations from the
NAACP to the Urban League are trying to fix our
problems, empower us and protest in our name without learning
from us!
Only a Couple of years ago, Black traditional
organizations such as the NAACP, the Urban League,
ASPIRA and more made a commitment to work with
the President’s Committee on Employment of People
with Disabilities on the status of African Americans
with disabilities, and especially the issue of the high
unemployment rate. On April 6th the NAACP and the
President Committee hosted a conference titled "Employment
of Persons with Disabilities" in Milwaukee.
What is shocking about the new attention from Black
traditional organizations on African Americans with
disabilities is that it took a federal agency to get traditional
Black organizations on board when it comes to African
Americans with disabilities. For years many people,
parents, advocates and grassroots organizations
(including my parents and myself) have approached these
organizations, but received nothing. For example, in 1998 I
was working at the Youth Department of the Center
for Independent Living, and I and my supervisor, a
Black disabled lawyer, talked to the NAACP Oakland
Chapter about Black youth with disabilities, and how we
could work together. We never received a response.
ain the same year the Co-founder of DAMO, Gary
Gray, wrote to the NAACP National office about his work
and the lack of organizations run by and for disabled
people of color and their parents. This is why today you
have grassroots multi-cultural and Black disabled organizations
like Disability Advocates of Minorities Organizations,
Harambee Education Council and African Americans with
Disabilities Advocacy/Support Organization, to name a
few.
These organizations are grassroots, but are consistently
looked over when it comes to support, funding and
providing input.
I challenge the President’s Committee, a federal agency that has
little connection and knowledge what goes on every day
in the communit,. to contract out to
grassroots organizations that are for and by disabled
African Americans and their parents to conduct technical
education and disability awareness training to Black
traditional organizations.
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