disabilityjustice
A FRAMEWORK FACTSHEET
The compounded oppression structurally built into Black women’s lives cannot be fully understood, let alone made right, without examining ableism’s central role in justifying and preserving that oppression. BlackWomen Best (BWB) and Disability Justice (DJ) aretwoframeworksthat, whenforged together, can disrupt systemicdomination, exploitation, and extraction and allow us tocultivate newsocial systems rooted in an ethic ofcommunitycare, interdependence, and collectivefreedom.
OUR HISTORY OF OPPRESSION
Medical authorities in the19th century legitimized chattel slavery byclaiming that Black peoplesu ered cognitive impairmentsthat had to be managed through theirenslavement and brutalization.
In the Industrial era, workersweredisciplined through strictly regimented, timeregulated paid laborstructuresthat led to newdisabilitydesignationsforthose unabletoconform to racial capitalism’s rapid evolution.
From theAntebellum period tothe present day, tools of social control are wielded against Blackwomen and the multifaceted majority at large in orderto organizeoursocietyforthe benefit ofthewealthy, whiteclass.
Perpetratorsof mass institutionalization, eugenics, and criminalization continue to marginalize Blackwomen today, leading to prematuredeath.
l a s t u p d a t e d : M A Y 2 0 2 3
Ableism and racism/misogynoir are“formed and informed” byeach other and are a definingfeatureofUSsociety.
State-designed racial segregation,forexample, crowds Black people intotoxic environmentswherethey're more likelyto beexposed to illness-causing environmental hazards and less likelyto have accessto life-sustaining resources, such asclean water, hospitals, and housing.
Approximately 3.5 million Blackwomen aredisabled in the US, and disability rates are consistently higherfor Black peoplethan they areforwhite people. This racial disparity rises rapidlywith age, partially reflecting thecumulative disabling e ectsofstructural discrimination overone's lifecourse.
Anti-Blackness, patriarchy, and ableism cause fatal stress and are simultaneouslycompounded by it, a toxiccyclethat debilitates and erodes Blackwomen’s lives.
THE NORTH STAR VISION FOR OUR FUTURE
BlackWomen Best arguesthat when we intentionallyshapetheeconomyto work betterfor Blackwomen, then it will work betterforeveryone.
DisabilityJustice — aframeworkcreated bydisabled queer activistsofcolor — seeseveryone asessential and urges usto meet the needsof all bodies in all forms as a collective responsibility.
Together, thesetwoframeworksserve asourone North Star, guiding ustoward the liberatory possibilitiesofcommunityorganizing, grassroots movement, and thecomplete restructuring ofthe United States.
Thisvision ensuresthat disabled Blackwomen's lives arevalued in policy and practice, which would mean an end to all systems and institutionsthat are incompatiblewith all life.
Legislatively, Blackwomen themselves haveoutlined federal policy possibilities, providing an in-depth overviewofthe BWB x DJ approach aswell asother pathways, including tax policy, carework, and reproductive justice.
THE RESULTING REALITY WE LIVE IN TODAY
This factsheet was produced by Kendra Bozarth; this content was curated from the words and wisdom of Azza Altiraifi As a political education tool, you’re more than welcome to share this with your communities and networks Please send us a note if you do (it’ll make our day) ☻
