s1e8: Disabled & Revolutionary with Tameka Citchen-Spruce

Yeah.

Are there any other disabled revolutionaries that kind of comes to your mind that you think about or embody in your work? Um, let's see.

Even if it's like disability justice work, too, because I know we're talking a lot about your filmmaking, but you also do a lot of disability justice advocacy.

And so, yeah, I'm just wondering what other disabled revolutionaries you're thinking about and, yeah, bringing into your work.

Yes, there's a couple that come to my mind.

Yeah.

One of them was or is Brad Lomax.

He was during the fight of the 504 cities.

So that was the Rehabilitation Act, which was a precursor.

to the 1990s Americans with Disabilities Act.

So with the Rehab Act, it made sure that the federal government prohibited discrimination based on disability.

And so there was a whole...

A bunch of disabled people during the 70s, like Judy Heumann, which is really talked about and I looked up to, and there's many others who fought for that legislation.

to pass around like 1973.

And so, but Brad Lomax, in particular, he was part of the Black Panther Party.

And so, he saw the connection between fighting for disabilities rights and it also being a Black Panther.

And so, he brought In San Francisco, a lot of his Black Panther friends participate in the sit-in in San Francisco.

And so he comes to mind.

Also, Fannie Lou Haber, many people don't know, but she had a disability as well.

She walked with a limp due to polio, and also during the time that she was in jail, she was beaten and had a blood clot in her eye as well.

And so, you know, I think many people know Fannie Lou Hamer, but for those who don't know, she was a great civil rights activist during the 60s and 70s when it comes to Voting rights access, and she was very instrumental trying to bring the Democratic Party to, you know, bring more African Americans into the fold and into voting rights.

and such.

So, I love Fannie Lou Hamer.

And then the last person I really look up to and, like, channel as far as her energy and tenacity is Harriet Tubman, who also, um, Many people don't know she had a disability during, I think she was like a teenager, and her slave master hit her in the head with like a brick or object.

And so as a consequence, she had epilepsy.