Recently, I and a friend got into a “discussion” with someone who felt it was the government’s job to provide accessibility, not a business owner’s. This person’s mind could not be changed, no matter how many disabled people spoke up and spoke out.
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Habari Gani! What’s the news?
Imani! No, not that Imani, silly!
Well, as Kirk Franklin said, “Cause you know I got faith, yeah yeah!”
Like I said in the original Imani post, it makes sense that this would be the last principle. We started with the Unity and solidarity amongst the disabled community. We worked our way through action principles. And now we end with faith. Faith that the work we have done will bear fruit.
As a disability activist, faith is a necessity! It can get so frustrating at times because you put in all this work. You talk until you are out of wind. And still, it seems no one is listening. No one is paying attention. You might want to quit. But no, Imani! Faith! Faith that we are reaching at least one person. And that person will reach another. Then faith that our work, as activists will make the changes we want to see, if not for us, then for the next generation.
Now, go enjoy your karamu!
Harambe! Heri Za Kwanzaa, disabled-ly. Thank you for celebrating with me. I hope you have a happy and prosperous new year.
Habari Gani?! Kuumba.
We are now on Day 6 of Kwanzaa, Disabled-ly. Today’s principle is Kuumba, or creativity. You can read more about Kuumba on the original post and see the types of activities you can do.
This principle is all about the creative living in each of us. The disabled community is no different. In fact, the disabled community gets creative even outside of the arts. We have no choice! We a paint. We build. We sew. We craft. We write. We turn into MacGuyvers when we need to. (Do ya’ll remember him?).
Kuumba, Disabled-ly is a testament to our ability to overcome the structural/institutional barriers we face on a daily basis. Whether we are figuring out how to live in an inaccessible apartment or do different tasks independently, we seem to figure it out. Again, we have no choice. I feel the best part is that we have no problem turning to each other for support as we ‘get our Kuumba on.’
There’s just one more night of Kwanzaa and on that night many people exchange gifts and enjoy a Karamu (feast). Until then, how do you get creative?
Four Wheel Workout 