May 2018 Episode of Solidarity Is This

Deepa Iyer:

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Solidarity Is This. I'm your host, Deepa Iyer, and I'm so excited that you're joining me for the May episode of our podcast. This podcast explores solidarity practices and messages, and talks to activists all around the country who are exploring what it means to be in transformative solidarity with each other.

Deepa Iyer:

You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes. You can also find past episodes there. And you can download the solidarity syllabus at www.solidarityis.org, which contains information and resources for each episode.

Deepa Iyer:

May is one of my favorite months, and it also happens to be Asian Pacific Heritage Month. Did you know that Asian Americans are the fastest growing race group in the United States?

Deepa Iyer:

Now, while the myth of Asian Americans being the model minority persists. You know, the one that says that we're all spelling bee champions or math whizzes or Silicon Valley entrepreneurs? Still, we are an incredibly diverse community, socioeconomically, linguistically and in so many other ways. The Asian American Pacific Islander moniker is a constructed identity, it's a political identity, that really enables our communities to come together with a united voice on issues of concern to all of us, from health to immigration to housing.

Deepa Iyer:

And it is from that vantage point that I am excited this month to welcome Alice Wong to Solidarity Is This. Alice is a disability activist. She's the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project, a community partnership with StoryCorps and an online community dedicated to recording, amplifying and sharing disability stories and culture. She created it in 2014. Alice is also a co-partner in two other projects, disabledwriters.com, which is a resource to help editors connect with disabled writers and journalists, and #CryptheVote, a nonpartisan online movement encouraging the political participation of disabled people. Alice, welcome to the podcast.

Alice Wong:

Thank you so much for having me, Deepa.

Deepa Iyer:

So Alice, tell me a little bit about what got you into your work to promote disability rights.

Alice Wong:

It took me a long time to get myself as an activist. In a lot of ways, I couldn't help becoming one, because the society that I live in is hostile and inaccessible to me because of who I am. And at first, it was just about advocating for myself, but as I grew up, I became more politicized. I realized systemic and institutional change is the only way to move all of us forward.

Deepa Iyer:

And Alice, if you don't mind, can you share a little bit about your own personal story?

Alice Wong:

I'm a daughter of immigrants. My mom and dad moved from Hong Kong, of all places, to Indianapolis, Indiana in the 1970s. So I'm one of those rare Asian American Midwesterners. We do exist, we're everywhere, we're just not always... Everybody thinks about East Coast or West Coast, but there are [inaudible 00:03:13] Asian Americans.

Alice Wong:

So I was born and raised in a very suburban, very... Not diverse, very much... I was always in the room as a kid as either the only Asian American kid, or definitely the only disabled kid in a wheelchair. And very often, I never saw anybody that looked like myself for years, and that really made me feel lonely.

Alice Wong:

And if you want to know more details, I guess I can also share that I have a neuromuscular disability, which means that all of my muscles are affected, so it's progressive. When I was younger, I could walk, but I started to just use a walker as a child, then I started using a wheelchair, and this is just the way my body is. It is going to be a... It's been a process of adaptation. And I think a lot of people don't realize that disabled people are pretty savvy. They really know how to adapt and innovate and really hack their way to living.

Deepa Iyer:

I know I've been lucky and fortunate to have met you and become friends with you, and you're just a force of nature. And I was not surprised at all when in, I think, 2014, you started this project called Disability Visibility, which, for folks who might be interested, you can learn more at www.disabilityvisibilityproject.com. So Alice, can you tell us a little bit about why you started this project, and what have been some of the really great aspects of it, that have been meaningful for you and for others, as well?

Alice Wong:

The Disability Visibility Project is made up of roughly two parts. First, it's a community partnership with StoryCorps. StoryCorps is a national, oral history non-profit. And as a community partner, I encourage people with disabilities across the country to record their stories at StoryCorps. They have two locations at Atlanta and Chicago, and it's also on a smartphone, so anybody can tell their story and it'll be uploaded into the Cloud and also archived at the Library of Congress. And that, to me, is the brilliant thing, that we all have the capacity to create our own history. We don't have to wait around for some historian to find this interesting to tell our stories. That's really empowering. That's something I think all of us could really use.

Alice Wong:

And the DVP is also an online community that creates, shares, it amplifies disability media culture. And I do this by doing Twitter chats and having a Facebook group and a podcast and, also, collaborations with other activists.

Alice Wong:

And the reason why I did this is because, frankly, our stories are not told by mainstream media, and when they are told, they often don't center disabled people. Deepa, you would not believe the number of times... There'll be a story about a disabled person, but they'll interview the family member or somebody else. And it's very much more... It's often told by not-disabled people on behalf of not-disabled people.

Alice Wong:

And there's also the practice of stories where disability identities of people are erased. For example, Harriett Tubman had a disability, epilepsy, and Fannie Lou Hamer, incredibly poor civil rights activists, had polio. But that's something that's usually not mentioned in the civil rights and Black history that you read about. Their disabilities are not part of who they are and their biography. And I think that's something that's problematic.

Deepa Iyer:

And I think that's something that we hear a lot on Solidarity Is This, where people talk a lot about the fact that their identities and histories and stories and narratives are often erased or told about them, and the importance of actually creating your own stories and narratives, right?

Deepa Iyer:

And so can you share a little bit about some of the stories that you are collecting and archiving, perhaps through the podcast or other components of disability visibility, that are really, as you said, creating the identities for disabled persons and the issues and needs that folks are dealing with?

Alice Wong:

I really loved recently and I got to interview two Asian American women about mental health, and I got to interview two really dynamic and active disabled women. Their names are Emily Wu Truong and Jessica Gimeno. And they basically shared their story about their experiences with mental illness and, also, relationship between Asian American culture, their culture, their families, their understandings of mental illness, and you rarely see these types of stories out there. I think we need more...

Alice Wong:

But there are stories about, let's say, for example, mental illness or disability or any kind of chronic illness, most of the representation is very white. And one of my friends, Valisa K. Thompson, she actually started a hashtag called Visibility too White, and that's something that really drives me, as well, in what I do because our disability community is so diverse, and I really want to highlight the full range of our stories and of our community.

Deepa Iyer:

And that's one of the things that I, also, have found. The disability rights community, first of all, is very active online, so it'd be great to hear whom you follow and learn from that we all could, but also the real point that I think that the community often makes about increasing awareness of intersectionality. Can you talk a little bit about what you've learned and why that's so important?

Alice Wong:

Within the United States, there's one in five Americans with a disability, so we are everywhere. And whether people realize it or not, whether people identify or not, we are always present in every person's community.

Alice Wong:

And there are some issues I think that are really important to start talking about. Intersectionality, for example. I think intersectionality is so important when it comes to building solidarity with various marginalized communities. And, for example, there's police violence and brutality because disproportionate numbers of Black and proud disabled people are being killed or harmed or, oftentimes, incarcerated without medication or treatments, or even access to communication. And there are many people on death row with intellectual disabilities or other mental health disabilities who are often convicted. And these are issues that a lot of people care about in terms of mass incarceration and police brutality that we should all try to be in solidarity with one another and really try to tackle these issues.

Deepa Iyer:

You talked a little bit about the enforcement state and mass incarceration, police brutality, detentions, deportations, how these affect people who are disabled. And then there are, of course, other issues like getting paid fairly or utilizing public transit that also affect people's lives, right? What are some of the best practices you've seen when it comes to actually addressing this intersectionality and be in solidarity with each other?

Alice Wong:

I think it starts with, I think, being honest with what you don't know and being honest about wanting to reach out and being willing to be vulnerable about it. I have constantly tried to learn, as well. I've got my own work to do. I think it starts with that kind of recognition and, I think, some humility, as well. I think a lot of us get siloed into our different spaces that we're a part of, and I think part of it is just being willing to push each other to make these connections, and I think being honest about our interest and, also, our willingness to listen and, also, to do the work. I think that's really an important part of building solidarity. It goes both ways, but it's really a shared experience and, also, a shared responsibility.

Deepa Iyer:

And you've definitely given us, I think, some food for thought. Being vulnerable, being clear about what you don't know, and, also, being open to work out of the silos that we're always placed in. These are issues that affect folks with disabilities, and these are issues that affect immigrants. And so we're constantly, I think, siloed from each other, which is one of the reasons that solidarity is so important to build that line and that connection.

Deepa Iyer:

So if you, I guess, were to tell us, and there are a lot of activists who are listening to Solidarity Is This, what are some of the steps that you would suggest that activists take as they're designing a campaign on equity issues in their community? What are ways in which they can actually make sure that they're including and amplifying people who have disabilities, people who are working on these issues from that vantage point? What are some steps that you'd tell us to take?

Alice Wong:

I really encourage everybody who's listening to learn about ableism. Ableism is something that I think is a term that still a lot of people don't know much about, even though we know all the, really, other forms of oppression. Ableism is very... it's very invisible. It's very sneaky, it's everywhere.

Alice Wong:

But I really do encourage people to explore what ableism is, and perhaps, if they have time, to really confront and reflect on their own implicit bias about disability. I think disability for a lot of people is a scary thing. A lot of people are very uncomfortable about thinking about disability and talking to people with disabilities. And I think part of it is just, it reminds people of how fragile we all are, right?

Alice Wong:

And I think that that's the thing that we all have to realize, that we're all interdependent of one another, and that somebody who moves a different way, somebody who sounds like me, because right now I... For the listeners, I sound different because I'm using ventilators. It helps me breathe because I have a [inaudible 00:15:41] in my throat, so my voice sounds a little different. And I know that people, what they foresee... They have perceptions about me.

Alice Wong:

And I think, I would really encourage people to think about ableism, and also to think about disability as a cultural and political identity. Just as much as people have pride, it be a Muslim, be Asian American, be LGBTQ. There are people like me who are very proud of being disabled. And because I come from a community with a really long history of activism and just... We have a history, we have a culture. And I think I would tell people to [inaudible 00:16:37] suggestions.

Deepa Iyer:

I think those are really helpful ones. And you saying, at the beginning, about how ableism is another form of oppression is something that I think that I want to think about more and learn about more. And I think that all of us need to, because I think that that's one of those biases, right, that we don't necessarily acknowledge. And that leads into, or feeds into, or informs, even, not just the way we treat each other, but our movement work and our solidarity practices, as well. So thank you for laying some of that out through that analysis.

Deepa Iyer:

So you talked a little bit already, a number of times, right, you've mentioned, and this podcast is actually going to be up in May, which is also Asian American Heritage Month, you mentioned your identity as an Asian American person. And so I was curious to hear a little bit about what are some of the ways in which you think that Asian Americans can amplify the concerns and increase the visibility of Asian Americans who are disabled like yourself and many others. Because I don't think that that, oftentimes, at least from my vantage point, doesn't actually come into the conversations or the advocacy or the campaigns when we think about issues affecting Asian Americans today.

Alice Wong:

It's on all of us to name it and identify it and say that we care about people with disabilities within our community. So I think there are a lot of people who are Asian American who have a chronic illness, who have a disability, whether it's visible or invisible, but they don't identify because they're not comfortable, they're afraid of being seen less than. And I think that things like the model minority is a huge aspect of this, intertwined and interrelated, because we always have to try to be strong or... It's about our goals, it's about image.

Alice Wong:

I think there's a lot of fear and stigma and silence that still exists within Asian American communities about disability. And I think the silence is the most, I think, harmful thing about that aspect. I really feel like if you're not disabled and Asian America, I want you all to try to speak up and say, "Oh, what about the disabled people?" to talk about it. I think that gives... As people are more open to talking about it, that gives permission to other people to feel like maybe this [inaudible 00:19:16].

Alice Wong:

And I think there are still a lot of people within the Asian American community that are hiding because they just don't know if they're going to be accepted. People just want to feel like they will be welcomed. And I think that's on... That's what it means to be an ally, an accomplice, just to really do that kind of work, that preemptive force to say "You are welcomed. You are valued."

Deepa Iyer:

And I think you're so right to connect it to that sense of the model minority, because there's so much silence which leads to shame and the sense of taboo that people are not living up to a particular standard, right? I think it's more of the reason that we need to really dismantle that myth altogether, and, as you said, have the conversations within our own communities to make sure that we're not excluding people and making them feel ashamed about who they are, and instead making them feel proud and empowered about who they are. So thank you for making those links.

Alice Wong:

One of the stories that I've heard from somebody is that... I know Asian Americans with learning disabilities who, because of the model minority myth, they were so reluctant to say that they had learning disability because it goes to just all those horrible stereotypes that you have to be smart at... you're a great test taker and all that bullshit. And that [inaudible 00:20:50] lets people getting delayed services, getting delayed help, or even be able to tell their family members about it. So there's a lot of struggling silently. It drives me to do what I do, because it really feels so raw.

Deepa Iyer:

And that's why projects like yours are so important. And as we close up, Alice, I want to ask you if you can tell us either something that we need to be aware of as solidarity activists that is either an advocacy goal or campaign that we should be aware of, or if there's a resource that you think that we should be aware of to begin some of these conversations, these important conversations around ableism and around, really, intersectionality and visibility.

Alice Wong:

So the '88 Education Reform Act of 2017 is... It passed at the House recently, which is horrible and very sad. The '88 Education Reform Act is basically a law that trying to recant the Americans with Disabilities Act. And the Americans with Disabilities Act that was passed almost 28 years ago, it's basically our civil rights bill. It basically says that we belong in society, we have protections from discrimination, and that we have expectations to have access in public spaces.

Alice Wong:

And right now, this bill will put the burden on disabled people to create access and change. It's really going to allow businesses to take their time, and not even comply with this law that's been in effect for over 20 years. So this is incredibly dangerous, because it sends a chilling message through a huge community that basically just says, "You don't matter."

Alice Wong:

This accessibility and disability rights, it impacts all of us because we're all interconnected, and we all have a loved one or somebody that's going to be impacted by disability, whether through getting older, or just somebody that you know or you date or your friend. So it's really one group hurts all of us, all groups.

Alice Wong:

So I would like everybody today who's listening to this podcast to email or call your senator and say, "Vote no on the '88 Education Reform Act," and just make sure that your elected officials hear from their constituents and tell them that disability rights is civil rights and human rights and disability justice is social justice.

Deepa Iyer:

And for those of us who work in civil rights spaces or racial justice spaces, we need to be aware of all that you talked about. The cultural interventions, the ways in which we recognize our own privileges, and the ways in which we are using intersectional language and lifting up voices like yours. We need to know all of that, incorporate all of that, but we also need to be able to identify these sorts of threats that are coming down the pike.

Deepa Iyer:

And we'll have more information about the '88 Education Reform Act of 2017 in the solidarity syllabus for this episode, so people can learn a little bit more about what it is trying to do and how we can stop it.

Deepa Iyer:

So thank you so much, Alice, for being on Solidarity Is This. It was so wonderful to talk to you and to learn from you. And I know that your podcast is something that all of us can learn from, as well. Is that available at disabilityvisibilityproject.com?

Alice Wong:

It sure is. It is also available at iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play.

Deepa Iyer:

Great. So hopefully people will download that podcast right away and learn more about the work that you're doing. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast.

Alice Wong:

Oh, thank you, Deepa. It's been a pleasure.

Deepa Iyer:

Please learn more about Alice's work at www.disabilityvisibilityproject.com.

Deepa Iyer:

As we end this podcast, I'm actually reflecting on an event I attended last month at the Japanese American Memorial in Washington, DC. If you haven't visited this memorial, please go. It holds a really poignant and meaningful space in my own heart because I have visited that memorial many, many times, especially in the years after the 9/11 attacks. In fact, just about a week after the 9/11 attacks, many of us gathered at the Japanese American Memorial to send a message to the country that we must not repeat the same mistakes we made during World War II when this government took over 120,000 people of Japanese descent and confined them in camps in the interior of this country. Detained them because they were seen as threats to America's national security.

Deepa Iyer:

If you visit this memorial, you'll find the names of people who are incarcerated, as well as the names of some of the sites of incarceration. Places like Manzanar in California or Tule Lake, also in California. Places like Topaz in Utah, and Heart Mountain in Wyoming. Now these sites have always been preserved by the Federal Government, but they're often under threat for losing funding, as they were this year, when Trump's budget called for the elimination of the Japanese American Confinement Site Grants Program. Visit the sites, advocate for their funding and preservation, because we cannot lose the stories and places that remind us of what discrimination and exclusion can do.

Deepa Iyer:

I urge you to take a look at www.densho.org, which preserves the past for the generations of tomorrow. You'll learn about the Redress Movement. An effort that led to the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, a presidential apology and payments to surviving former detainees. You'll learn about these sites of shame that I just talked about, and you'll learn about how people litigated the heinous governmental decision, people like Min Yasui, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Fred Korematsu, and you'll be able to read about the experiences of families who were incarcerated.

Deepa Iyer:

Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of Solidarity Is This, during May, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. I look forward to talking with all of you next month on Solidarity Is This.