Surviving Race:
The Intersection of Injustice,
Disability, and Human Rights
May 7, 2017, 4PM Eastern
Teleconference Notes
In Attendance: Celia Alfred, April, Chris, George, Fred, Jen, Lauren
Go Fund Me Page:
https://www.gofundme.com/survivngrace
Surviving Race Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/364074427086419/
Surviving Race working website:
http://survivingrace2014.wixsite.com/platformdevelopment/surviving-race-notes
UPDATES:
ALTERNATIVES
Oryx Cohen, Co-chair of the Alternatives Planning Committee wants a presence from Surviving Race for the Conference. Alternatives 2017 is going to have several rooms for special interests such as: health and wellness, diversity, and the arts. In the diversity room Alternatives 2017 asked for a presence from Surviving Race. Alternatives 2017 may have some workshops that people applied for in the diversity room, but we said we didn’t want issues of diversity to be segregated – so they will also be held throughout the larger conference. There may be some caucuses or meetings in the room.
Are there any thoughts about what we can do with this room or in the conference in general?
It would be great to have space to meet face to face and strategize. It would be a great use of the room for people to have a presence. Perhaps there was an opportunity to present to the entire conference to strategize and pull something together.
There is a concern that if there was a room off to the side, that it will leave issues of diversity segregated. We want to underscore that the goal is for an intersectional agenda throughout the conference, not just segregated to a “diversity room”.
There was a question of whether it will it be a 24-hour room? We think separate from these rooms, there will be, for people who are looking for support, be a space for them to go to for mutual support.
The Committee Recommendations for Keynotes are slowly coming in. In the running for Keynotes are: Darby Penney and Cathy Cave and others that they are working for. There will be a youth panel. More information on this as it is made available by Alternatives 2017 Conference Committee.
We want to establish a Caucus at Alternatives and have it listed in the program. We need to write a short description for this.
Update on Go Fund Me: Support People of Color Attending Alternatives 2017:
We have raised $775 for scholarships/travel/registration/room. We have a goal of $2000 - $5,000.
We need to find out who at SAMHSA to contact for funding for scholarships. Also, we should be contacting people at the levels of the State/City/County/LGU.
Carlton Whitmore at NYCDMH may be able to produce scholarships.
Historically, States used to fund conferences. How did we allow the state have so much power to decide to no longer invest in people having opportunities to go to conferences? It all goes back to Involuntary Outpatient Commitment in 1999, when we were assured that this draconian law would not be passed, that forced psychiatry in the community was not going to happen and they did it anyway, even though legislators promised their constituents it would not happen, and it did. It’s a history, and it’s bad. As long as they want to pay for forced psychiatry they are not going to pay for anything voluntary.
We have to do it ourselves. If everyone can get the go fund me out to their networks: https://www.gofundme.com/survivngrace.
Developing materials for Surviving Race.
Angela Cerio said she would make buttons. We need designs.
Business Cards/Brochures/Facebook Page/Key Documents/Videos
There are some downloadable resources here (be sure to print in greyscale) Some of these will be re-done to allow for better Black and White Printing)
http://survivingrace2014.wixsite.com/platformdevelopment/downloadable-resources
Showing support for Black Lives Matter and other movements:
New York:
Unite for Parole and Prison Reform Event: May 10, 2017 in New York State
https://www.facebook.com/events/1647760885529721/.
Legislative Disability Awareness Day May 22, 2017 – The Mental Patients Liberation Alliance, The Alliance, will have a table and can also distribute Surviving Race materials.
There is an 800 # if people are being deported/immigration issues in New York State.
Georgia:
Recovery focused planning group. Black Lives Matter, Moms for Peace, other groups who meet regularly, publicly, we need to get involved with them, but there are no connections at the moment that are specifically cross-disabilities.
Florida:
It is not clear that there is anything happen in Tampa, Florida.
Connecticut:
April will send information about assisting with a petition to stop deportation.
National/Local
We still need to be connecting with ACLU, NAACP, and other national organizations that have statewide and local chapters.
Every community is being attacked: People of Color, Survivors, the LGBTQQI2SA communities. All of us are being attacked. If there are resources people want to share, please send them to us.
We are in the process of collecting stories of the State coming into homes/work and deporting them. If you know of this happening anywhere, please let us know.
We were talking about Surviving Race actively developing or supporting some type of underground railroad. We should take another look at doing that. Frank Blankenship, MindFreedom Florida was taking the lead on that. It was crucial then it’s even more crucial now. There are some yard signs that are being created that have messages like, “This is a safe place. Everyone is welcome here. If you need help, come in here.” We should try to figure out how to get them and use them.
NEXT STEPS:
For future calls, should we put together a doodle poll? There are still a lot of people who would be great to have involved and represented who are not on these calls. Maybe holding calls during the week and on the weekend will increase participation?
Please help with individual outreach for people getting re-involved/involved with Surviving Race.
NEXT CALLS:::
Thursday May 18, 2017 @ 8PM Eastern
Sunday May 21, 2017 @ 4PM Eastern
DIAL-IN: 218-339-7808
ACCESS CODE: 510 4044