The
march on Washington 50 years ago today, which included Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream”
speech, was not just about racial justice, but also about economic equality. The
March
on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was
not simply the battle for civil rights, its agenda was a broader and more
radical one of economic equality. The
brilliance of this march is that, in a time when African-Americans were regularly
being beaten or killed or excluded from places just because of
how they look, the organizers and Dr. King were looking forward - looking towards economic justice as well as
racial equality.
Without economic equality – jobs,
equal wages, the same employment opportunities – no group of people can truly enjoy
the American dream. So they organized the march, calling for
“mass descent” upon Washington, with participants protesting “the economic
subordination of the American Negro.” They envisioned a groundswell of protest
calling for freedom and jobs with the dual goals of ending racial segregation
and discrimination in the Jim Crow South and achieving economic equality for
all Americans.
People with disabilities can learn a
lot from the march and Dr. King’s speech. Namely, that until people with
disabilities have economic justice and equality, we will not be treated as equals
in this society.
Although people with disabilities
are still being refused basic access and services – and we're still fighting
for ramps and interpreters – our unemployment rate is also almost twice that of
non-disabled. The true unemployment – those not working and not looking for
work – is even higher. Many with disabilities that are working, are often working
lower wage jobs and some are even paid less than minimum wage, thanks to
outdated 1930s laws based on false assumptions that people with disabilities
cannot be as productive non-disabled.
To make matters worse, many of the social
support systems which are supposed to help uplift individuals who need a temporary
“hand-up’ to achieve the American Dream end up holding people with disabilities
in poverty. The fear of losing life-saving medical care has stopped many people
with disabilities from working or becoming economically self-sufficient. As
Sen. Edward Kennedy wrote, "the high unemployment rate among people
receiving federal disability benefits is not because their federal benefits
programs have 'front doors that are too big - i.e., have eligibility criteria
that are too loose - but because they have 'back doors that are too small' -
i.e., once persons are on the rolls, it is too risky to come off."
Fortunately, now more than ever, people
with disabilities will be able to become economically independent. New rules for federal contractors to hire people with disabilities and an ever increasing
desire of many companies to hire people with disabilities in general are breaking
down stereotypes and inequalities in the workplace. Provisions in the newAffordable Care Act (ACA), including the end to discrimination over
pre-existing conditions, new affordable health benefits exchange and expanded
Medicaid will allow people with disabilities to find medical coverage outside
of the limited current options. There’s never been a better time for people
with disabilities to pursue employment and not fear for their health coverage.
Yes, ramps and interpreters and
access and an end to discrimination are extremely important to the disability
rights movement. But we shouldn’t forget what the March on
Washington for Jobs and Freedom
has to teach us. As long as people with disabilities are largely living in poverty,
the public vision of us as ‘objects of charity’ will prevail and our demands
for civil rights as a political minority will be ignored.
- By Keith Hosey -
