WATCH, READ, LISTEN
Welcome to the first installment of my blog feature - Watch, Read, Listen - where I’ll highlight content that raises awareness and builds understanding around issues critical to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. There is always something to learn.
WATCH: CRIP CAMP
I may be late to the party, but the documentary Crip Camp (available on Netflix) is a must watch. It begins at a summer camp in the 1960s with teens having fun by simultaneously enjoying nature and exploring their adolescence. Camp Jened was a special place because though the campers may have had disabilities, they never felt different there. As the story unfolds, we learn how as adults, many of the campers played an integral role in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. While there is still much work to be done, this was a ground-breaking piece of legislation. And without question, camp-counselor turned disability rights activist Judith Heumann has been added to my list of heroes.
READ: WHAT YOU CAN DO TO FIGHT VIOLENCE AND RACISM AGAINST ASIAN AMERICANS
Condemning the exponential rise in anti-Asian hate is important, but words alone are not enough. Vignesh Ramachandran (PBS) provides a concrete list of actions we can take to make an impact. From learning opportunities, such as bystander intervention training, and checking in with AAPI friends and colleagues to contacting elected officials and providing on-the-ground financial support to impacted communities, there is no excuse for apathy.
LISTEN: ‘IT HURTS PEOPLE’: HOW TRANS YOUTH ARE BEING TARGETED BY STATE LEGISLATION
As I type this, there are dozens of bills making their way through state legislatures that are targeting transgender young people. Whether it is taking away access to health care or preventing them from playing sports, these harmful laws are denying trans kids equal rights. Melissa Brock (NPR) talks to an Alabama teen and his mom who share their story and explain what pending legislation would mean for them. While Dr. Rachel Levine, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health, made history last month by becoming the first transgender official confirmed by the U.S. Senate, we cannot fully celebrate this milestone without speaking up in support of trans kids across the country.