August 14, 2017
The American Association of People with Disabilities strongly condemns the violence and white supremacy of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia this weekend. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. This kind of hatred has no place in our society and we all have a responsibility to stand against it.
Unfortunately, the tragedy this weekend is not an isolated incident of the violence and oppression towards people of color and other marginalized communities. Be it the 1600s, the 1950s, or 2017, our nation has a very long history of hatred and violence motivated by race and bigotry. In his letter from Birmingham Jail in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” As a disability rights organization, we stand with our partners in the broader civil rights community and unite against racism, bigotry, anti-semitism, and other forms of hatred.
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The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization, AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the over 56 million Americans with disabilities by promoting equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation.