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Disability Rights Activist Addresses Juniors as Annual Thoreau Speaker

Activist Anita Cameron discussed her career as a disability rights activist with the junior class as part of its year-long Civic Lab program. The qualification for being a Thoreau speaker is simple: like the position’s namesake, they must have been arrested in the name of social justice.

Cameron has been arrested 140 times during the course of her career due to civil disobedience in support of disability rights. She was born prematurely as a twin, which resulted in her experiencing near-total blindness.

From an early age, Cameron was involved in activism regarding women’s issues, LGBTQ issues and more. She later joined ADAPT, a national disability advocacy group that would become one of the loudest supporters for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Cameron spoke of her experience in the major disability rights protest in 1990 when hundreds of advocates gathered at the Capitol to bring attention to the legislation. The ADA passed a few months later.

“Civil rights aren’t given,” Cameron said. “You’ve got to fight to get them and you’ve got to fight to keep them.”

Cameron continues fighting today for a new piece of legislation called the Latonya Reeves Freedom Act, which prohibits entities from denying people with disabilities the ability to live in supported communities and lead an independent life. 

Students asked questions about Cameron’s experiences, the significance of power in numbers and the good reasons to keep fighting.

To close, Cameron advised, “Go forth and make change.”

Speakers like Cameron are the embodiment of Parker’s mission, which encourages students to use their voice to fight for change and confront behaviors that demean or exclude the humanity of others. This learning experience is an embodiment of what it means to be an active citizen in our diverse democracy.

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Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.