SOCIAL JUSTICE BLOG
Read and share extraordinary stories from the frontlines of social change
Civil Rights Hero, Artie Lashbrook, Posthumously Inducted to Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame
Artie fulfilled his duty as a class representative despite tremendous adversity in his personal life. During the course of the negotiation, Artie experienced periods of homelessness, living with his partner in their minivan. He also faced serious health problems requiring hospitalization, the amputation of his other leg, and extended stays at rehabilitation facilities. Artie could have easily given up on the case. But he didn’t.
SHAME ON YOU, ANDERSON COOPER: 60 Minutes Mocking the ADA
Anderson Cooper would be the first to call out Donald Trump’s ridicule of a reporter with a disability with righteous indignation. Yet, on December 4, 2016 Cooper used the 60 Minutes broadcast to throw people with disabilities under the bus in the name of journalism. He used his power and prestige to denigrate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the honorable lawyers that enforce it. Cooper could not have been more successful, if his intent was to lead the parade of horribles against the ADA. I suggest that presenting a skewed piece of journalism which serves only to undermine the first national law providing civil rights protections for people with disabilities is at least as harmful as mocking a reporter with a disability.