GET MAD! With Vesper Moore
Season 1
Episode 003: Judy Heumann
Episode 002: Yolo Akili
by Vesper Moore
Judy is an internationally recognized ‘badass’ disability rights activist. For more than 30 years, she has been involved on the international front working with disabled people’s organizations and governments around the world to advance the human rights of disabled people. She has been instrumental in the development and implementation of legislation, such as Section 504, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She was responsible for the implementation of legislation at the national level for programs in special education, disability research, vocational rehabilitation, and independent living, serving more than 8 million disabled youth and adults. Judy also served official terms in appointed positions for both the Clinton Administration and Obama administrations. She produces a podcast called The Heumann Perspective, which features a variety of members from the disability community. Judy is considered by many to be the mother of the disability rights movement; her advocacy has paved the way for disabled people for generations to come.
Yolo Akili Robinson is an award-winning writer, healing justice worker, yogi, and the founder and executive director of BEAM (The Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective). BEAM is a national training, movement building, and grant-making organization dedicated to healing, wellness, and liberation of Black communities.
Anita D is a spoken word artist and slam poet born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts. Anita has featured at venues all over San Diego, she has collaborated with artists from Boston, Southern California, and Detroit. Her writings and performances are an inspiration to many. http://www.anitadpoetry.com Keep up with Anita via her Facebook page & Twitter.