A review by hilaryreadsbooks
Black Disability Politics by Sami Schalk

5.0

[Thank you Duke University Press for the gifted copy, out Oct 31] 

BLACK DISABILITY POLITICS begins: “This is a book written for Black people, especially Black disabled people…If you are a non-Black person, imagine that you have just walked into my living room, where I’m having a conversation with my Black family and friends.” I feel humbled to listen in, for this invitation to finish this book and consider all the ways disability has played unnamed and undervalued roles in movements in my own communities, and to, first and foremost, center the contributions by Black disabled activists (especially Black feminist activists) that are often erased or ignored by white disability movements. 

Schalk notes key qualities of Black disability politics: intersectional but race centered, not necessarily based in disability identity, contextualized and historicized, and holistic. Through examples from the 1970s to the present, Schalk demonstrates these qualities in action: the Black Panther Party, for instance, held a radical ideology that often included anti-ableist goals such as supporting the 504 sit-in and protesting psychiatric abuse, and the National Black Women’s Health Project engaged directly and indirectly with disability and its physical and spiritual relationship to Black female bodyminds. Crucial to the inclusion of disability is the multiply-marginalized Black bodymind—ableism, racism, sexism, and all forms of oppression experienced by Black people are inextricably tangled. 

Movements are never perfect, Schalk notes. She respectfully critiques and analyzes ableist elements of these organizations without invalidating any of their contributions. These are presented as a chance to learn and grow, to continue towards a framework that frees all marginalized people. We are asked to consider: How can we heal populations debilitated by war, climate change, and state violence without portraying disability as tragic? How can we continue to make our movements more inclusive? How can we learn from the work done by past and present day Black disabled activists? 

A crucial and necessary read. Please, please read this and Schalk’s first book: BODYMINDS REIMAGINED ♥️ 
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