The Independent Living Movement I

Our Center Park of Seattle, Washington, USA,wheelchairs at this point in time, in the year 2007.
was founded by Ida May Daly, who had aDr. King's face on the Great Seal doesn't seem to
diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. While suffering fromhave changed this any, although all of the city
this debilitating illness, she managed to get enoughbusses are now wheelchair accessible. Also, the
public and private donations to buy a huge squaredays when the bus was "demarcated" for black
block of land near downtown Seattle - and go setpeople to be forced to ride in the back of the
it up so that certain people would have a place tobus, with brown outlined windows signifying this,
actually thrive and live, instead of one in which toare over, as Mayor Norm Rice of Seattle went
waste away and die. She didn't like whatahead and repainted the bus windows about a
institutionalized or hospitalized living does to peopledecade ago.
in reality, and how most such places preach anWe had our usual struggles between racial groups,
afterlife - involving how you have to die in thistypical of what you may have seen before, and
lifetime to achieve it.now the buses are almost fully together when it
Nowadays, almost all those Jewish, Catholic,comes to human rights. There are still some odd
Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu, Moslem, privateissues involving Native American rights - there are
enterprise or whatever institutions in America aremunicipal and county buses where an area is
united racially. This is due mainly to the efforts ofdemarcated for "red" skinned people. I don't know
various civil rights aficionados - and via coincidenceif anyone is ever going to change that, but I do
of circumstances, Center Park is located in whatknow no one is forcing aboriginal people to ride in
in the 1980s was an African-Americanthe backs of the buses - there are simply red
neighborhood. That was how the property valuesoutlined windows in the far back which are
were low enough for Ida May Daly to be enabledobviously more than a mere coincidence. No
to purchase the land in that neighborhood. It used"Indians" are forced to sit back there, and I doubt
to be white and Catholic, earlier - there still aremuch farther will be done about the bus painting
some people from that time frame who livearrangement.
there, as I attended their major church once, andIt's similar to the large red black and white "No
hostilities and frictions that are probably entirelySmoking" huge signs on the Washington State
gone by now, although I suspect impoverishedFerry system's large ferry boats; the symbol
people yet reside there.screams of being a swastika derivative, but
In the 80s, I worked at Center Park in thatnobody Jewish is making any complaints about it.
neighborhood, and wondered deeply about lifePeople are too used to it to make any real fuss
itself, being a newbie professional writer and artist,over something as subtle and hidden as such signs
working my day job helping the disabled. I was aare in public. Nonetheless, the "brown skinned"
live-in personal care attendant, living with and doingpopulation of Seattle may make a move against
daily activities with physically and mentallythese signs, someday, if someone other than me
challenged people, mostly white ones, before thefinally sees them in their own clarity.
days of the Internet. Back then, they also hadChief Sealth, a Native American or aboriginal, was
Christian study groups, to pass the slow time, andthe brown of color man our Emerald City of
involvement in local and national politics, which wasSeattle in Washington State was named after,
more to my crowd's liking. I wasn't much forand he resides currently in a grave near an
Christian studies, being too Jewish influenced toaboriginal people's reservation. He was the leader
ever see myself that way.of a tribe hereabouts, the name of which I have
Being deeply involved with fragile people withforgotten. He gave a wonderful "final" speech
distinctively human lives and bodies, ones whichwhere he handed over his tribal lands, possibly the
were not so spiritually suited for an afterlife, IDuwamish were involved, and he asserted in a
used to be sad at how many long years ago, Dr.noble and peaceful way that "we" who now live
Martin Luther King, Jr., alias Michael King, had tohere might be able to handle the privilege. I
keep up such a "preachy" attitude of going on tomyself keep hoping someone will do something
another place to get rid of such a fallacy. He saidabout those "red" demarcated bus windows. I'm
he was heading for "the Promised Land," whichsure Chief Sealth would not like his people to be
everyone disabled or handicapped I have everstuck with such a set of circumstances. And I
met up here in the Pacific Northwest seems tosuppose the Jewish community may or may not
think is indeed - Canada.ever do anything about the giant "No Smoking"
Dr. King himself, an African-American of longswastika style signs on the ferry boats, against
standing, and a pastor cum reverend at Ebenezerwhite skinned people.
Baptist Church, far away from where we lived atBut who is the true Chief of Seattle; is it the
Center Park, performed many of his duties farMayor, or someone else? Many communities exist
down in the American South - while we of thishere in our lovely area, led by many an interested
article were located in the American Northwest.party or person. But what makes a person such a
Therefore I figured he probably meant somethingbeing of involvement? Is it his or her heart, or
else by this catch phrase, "the Promised Land,"brains, or beaucoup bucks that do this, or the fact
such as eternal peace, but many of the disabledthere must be someone for greatness to be
I've met in the Pacific Northwest would like to livethrust upon? What is "greatness" really - is it
in Canada. It's kind of an ongoing jest that "we"something that is simply there for certain people,
would all like to move up to the Promised Land, inin a certified and given time, in a definite and
this era of global warming.realistic way? And is greatness something
The melting back of the glaciers up north doesachievable by just anyone, or is it only for specific
mean the expansion of the Northwest Territories,people, ones who know what they are doing?
and it would be wonderful indeed to slowly beSomeone - everyone needs to be "a somebody,"
moving northward. The Great Seal of Kinglike Jesse Jackson, one of Dr. King's own men in
County, as of 1986, sports the fine buttheir times, once put it; he said that you really
somewhat overweight head of Dr. Martin Luthershould become that somebody. In a way, that will
King, Jr., in support of all the many things he didalways be my John Tyler, part Indian or Native
for civil rights. This includes work on behalf of theAmerican, part white man, who ruled one floor of
handicapped and disabled, although strangelya multi-story apartment building as a radical who
enough we have yet to see much of a unitedfought for the rights and freedoms of the
effort on the part of people of color and theunderprivileged handicapped American. He was
physically challenged, especially on the Internet. It'sably assisted by one Jewish liberal named Ronald
odd enough; it's as though one movement is ledGary Schwarz, who had been a Republican before
by colored people, and the other movement is ledhe became disabled, and who when disabled, finally
by white people. There is thus the Civil Rightshad found his life's purpose was to assist those in
Movement, and the Independent Living Movement.wheelchairs to finally enable themselves to live
The former group is simply being led by othertheir lives. These two blokes in wheelchairs were
types of people than the latter group. It seemsmy mentors and friends when we are stayed at
due to efforts on the part of both the left wingCenter Park, there situated in the mostly Black
and the right wing of political participants, and soPeople area of town, the Central Area.
the disabled are led significantly by white men in