[blindLaw] DRBA Voices Solidarity and Opposes Racial Injustice

Scott C. LaBarre slabarre at labarrelaw.com
Tue Jun 9 00:16:01 UTC 2020


STATEMENT FROM THE DISABILITY RIGHTS BAR ASSOCIATION

 

The Disability Rights Bar Association (DRBA) stands in solidarity with the
Black Lives Matter movement to bear witness to the pain of centuries of
racial oppression, inequity, and white supremacy intensified by recent
brutal actions, including the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and
Breonna Taylor. As a result of the effects of longstanding structural
racism, COVID-19 has also killed black people at starkly higher rates over
the last few months, making these murders even more painful. We must begin
dismantling the systems of oppression and white supremacy operating in our
country, systems that disproportionately affect black people, including
those with disabilities. The inequitable, inhumane, and brutal treatment of
black people must stop.

 

DRBA commits to increasing our work fighting racism and disability
discrimination in the areas of police practices in particular and the
criminal justice system in general. Our criminal justice system
discriminates against black disabled people, fails to provide them with
needed accommodations, and harms them in disproportionately high numbers.
Every factual indicator of disparity-including health outcomes, education,
employment, accumulation of wealth, the likelihood of being in a congregate
setting including prison, jail, nursing facility, or homeless shelter-rises
for black disabled people. Black people live with the constant stress of
racism. This "toxic stress" causes many health conditions that can lead to
disability. While we do not know whether the recent murder victims had
disabilities, many previous well-known black victims of police brutality
did, including Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, and Eric Garner. We are committed
to pursuing disability justice, which includes addressing white supremacy in
addition to ableism. 

 

DRBA restates our commitments to focusing on disabled people at every level
of our organization, to address intersectional oppression, and to increase
the number of black people in our organization, especially in leadership. We
also call upon other entities to take action in support of black people.
First, we request that colleges, universities, and law schools cease their
reliance on standardized testing such as the SAT, ACT, and LSAT. Such
standardized tests have repeatedly demonstrated discrimination on the basis
of both race and disability.[1] Second, we encourage law schools to require
critical race theory and legal studies coursework for all law students.
Third, we encourage state bars to make admission contingent on taking such
courses. Fourth, we encourage prosecutor and public defender offices to list
completion of critical race theory and legal studies coursework as a
preferred qualification. Fifth, we join former President Barack Obama in
calling on every mayor in the United States to review use-of-force
policies.[2] Finally, we also join the Leadership Conference on Civil and
Human Rights in calling on Congress to adopt legislation prohibiting racial
profiling, changing use-of-force policies, and ending qualified immunity for
police.[3]

 

The DRBA encourages our members to support and contribute to the ongoing
efforts of legal organizations working on a daily basis to fight racism and
police brutality, including the  <https://www.naacpldf.org/> NAACP Legal
Defense Fund and  <http://www.law4blacklives.org/> Law for Black Lives,
among many other worthy organizations. 

 

In solidarity,

 

The DRBA Board of Directors 

 

 


  _____  

[1] Scott Jaschik, "Study Argues That Law Schools Limit Black Enrollment
Through the LSAT," Inside Higher Ed, April 15, 2019, available at:
<https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2019/04/15/study-argues-l
aw-schools-limit-black-enrollment-through-lsat>
https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2019/04/15/study-argues-la
w-schools-limit-black-enrollment-through-lsat; UC Office of the President,
"University of California Board of Regents Unanimously Approved Changes to
Standardized Testing Requirements for Undergraduates," Press Room, May 21,
2020, available at:
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/university-california-boar
d-regents-approves-changes-standardized-testing-requirement.

[2] Glenn Thrush, "Obama Voices Support for George Floyd Protesters and
Calls for Police Reform," New York Times, June 3, 2020, available at:
<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/us/politics/obama-speech-town-hall.html>
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/us/politics/obama-speech-town-hall.html.

 

[3] Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, "Civil Rights Coalition
Letter on Federal Policing Priorities," June 1, 2020, available at:
https://civilrights.org/resource/civil-rights-coalition-letter-on-federal-po
licing-priorities/




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