Crip Camp Again!

I featured the Obama produced documentary, Crip Camp, in the first blog post I ever wrote over two years ago. I mention it here again because it is a truly amazing film, not to be missed, and because one of the main people featured in the film, Judy Heumann, known as the mother of the American Disabilities Act, died this past week at the age of 75. Crip Camp documents a very important piece of history that began at Camp Jened Summer Camp in Upstate New York and turned into a movement, making a tremendous difference in the lives of countless people with disabilities throughout the world. I highly recommend this documentary

Judy Heumann

1947-2023

click the image above to hear Judy Heumann’s Ted Talk

Judy Heumann talks with Trevor Noah about her book.

It is not every day that I attend the funeral of someone I never met but I did just that, via livestream, last Wednesday to celebrate the life of an extraordinary woman, someone I grew to admire after first seeing her in the film Crip Camp. Her name: Judy Heumann, known as the mother of the American Disabilities Movement. Hers is a remarkable story that began when she contracted polio at the age of eighteen months . As a child, her family fought hard to have her treated as an equal and she took over that fight throughout her whole life, not just for herself, but on behalf of every person with a disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government’ programs and services. Thanks to her leadership and fellow disability advocates who fought the good fight, including a month long sit-in of a government building in San Francisco, buildings and buses are in many cases now accessible, children with disabilities can attend schools (she was not allowed as a child), sidewalks have ramps (she couldn't cross the street in front of her childhood home because of curbs, and people with disabilities are required to be treated as any other citizen with the same civil rights. The landscape has changed but the fight is not totally over. In her own words, "Some people say that what I did changed the world...But really, I simply refused to accept what I was told about who I could be. And I was willing to make a fuss about it." Listen here to Rachel Maddow sing her praises and even shed a tear...

Ebinum Brothers

Meet the Ebinum Brothers: Victory Ebinum and Marvel Ebinum. "Brothers, artistic communicators, models and actors born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria."

I just met them myself by stumbling on one of their short videos on instagram. And I looked further. Wonderful choreography, mesmerizing music, tender, pure, original, amazingly beautiful. I am humbled. Their work speaks for itself.

Painting of the Week

Composition in Green Gold with Blue Cone, mixed media on canvas, 52” x 82” This is the color of spring for me. It’s coming….

Boycott Walgreens

Walgreens confirmed to Politico last week it would not sell or ship mifepristone, which is used to terminate a pregnancy, in at least 21 states after Republican attorneys general had sent requests for the pharmacy not to—including in some states where abortion remains legal, such as Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Montana.

Walgreens is coming under an increasing amount of scrutiny and a boycott of all their stores (including Duane Reade) has been called. Boycotts are a very effective tool and I hope you will consider staying away until they decide to reverse their policy.

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.