Power Grid Blog
Mark's Weekly Message
January 13, 2012 | AAPD Power Grid Blog Team
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Monday we celebrate Dr. King’s life, work, and vision. We celebrate the end of Jim Crow, the passage of the civil rights acts, and the brave men and women who marched for the freedom to vote and the intrepid students who held their heads high and marched into schools where they were not welcome.
This Monday is not just the final day in a three day weekend, but an invitation to re-commit to this country’s unfinished work: equal opportunity for everyone. For people with disabilities equal opportunity is unfinished work. We are disproportionately unemployed and disproportionately poor. We are equally talented, qualified, and driven, but less likely to get a job.
We are not being judged by the content of our character alone.
Misconceptions and prejudice play a role. Some employers don’t know what we are capable of achieving, and some still don’t want to know. Organizations like AAPD are fighting to change this, but the true power to create change rests with employers.
Prejudice is not solely to blame for our community’s dire employment statistics. Structural challenges stand between us and employment. Talented college graduates with disabilities often have to turn down job opportunities in order to keep the medical and personal care services that make their lives in the community possible. Our community has limited access to long-term care – something that the CLASS Act, now on hold, would have remedied. Our character alone cannot overcome these realities. This nation needs to invest in our potential and we will repay it tenfold.
This Monday, take a moment to consider what you can do to bridge the gap between our community’s potential and our opportunities. I also encourage you to honor Dr. King’s work by spending your time in service your communities. We have as much power as anyone to make Dr. King’s vision a reality. For information about service opportunities, visit: http://mlkday.gov/
--Mark
Comments
Submitted by pastor Richard at 02:08 PM on January 16, 2012