Helen Keller Returns to Washington - October 7, 2009

From Day in Washington (July 26, 2009):

Helen Keller Returns to Washington - October 7, 2009
by Day al-Mohamed

 

...I attended a luncheon last Wednesday [hosted by AAPD] with Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.  Among the things she said, a small yet interesting point was that, “On October 7, Congress will unveil a statute of Helen Keller in the Capitol.  As a deaf-blind individual who was a world leader in disability rights and social justice, and a woman ahead of her time, Helen Keller will be a proud addition to our halls."

“We will also reaffirm our commitment to her life’s work: to ensure that opportunities are available to individuals with disabilities.  With that in mind, we must always respect people for what they can do, not judge them for what they cannot do."

I discussed some of the fascinating background of this story in my August 2007 blog post and why in some ways, it is very ironic that Helen Keller, a progressive, an activist, a radical, a suffragist, a socialist, an advocate for the poor, a supporter of communism, a pacifist in time of war, pro-civil rights, anti-child labor, anti-establishment, anti-corporate, supportive of the NAACP, one of the founders of the ACLU and an outspoken critic of the US government will have a statue in her honor…in the Capitol.

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