Call to Action: Stop Disability Erasure

Call to Action: Stop Disability Erasure

Started
July 23, 2022
Signatures: 267Next Goal: 500
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[Image description: light blue text centered on a plain, dark blue background reads “hashtag Stop Disability Erasure”]


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“i have been trying to discern when a call out feels powerful, like the necessary move, versus when it feels like the witch trial/lynch mob energy is leading.

it feels powerful when there have been private efforts for accountability.

it feels powerful when survivors are being supported.

it feels necessary when the accused has avoided accountability, particularly (but not exclusively) if they have continued to cause harm.”

-adrienne maree brown


To our colleagues at Dance/NYC and throughout the dance field,

We, Dance Artists’ National Collective (DANC), have been in dialogue with Dance/NYC over the past two years regarding ableism in its organization, events, and practices. Unfortunately our efforts to “call in” have not been received with any urgency for significant change. This past Wednesday evening, July 20, 2022, at Dance/NYC’s Dance Workforce Resilience (DWR) Task Force Launch Event, one of DANC’s Disabled members experienced blatant ableism and disability erasure. We feel that, after all of the labor offered over time to Dance/NYC by the two Disabled members of our Leadership Team, our current position warrants more overt action. It is clear that our efforts to call Dance/NYC in and toward Disability Justice, to build right relationship and trust even in the face of harm, have not been heard or honored in a meaningful way. The incident on Wednesday has also been exacerbated by Dance/NYC’s lack of accountability, and slow and insufficient reaction to our communications.

We acknowledge that the ableism displayed at the DWR event is not unique to Dance/NYC and is indicative of systemic ableism that afflicts our industry. We invite any individual or organization reading this letter to examine the ways in which ableism functions in your spheres. We hope this letter can shine light on one example while also providing an opportunity for introspection across our field. We write this letter to enumerate demands from Dance/NYC as well as offer guiding steps to the broader dance community. These demands from Dance/NYC are steps toward repairing their relationship with individual Disabled dancers, as well as with the Disabled dancer community as a whole. We hope that these changes will allow us to continue working together toward a truly safer, more equitable, more sustainable dance ecosystem.

Dance/NYC hosted the DWR Initiative Launch Event as an in-person gathering accompanied by a livestream. Vanessa Hernández Cruz, a member of DANC’s Leadership Committee and DANC’s representative on the DWR Task Force, was invited to participate as a panelist and speak at the event. Vanessa, a Mexican American Disabled dancer, pre-recorded a conversation with another panelist since she could not be in-person for the event. That video was scheduled to be shared as part of the evening's presentation. But due to technological issues, that conversation with Vanessa was not shared, nor was the video even mentioned by Dance/NYC. And though Vanessa appeared in the list of speakers, nothing was said to acknowledge her absence. Her vital contribution and lived experience, which also happened to be the sole, token Disabled presence in the livestream event, was not included or referenced. Vanessa was essentially omitted. Dance/NYC didn’t thank her or apologize to her, and those in her BIPOC and/or Disabled community were left confused and reminded of where we exist in the hierarchy of dance. Not only did this incident cause harm to Vanessa, but it sent a message of disrespect to the Disabled community.

We understand that there were some on-site technical difficulties happening at the event, but it is unacceptable that Vanessa’s participation on the panel was utterly erased. During the event, Dance/NYC clearly explained why other planned speakers weren't able to be there in-person and yet Vanessa, a multi-marginalized woman, was forgotten. This lack of acknowledgement —regardless of whether it was “just a mistake” or “momentary forgetfulness”—contributed to disability erasure. Inviting no other openly identifying Disabled speakers (as DANC has advised Dance/NYC to do again and again for their organization, events, and practices, including the DWR) contributed to disability erasure. Overlooking, at the very least, the option to announce to the audience that they could view the recording of Vanessa’s participation online, contributed to disability erasure. It was a dangerous and traumatizing display of privilege.

It was infuriating to listen to an organization with whom we have been in an often strained partnership boast during the event about being “called in” by and learning from Disabled artists, while continuing to cause immense harm and trauma to our Disabled community in real time. 

This event marked the launch of Dance/NYC’s Dance Industry Census, but these actions were an insidious reminder that Disabled folx can be easily erased, forgotten, and undervalued, not counted; that our images & contributions will be used as tokens that benefit organizations claiming to do Disability Justice work. How can Disabled folx be expected to participate in a census when there was no representation of disability during the streamed presentation of this only slightly accessible launch event? (A staff member made an ableist joke about COVID, using illness as a punch line; rather than taking the care needed to hold a truly hybrid event, which remains an access need for the immunocompromised of our community, the livestream offered only a stationary camera pointed at a stage with no possibility of participation.)

As a participating organization on the Dance/NYC DWR Task Force, we at DANC are perplexed because, while we have been trying to remain open to building trust with Dance/NYC, our Disabled members are feeling like Dance/NYC is making promises of care to the Disabled community that continue to fall short. DANC’s Disabled members are deeply exhausted by the time, effort, emotional labor, re-narration of access needs, and repeated requests for representation that we have contributed to Dance/NYC only to have a BIPOC Disabled member be disrespected and harmed at such a public and important event. Dance/NYC’s actions overall reflect a deep lack of understanding of Disability Justice. 

As such, DANC has the following demands of Dance/NYC:

  1. Share broadly the video that Vanessa Cruz made which was supposed to be included in the DWR Initiative Launch Event.
  2. Make reparations by compensating the Disabled dancers who have spent time in special meetings calling you in.
  3. Make a public apology to the Disabled community.
  4. Hire a BIPOC/Queer/Trans Disabled person who is practiced in Disability Justice to join your staff and train you in the Disability Justice framework.
  5. Increase the number of Disabled dancers on the DWR Task Force.
  6. Receive this feedback from us with gratitude and non-defensiveness.
     

Sincerely,

The Leadership Committee of Dance Artists’ National Collective

 

For everyone else in the dance ecosystem who might be reading this, here are actions you can take in solidarity:

  1. Share our instagram post and our pledge.
  2. Sign our pledge in solidarity to stop disability erasure and support the Disabled community, especially BIPOC / 2SLGBTQIA+ Disabled folx.
  3. Commit to beginning/continuing the process of learning about Disability Justice. If you run an organization, hire Disabled folx who follow the Disability Justice framework to guide you.
  4. Watch Vanessa’s video once Dance/NYC has published it.
  5. Order your Disability Justice Primer today: https://www.sinsinvalid.org/disability-justice-primer
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Signatures: 267Next Goal: 500
Support now
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