Ableism & Racism: Roots of The Same Tree

Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi: Ableism & Racism: Roots of The Same Tree

This month we returned to a podcast series we’ve listened to before - Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi. It’s an excellent series that we highly recommend adding to your regular rotation.

This particular episode focuses on the similarities between Ableism & Racism and how both are born out of many of the same core roots. It raises excellent questions about what is normal and heeds listeners to avoid assumptions that we all need to be the same to be of value. Guest speaker Rebecca Cokley the founding director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress joins the episode and shares her insightful thoughts on the topic.

This one hits close to home for me personally with two of my brother-in-laws having been disabled since a young age. Similar to racism, it’s clear to me that ableism is not just something we can work to better understand as allies, but something that suffers from systemic problems that need advocacy and real change in order to improve.

Suggested discussion questions (if you need something to start the conversation):

• Where have you seen or experienced ableism in your life?

• Do you have a loved one or friend living with disability? Do you interact with members of your community that are living with disability?

• What’s something that your organization might be able to better contribute to helping the lives of those that are disabled?