In this workshop, we will explore how ableism and racism shape, reinforce and influence each other. Unfortunately, ableism is often forgotten in anti-racism activism, causing disabled Black, Indigenous and people of color to be forgotten as well. This also prevents us from fully resisting racism, because we then perpetuate harmful ideas about our bodyminds. Together we will work to gain a better understanding of the relationship between ableism and racism. We will discuss solutions, figure out how to create awareness, and integrate anti-ableism into our anti-racism efforts.
NOTE: FFP2 masks will be provided and strongly recommended. We also ask you to please test for COVID-19 before entering our space, and to stay home if you have symptoms.
Background information
Types of oppression are never isolated, they shape and influence each other. Ableism is often defined as discrimination against disabled people. However, at its core, ableism is a form of oppression through which certain bodyminds are considered abnormal and subsequently disabled.
As a result, ableism shapes our view of bodyminds and our understanding of ‘normal,’ even in racial terms. Consider, for example, how the meaning of intelligence is tied to whiteness. Attempts to resist racism often overlook this relationship between ableism and racism, leading to forms of activism that uphold ableism. For example by using ableist slurs to describe people who show racist behavior. How, then, can we resist and combat racism if we do not address the way ableism plays a role in its design? In what ways do we maintain ableism in our own communities? How can we include those most affected in our resistance?
About the workshop leaders
Sampa Tumaliuan (they/them) is a queer trans Muslim activist. They are a social worker specialised in the emancipation and acceptance of BBIMPOC and/or Islamic LGBTQIAP+ communities. Sampa has worked with queer (undocumented) refugees and is dedicated to a free Palestine and the decolonisation and independence of the Philippines. Their activism also includes fighting against HIV-related stigma, as Sampa is HIV+ since birth themselves. Sampa’s activism takes place through protests, community building and workshops.
Claire van den Helder (she/they) is a cultural anthropologist with a specialization in disability studies. With their disability glossary, Claire makes definitions of important concepts such as ableism accessible to a Dutch-speaking audience. Claire also hosts ‘Gewoon Disabled’, a Dutch-language podcast about disability. Claire works from the belief that all systems of oppression shape and sustain each other and should be criticized as such. In all her projects, Claire tries to bridge the gap between academia, activism and the rest of society.
