A Message from Theo Braddy: There Will Come a Time! The Pendulum Swings!
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This is Theo Braddy, Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living, bringing you my latest message. The title is, “There Will Come a Time!” The pendulum swings!
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — nothing stays the same. Change is always coming.
There will come a time when we’ll look back on this moment — these unprecedented, chaotic, confusing times.
Some will shake their heads. Some will laugh. Some will ask, how did we let it get this far?
How did we let Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) become something bad?
How did we let basic civil rights be stripped away from so many, especially from those living at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities?
How did truth become alternative truth?
How did facts get labeled fake news?
How did doing the right thing become so quickly and conveniently dismissed as the wrong thing?
How did we give so much power and wealth to the few, while so many were left behind, unheard, and abandoned – the poorest of us?
There will come a time when this, too, will pass. And when we’re standing on the other side, we’ll look back and ask:
What were we thinking? What did we allow to occur? What could we have done differently?
Will DEAI be welcomed back into the public space, no longer vilified but championed once again?
Will corporations once more showcase their commitment to equity and inclusion, not just with words, but with real action?
Will they invite those most excluded to be seen, heard, and led again? Will they reopen the doors they now slammed shut?
Will “woke” go back to meaning awake, aware, and striving for justice?
Will we once again have the courage to speak truth and speak facts?
Will we have the conviction to do the right thing — not just when it’s popular, but when it’s hard?
Yes. There will come a time.
Because history has shown us — the pendulum swings.
Things do change.
And when that change comes, guess what, we’ll remember.
We’ll remember the corporations that turned their backs.
The businesses that abandoned DEAI when it became inconvenient. We’ll remember who gave up, who gave in.
But more importantly, we’ll remember who didn’t.
The ones who stayed the course.
The ones who kept doing what was right, even when it was hard.
Because justice, equity, truth — they’re not just a suit jacket you take on and off when you deem necessary.
They are principles.
And principles are meant to be held, especially when they’re under attack.
There will come a time.
And we’ll be there. The pendulum swings!
This is Theo Braddy. Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living. Until next time, bye bye now.
Theo Braddy
Executive Director
National Council on Independent Living
About NCIL
NCIL is the longest-running national cross-disability grassroots organization, driven by and dedicated to people with disabilities. Since its founding in 1982, NCIL has represented thousands of organizations and individuals, advocating tirelessly for the human and civil rights of people with disabilities across the United States.
