A Message from Theo Braddy: Now is the Time
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Hello. This is Theo W. Braddy, Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living, bringing you another message for the new year. The title is “Now is the Time.”
I want to speak directly to you today about the Protect IL Campaign.
Why did we create it?
Why do we need it now?
And why will it take all of us to make it successful?
Independent Living is under real threat.
Across the country, we are seeing federal actions and policy shifts that put community living, civil rights, and Independent Living programs at risk.
These are not imaginary concerns. They are real. And they affect the ability of people with disabilities to live in their communities.
The Protect IL Campaign was created because waiting is no longer an option.
We will lose this fight if we continue to wait until funding is delayed, rights are weakened, and enforcement disappears.
To be honest, we are already behind, so:
We must be proactive from this point on, not reactive.
And to do so, well that means we need resources now!
Let me be very clear about what Protect IL is and what it is not. Funds raised through Protect IL Campaign will be used only for two purposes.
First, legal action, when needed, to defend Independent Living programs and civil rights protections of people with disabilities. It may come to this, and we will need those funds.
Second, mobilize our members to Washington, DC.
That means getting people with disabilities, CIL and SILC leaders, and advocates in the room, face to face with decision-makers. Something NCIL can do very well, but we need money to do it. Not just at the Annual Conference on Independent Living, but throughout the year.
This is not a general fundraising campaign.
These funds will be restricted.
They are intentional.
And they are focused on protecting Independent Living programs at the national level.
We cannot reach our goal with staff alone.
This will only work if our members, non-members and allies step in.
Each of you knows people who care about disability rights.
Each of you knows people who care about fairness.
Each of you knows people who care about community living.
Many of them want to help us. They just need to understand why this moment matters.
This is your Call to Action.
Here is what I am asking you to do.
If you can, please give.
Then, share the campaign with at least three people or organizations who have the ability to give.
And finally, use your voice. Tell them this is about being ready to fight before more harm is done, not afterward.
We cannot afford to wait!
We cannot afford to scramble around, trying to figure it out later.
The Independent Living Movement has always been strongest when we act together.
Protect IL is about responsibility and accountability!
It is about being prepared.
And it is about making sure we have the resources to defend what so many others have fought to build.
We just lost Bob Kafka. Just lost him. A pioneer in the movement in building what we see right now is under threat.
We must be proactive.
We must be ready.
And we must have the resources to fight now. Not later, now!
I want to thank you in advance for standing with NCIL.
And thank you for standing up for Independent Living. Now is the time.
Go to www.ncil.org/donate to get started.
This is Theo W. Braddy, Executive Director of NCIL, hoping for great things to happen for us all. 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.
