Engaging Disability, Empowering History:
Ethics and Politics of Disability History

Featuring Dr. Joanne Woiak

Associate Teaching Professor
Disability Studies Program
91探花

Established in 2005 and named in honor of the UW鈥檚 first vice president for the Office of Minority Affairs, the annual Samuel E. Kelly Distinguished Faculty Lecture is dedicated to acknowledging the work of faculty whose nationally-recognized research focuses on diversity and social justice.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Section 504, the first disability civil rights law enacted in the United States. In this lecture, Dr. Woiak听 explored questions about how the histories of disabled people and the concept of disability are remembered and forgotten. When society, academia, and historical records marginalize and erase disability, whose stories are left untold? And what are the consequences for people with disabilities today? Disability historians examine the archives through the critical lenses of disability studies and intersectionality, producing and making accessible new knowledge about lived experiences and cultural beliefs around disability. Drawing from the example of studies of the Black Panther Party鈥檚 role in the fight to implement Section 504, the lecture addressed the impacts of engaged and empowering directions for historical inquiry into disability activism, politics, and community.

Disability historians examine the archives through the critical lenses of disability studies and intersectionality, producing and making accessible new knowledge about lived experiences and cultural beliefs around disability. Drawing from the example of studies of the Black Panther Party鈥檚 role in the fight to implement Section 504, the lecture addressed the impacts of engaged and empowering directions for historical inquiry into disability activism, politics, and community.

Doors open at 5:30 PM with light refreshments

Event is FREE but听

The Department of American Indian Studies at the 91探花 hosts an annual literary and storytelling series.听Sacred Breath听features Indigenous writers and storytellers sharing their craft at the beautiful w菨色菨b蕯altx史 Intellectual House on the 91探花Seattle campus.听Storytelling offers a spiritual connection, a sharing of sacred breath. Literature, similarly, preserves human experience and ideals. Both forms are durable and transmit power that teaches us how to live. Both storytelling and reading aloud can impact audiences through the power of presence, allowing for the experience of the transfer of sacred breath as audiences are immersed in the experience of being inside stories and works of literature.

At Meany Center, we believe that art-focused, youth-centered, mental health today is a key ingredient in an equitable and inspired social future. Our 2023鈥�24 season engagement with听听begins our journey of imagining Meany as a cultural hub that facilitates accessible pathways from artistic joy to collective wellness.

When:听November 7th, 2023

Where:听Virtual & Walker Ames (Kane Hall)

Time:听6:30 pm to 8 pm

Event Description:听The Pandemics 鈥� COVID 19 and the worldwide racial reckoning 鈥� forever changed how we work, live, go to school, and interact as a community. Come listen to recorded dialogues about the pandemics, and engage in dialogue with your 91探花community. Together we will remember and honor our lived pandemics experiences.

Sharon Stein听(Educational Studies, University of British Columbia) is the author of听Unsettling the University: Confronting the Colonial Foundations of US Higher Education听(Johns Hopkins, 2022), founder of the Critical Internationalization Studies Network, and a co-founder of the Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures (GTDF) Collective.

The initiative, consistent with Regent Policy 33, includes redirecting University resources to bridge funding that will help departments recruit faculty who will advance the University鈥檚 diversity goals. In addition, a subgroup of the Race & Equity Steering Committee will examine best practices across the nation 鈥� and within our University 鈥� and make recommendations on benchmarks and accountability for recruitment, hiring, and retention in alignment with the UW鈥檚 Diversity Blueprint.

Read more about the initiative which builds on the substantial contributions of the Office for Faculty Advancement, the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, the Office of Academic Personnel, and the Office of Research, among others. Further and more critically, this work builds upon the efforts of generations of BIPOC faculty who have voluntarily recruited and mentored additional faculty that advance diversity.

听probably was always destined to study art. On her father鈥檚 side, she is Zuni Pueblo, a tribe in the Southwest U.S. with a rich aesthetic tradition and love of adornment.

鈥淚f there’s something that we could paint on, we’re gonna paint it,鈥� said the 91探花 Information School assistant professor. 鈥淲e’re gonna make it beautiful.鈥�

On her mother鈥檚 side, Belarde-Lewis is Takdeintaan Clan from the Tlingit tribe, one of the Native groups in Alaska who cherish stories of the trickster Raven figure: 鈥淭here鈥檚 this phrase that Ravens like shiny things. So, either way 鈥︹��

There鈥檚 a less happy reason why Belarde-Lewis studies Native American art, a reason that dates back nearly a half a millennium.

鈥淚’m so invested in Native art because it’s something that has survived 500 years of intense colonization,鈥� Belarde-Lewis said. 鈥淚t represents activities and ceremonies that were directly outlawed and banned and targeted for eradication through various federal policies.鈥�

For many years, the only safe way for American Indians to express their culture was through artwork, commodities often sold to tourists, she said. Belarde-Lewis has studied Native art, first in her work at museums and now in her academic career at the UW.

To further her study, Belarde-Lewis was recently named the inaugural recipient of the Joseph and Jill McKinstry Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Native North American Indigenous Knowledge, the first endowment for the iSchool in this area of study.

The award comes with funding that Belarde-Lewis can use with a great deal of discretion to apply for federal grants, bring speakers to the campus and the community, and aid in other ways with her research.

Associate Professor Emerita听, director of the iSchool鈥檚 Native North American Indigenous Knowledge research initiative, is ecstatic for her former student and current iSchool colleague. 鈥淚鈥檓 doing my happy dance,鈥� Metoyer said. 鈥淚 absolutely could not be more pleased.鈥�

The fellowship is a bright spot, but another achievement for Belarde-Lewis is on hold at least for now. Belarde-Lewis听听called 鈥淧reston Singletary: Raven and the Box of Daylight鈥� created by glass artist Preston Singletary. It features the Tlingit story of how Raven transformed the world.

The exhibit was headed to the Smithsonian鈥檚 National Museum of the American Indian this fall, but the opening has been pushed back due to COVID-19 until at least spring 2021.

Metoyer takes in pride in Belarde-Lewis, recalling fondly watching her former student demonstrate her teaching method to a class when applying for a full-time iSchool position.

鈥淪he was able explain not only the process of creating the pottery and all of the layers of symbolism that you see there, but also talk about the information that’s part of the creation process from the start to the finish,鈥� Metoyer said.

The general public often is ignorant of Indigenous issues, Belarde-Lewis said. One of the ways to reclaim the narrative for Native Americans is through art.

鈥淣ative art is information,鈥� Belarde-Lewis said. 鈥淚t’s knowledge, and how that can be expressed on our own terms is just incredibly inspiring and empowering.鈥�

Pictured at top: Miranda Belarde-Lewis gazes at a glass sculpture by artist Preston Singletary at the Tacoma Museum of Glass during a 2019 exhibit. (Photos by Doug Parry)

The UW听Libraries recognizes that many students and researchers on our campus have been affected by ongoing and recent immigration and travel bans. We are a university and library system that is proud to听wholeheartedly welcome听and support听undocumented students of all ethnicities and nationalities.听Undocumented students are eligible for state tuition, state benefits, and resources. Below are resources that may be of use to those who are facing legal difficulties with citizenship and movement in and out听of the United States.听If you are not sure who to contact, a librarian can point you towards further resources. Communication with a 91探花Librarian is听always confidential and we never release any personal information about you to third parties. , as well as community resources below, hold free legal advice and sessions to take advantage of.

Now more than ever, we need each other. By staying connected, we can continue to learn and grow, to lend a hand or an idea, to be a part of strengthening our community. We invite you to connect with alumni and friends through the 91探花Alumni Association鈥檚 digital programs. Looking for ways to give back? Please visit Together.

Stories and resources听

Articles:

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Websites:

Resources for parents:

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Reading lists:

Videos:

Podcasts:

Books and Publications:

Adams, M. (Ed.). (2000). Readings for diversity and social justice. Psychology Press.

Feagin, J. (2013). Systemic racism: A theory of oppression. Routledge.

Linder, C., Harris, J. C., Allen, E. L., & Hubain, B. (2015). Building inclusive pedagogy: Recommendations from a national study of students of color in higher education and student affairs graduate programs. Equity & Excellence in Education, 48, 178-194.doi:10.1080/10665684.2014.959270

Johnson, A. G. (2001). Power, privilege, and difference. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

Lau, M. Y., & Williams, C. D. (2010). Microaggressionsresearch: Methodological review and recommendations. In: D. W. Sue (Ed.). Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation, dynamics and impact (pp. 313鈥�336). New York, NY: Wiley

Nadal, K. L., Wong, Y., Griffin, K. E., Davidoff, K., & Sriken, J. (2014). The adverse impact of racial microaggressionson college students’ self-esteem. Journal of College Student Development, 55, 461-474. doi:10.1353/csd.2014.0051

Ross, L. (2016). Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses. Macmillan.

Sue, D. W. (2003). Overcoming our racism: The journey to liberation. John Wiley & Sons.

Black Lives Matter Syllabus 2016:听

Marc Lamont Hill,听Nobody: Casualties of America鈥檚 War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond听(Simon & Schuster, 2016)

Michelle Alexander,听The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness听(New Press, 2012)

Angela Davis,听Are Prisons Obsolete?听(7 Stories Press, 2003)

African American Policy Forum,听Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women听(African American Policy Forum Report, 2015)

Movement for Black Lives,听A Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands for Black Power, Freedom, and Justice听(Movement for Black Lives Policy Platform, 2016)

Assorted essays by Cornel West, Alicia Garza, Audre Lorde, Kimberle Williams Crenshaw, Shaun King, and more available at

If you have any questions comments or additions to this list, please contact Leilani Lewis, lanil (at) uw.edu