To Be a Problem

A searing critique of the disability rights movement from within, and a call for collective liberation that is pro-Black and centres disabled people of colour. For over twenty years, Dara Baldwin has often been the only person of colour in the room when significant disability policy decisions are made. Disenfranchisement of people of colour and multi-marginalized communities within the disability rights community is not new and has left many inside the community feeling frustrated and unheard. In To Be a Problem, Baldwin candidly shares her journey to becoming a disability activist and policymaker in DC while critiquing the disability rights community. She reveals the reality of erasure for many Black people and people of colour in the disability community and argues that, in turn, many white disabled people centre themselves within the movement without addressing their own white privilege. Disability rights groups have been centring white, straight, cisgender people while racial justice groups often fail to centre disabled people, leading many Black and Brown disabled people to start their own Disability Justice organizations. Drawing from her unique vantage point, Baldwin calls readers to understand the shortcomings of the disability rights movement while inspiring us to push all movements towards a more inclusive and authentic liberation.