“Get up, stand up / Stand up for your right” sang Bob Marley on the Wailers’ protest anthem “Get Up, Stand Up.” The song was a call for the oppressed to demand justice, liberty and equality.
On March 12, 1990, 500 protesters marched from the White House to the Capitol, demanding passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. At the Capitol, 60 of the protestors got up and did something even more powerful than standing up.
These protestors, the youngest of whom was 8, put wheelchairs, crutches and other mobility aids aside and made their way up the Capitol’s 83 steps as best they could: crawling, pushing or pulling themselves until they reached the top.
The ADA had been passed by the Senate but had been stalled in the House for months. Following the protest, the lower chamber finally passed the legislation which was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990.
Straz will commemorate the 35th anniversary of the signing at a celebration on Friday, July 25. The ceremony will feature vocal, instrumental and spoken-word performances as well as an awards presentation by the Hillsborough County Alliance for Citizens With Disabilities.
The “Capitol Crawl,” as the protest came to be known, made plain the barriers and obstacles many citizens with disabilities dealt with every day, barriers the ADA was designed to remove.
The ADA made equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications into federal law.
The ADA was introduced in Congress in 1988. The Senate passed it the next year but as the ’80s became the ’90s, it was going nowhere in the House. The ADA had bi-partisan support – Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) was a co-sponsor and its most vocal advocate in Congress.
Business lobbyists, though, pushed back because of the expense of making facilities accessible to all.
The sight of U.S citizens crawling their way to the Capitol was striking and drove home the difficulties people with disabilities faced just trying to go about their lives. Imagine how difficult, at times impossible, just shopping and running errands was before accessible restrooms and ramps were common.
Straz has “made a commitment that we are the community’s performing arts center and want to represent all members of our community on our stages and in our spaces,” said Alice Santana, vice president of education and community engagement.
“Being part of a such a committed group of advocates for people with disabilities has been a wonderful experience,” Santana said. The ADA ceremony will “celebrate their accomplishments and highlight performers from all walks of life.”
The celebration begins at 7 p.m. in Rehearsal Hall. Admission is free.