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Brad Lomax joined the Black Panther Party and was the founder of the East Oakland Center for Independent Living He had multiple sclerosis and used a wheelchair. Explore Brad Lomax’s under-reported contributions to the early disability justice movement, which laid the groundwork for the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.

Educational Resources: Brad Lomax: Creating Communities of Care PBS LearningMedia Video, Discussion Questions and Teaching Tips (Grades 9-12)

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More About Brad Lomax:

Brad Lomax (1950-1984) was a civil rights and disability rights leader who had multiple sclerosis and used a wheelchair.

He was a member of the Black Panther Party and a founder of the East Oakland Center for Independent Living in the 1970s, an organization focused on assisting people with disabilities to live on their own, rather than with family or in institutions.

An experienced organizer, Lomax also built a Black Panther health clinic in DC and was in charge of the first aid tent at the Black Panther Convention and at the 1972 African Liberation parade. Lomax was one of the key protesters during the historic 26-day 504 sit-in at the Federal Building in San Francisco in 1977, which demanded the government enforce regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, to prohibit discrimination of people with disabilities. He brought in the Black Panther Party to feed the protestors, which many credit for the success of the sit-in. The sit-in resulted in entities receiving federal funds being required to make their programs and spaces accessible, and paved the way for the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Despite his pivotal role in the disability justice movement, the story of Brad Lomax is largely overlooked, and descriptions of the Black Panther Party’s alliance with the 504 demonstrators rarely mention Lomax’s previous work in civil rights and disability justice, and his coalition building efforts.

The episode features interviews with: Glenn Lomax, Lomax’s brother; Corbett O’Toole, disability rights advocate and a contemporary of Lomax who participated with him in the 504 sit-in; Cara Reedy, Director of the Disabled Journalists Association; Sami Schalk, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose book Black Disability Politics provides scholarship and perspective on Brad Lomax’s life and legacy.

An African American composer and pianist known as one of the greatest musicians of the 19th century, Thomas Wiggins (1849-1908) was blind from birth and likely autistic. Although born into slavery, Wiggins was the first African American to perform at the White House, and toured throughout the U.S., South America, and Europe.

Educational Resources: Thomas Wiggins: Composing the Future PBS LearningMedia Video, Discussion Questions and Teaching Tips (Grades 9-12)

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More About Thomas Wiggins: (1849-1908) was an African American composer and pianist known as one of the greatest musicians of the 19th century.

Wiggins was blind from birth and likely autistic. Although born into slavery, he was the first African American to perform at the White House, and toured throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Billed as “Blind Tom, The Blind Negro Boy Pianist” he became the highest grossing, most ticketed act of his time. After the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in 1863, Thomas Wiggins was fought over in the courts like a piece of property, leading to him being placed under a conservatorship until his death. In the course of his career, Wiggins earned his owners the largest fortune ever attained by a pianist at the time, the equivalent of over $32 million today.

Today, an estimated 1.3 million disabled people are under conservatorship or guardianship in the United States, and this intersection of disability, guardianship, and artistic exploitation continues to pervade our contemporary narratives, such as the recent public discourse surrounding the guardianship of pop icon Britney Spears, making this film exceedingly timely. Through Wiggins’ story, Renegades explores the broader, systemic issues related to lack of agency for individuals kept under conservatorships, and pose critical questions about our definitions of individual capacity, control, and freedom.

The episode features interviews with: Angela Miles-Williams, a descendant of Thomas Wiggins; jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker; composer and musicologist George E. Lewis; classical pianist John Davis; Lydia X.Z. Brown, Founding Executive Director of The Autistic People of Color Fund; and Dr. Dwandalyn Reece, Curator of Music and Performing Arts at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The episode also features performances by: Lachi, Matthew Whitaker, and John Davis.