To Be a Problem, Dara Baldwin
To Be a Problem, Dara Baldwin
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To Be a Problem
A Black Woman's Survival in the Racist Disability Rights Movement

Author: Dara Baldwin, Keith P. Jones

Narrator: Ja'Air Bush

Unabridged: 5 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/09/2024

Synopsis

A searing critique of the disability rights movement from within, and a call for collective liberation that is pro-Black and centers disabled people of color

For over twenty years, Dara Baldwin has often been the only person of color in the room when significant disability policy decisions are made. Disenfranchisement of people of color and multi-marginalized communities within the disability rights community is not new and has left many inside the community feeling frustrated and erased.

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 color in the disability movement and argues that, in turn, many white disabled people center themselves within the work without addressing their own white privilege.

Disability rights groups have been centering white, straight, cisgender people while racial justice groups often fail to center 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.

About The Author

Dara Baldwin is an activist, scholar, and author with over twenty years of experience in policy and social justice work. She currently runs her own equity consulting firm DMadrina, LLC. She formerly held the position of Director of National Policy for the Center for Disability Rights, Inc. (CDR). Baldwin has led multiple national and international advocacy campaigns as an expert in disability laws and policy. She works on Housing and Transportation equity, Criminal Justice, and many other issue areas.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Annette on July 22, 2024

"I am acknowledging my frustration about the purposeful reaction of a community that consistently and resolutely selects the white voice as important in their work and continuously erases, suppresses, and insults all other voices, because this disabled white community refuses to acknowledge that eve......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on August 22, 2024

I liked this book. As a multiply marginalized white disabled person, (and I use the word multiply, pronounced MULTI-plee in the adjective form- "many different" not the verb, multi-PLI, form "to increase" with intention, because the author specifically calls out a misunderstanding of this phrase as......more

Goodreads review by Cami on November 10, 2024

My lack of enthusiasm for this book stems largely from how it diverges from what I expected/hoped to see. I was imagining, based on the title, that I would hear from a Black disabled woman, so I could better understand the ways in which disability activism favors white disabled folks and how we as d......more

Goodreads review by Kaitlyn on July 29, 2024

I would probably rate this about 3.5 stars. I had the opportunity to see the author speak about her book and really enjoyed her book talk and the stories she shared. For me, I really wish this book was organized better. There is so much great information about disability policy and I wish Baldwin st......more

Goodreads review by Graemme on July 15, 2024

Excellent book! A complicated issue explained so a layman like myself can understand it. Riveting from the first to the last chapter. Informative, and engaging. It's obvious that Ms. Baldwin knows what's happening and what's not happening in the world of the Disability Rights Movement. I think every......more

Quotes

“To Be a Problem is an essential guide to how race and gender intersect with disabilities. Readers who admire the works of bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Angela Davis, and Alice Wong will appreciate the issues that Baldwin unravels here.”
—Booklist

“A frank critique of the disability rights movement. Recommended for readers interested in activism and social justice.”
—Library Journal

“Will leave you inspired to champion a more inclusive and equitable world.”
—Brittany K. Barnett, author of A Knock. at Midnight

“Dara Baldwin is courageous, committed, the definition of intersectional, and a fierce movement builder. We can learn much from her.”
—V (formerly Eve Ensler), author of The Vagina Monologues and Reckoning

“A badly needed intervention in our times of overlapping and intersecting crises.”
—Naomi Klein, author of Doppelganger

“To read a book so rooted in our collective humanity is an absolute gift.”
—Dave Zirin, author of The Kaepernick Effect

“Read this book.”
—Zach Norris, author of Defund Fear

“Dara’s voice, and this book, is so unique and critical in this moment.”
—Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage

“This book reads like a freedom song for these overlooked segments of the disability rights movement(s), with Dara Baldwin crafting lyrics that speak hope and courage to readers.”
—Khaled A. Beydoun, author of Islamophobia

“A tireless disrupter who wears her scars proudly, she knows that movements steeped in whiteness will not get us where we need to go.”
—Laura Flanders, author and host of The Laura Flanders Show

“Will hopefully lead to reflection and transformation, not only in that movement but in all of our movements that continue to be plagued by elitism and white privilege.”
—Medea Benjamin, peace activist and cofounder of CODEPINK

“A testament to Baldwin’s family, faith, courage, and the many times she has brought race into necessary rooms.”
—Sunu P. Chandy, author of My Dear Comrades

“An incisive book.”
—Thenmozhi Soundararajan, author of The Trauma of Caste

“Uncovers the problem and points to its resolution: BIPOC disabled people need to be at the heart of disability justice.”
—Zillah Eisenstein, author of Abolitionist Socialist Feminist

“Dara Baldwin is a movement warrior for justice.”
—Heather Booth, American civil rights activist

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