Join us for a special event with debut aut hor Dara Baldwin\, discussing her upcoming book\, To Be A Problem: A B lack Woman&rsquo\;s Survival in the Racist Disability Rights Movement . Born in Torrejon\, Spain\, Dara has made a career in public policy and s ocial justice\, holding senior positions at multiple organizations and lea ding numerous advocacy campaigns.
\nThis is a unique opportunity to hear from an activist\, scholar\, and author who's dedicated her life to e nding racism and systems of oppression. Dara will be sharing her insights on intersectionality policy agendas\, with an emphasis on disability justi ce. Don't miss this chance to learn from her extensive experience and uniq ue perspective.
\nAn ASL interpreter will be in attendance.< /strong>
\nFor addtional reasonable accommodations\, please contact the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. \;
\nThank you to the \;DC Public Library Foundation and their contribution \;of donating 25 copies of< strong> To Be A Problem: A Black Woman&rsquo\;s Survi val in the Racist Disability Rights Movement for attendees i n need. Additional copies of the book will be available to purchase from < strong>Solid State Books. \;
\n
Dara Baldwin is a debut author with the b
ook To Be A Problem: A Black Woman&rsquo\;s Survival in the Racist Disabil
ity Rights Movement published by Beacon Press and will be released July 20
24 in coordination with the 34th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabil
ities Act of 1990 (ADA).
Born in Torrejon\, Spain to parents invol ved in serving their country\, the desire to serve has continued through h er education and current career journey. She is an activist\, scholar and author. She started her first career in Healthcare Administration in execu tive positions. In 2004 she changed her career to public policy in the soc ial justice/equity realm of work. Currently Ms. Baldwin the founder and Pr incipal of DMadrina\, LLC. A consultant company working with organizations around the world to incorporate Intersectionality policy agendas with an emphasis on disability justice.
\nShe has held senior level position s in federal policy at multiple organizations. She was the Director of Nat ional Policy for the Center for Disability Rights\, Inc. (CDR)\, Senior Po licy Analyst at National Disability Rights Network (NDRN). She works withi n the Disability Justice movement and with an intentional strategy to end racism and systems of oppression.
\nShe is a fellow in the Women Tra nscending Collective Leadership at Center for Justice at Columbia Universi ty (Cohort 6 2024-2025). She is an Ambassador for Health Equity Fellow and a member of several advisory committees working on ending criminalization in this country. She advises Urban Institute Prison Research and Innovati ve Initiative (PRII) and The Justice Lab of Columbia&rsquo\;s Square One P roject. She serves on the Board of Directors for SPAN Parent Advocacy Netw ork and the Laura Flanders Show She recently completed three terms (9yrs) on the National Low Income Housing Coalition Board of Directors.
\nS he has led multiple national and international advocacy campaigns. In Dece mber 2022 she spoke on the lack of inclusion of disability issues and acce ssibility\, at the United Nations first meeting of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent. Ms. Baldwin has been working with Congress to p ass federal laws since 2004\; and worked on over 25 federal bills that hav e gone to five different President&rsquo\;s desk - Clinton to Biden - even bills passed and signed by #45.
\nL. Dara Baldwin has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Rutgers University\, Newark\, NJ and was a Pi Alpha Alpha honors Graduate with a Masters of Public Administration fr om Rutgers University the School of Public Affairs and Administration\, Ne wark\, NJ. She is an adjunct professor teaching Disability Justice\, Equit y and Policy at McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University.< /p>\n
Justice Shorter is a skilled orga
nizer/facilitator\, Disability Justice amplifier and senior advisor on iss
ues at the intersection of race\, disability\, gender\, health\, climate\,
and crises. She is a national expert on disability inclusive disaster pro
tections\, emergency management and humanitarian crises/conflicts. \;
As a curator and composer\, she has orchestrated immersive training experi
ences for thousands of participants worldwide. As a strategist and dreamsc
aper\, she has worked with countless organizations to meaningfully and mea
surably enhance their equity efforts. In 2023\, Justice formed \;Seede
dGround\, an agency devoted to content creation that centers people of col
or with disabilities. Determined to sow justice and harvest dreams\, Seede
dGround projects are intentionally designed in ways that are imaginative&n
bsp\;and \;intersectional. Her work is lovingly wedded to worldbuildin
g our collective liberation into fruition.