Supermajority is thrilled to partner with Women and Children First for our February Supermajority Member Book Club event with self-described “disabled activist” Alice Wong and Supermajority co-founder Jess Morales Rocketto to discuss, share, and reflect on “Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories From the Twenty-First Century,” edited by Alice Wong. This anthology brings together diverse perspectives and was published on the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Wong, the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project, makes it clear that she never intended the book to serve as a “best of” work or a quasi-academic syllabus for “Disability 101.” As she writes, “I want to center the wisdom of disabled people and welcome others in, rather than asking for permission or acknowledgment.” The editor notes that, according to the most recent U.S. census, 20% of citizens in the country live with a disability. Recognizing that “it is impossible to capture the full expanse of the disability experience in one book,” the editor offers a robust section of further reading that encompasses not just nonfiction, but also fiction, poetry, podcasts, and other forms of expression.

Wong’s discerning selections, bolstered by the activism that shines through, will educate and inspire readers.

The event is free and will take place virtually on February 17 at 7 p.m. ET. The first 50 people to reserve their tickets will also receive a FREE copy of Disability Visibility. Reserve your spot today and we’ll follow up by email with details for how to join the virtual conversation. Be sure to double-check your information at check out and use an email that you regularly check.

A supermajority is a member-based organization with a clear goal: build women’s political power and make gender equality a reality. Supermajority Book Club events are exclusive for members. By submitting your Eventbrite registration, you consent to joining Supermajority as a member and/or affirming your membership and receiving our Supermajority Book Club email newsletter. Membership is FREE and gives you access to events, actions, resources, and a community working for the same future you are. You can opt-out at any time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alice Wong (she/her) is a disabled activist, writer, media maker, and consultant. She is the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project, an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture created in 2014. Alice is also a co-partner in four projects: DisabledWriters.com, a resource to help editors connect with disabled writers and journalists, #CripLit, a series of Twitter chats for disabled writers with novelist Nicola Griffith, #CripTheVote, a nonpartisan online movement encouraging the political participation of disabled people with co-partners Andrew Pulrang and Gregg Beratan, and Access Is Love with co-partners Mia Mingus and Sandy Ho, a campaign that aims to help build a world where accessibility is understood as an act of love instead of a burden or an afterthought.

She has been published in the New York Times, Vox, PENAmerica, Catalyst, Syndicate Network, Uncanny Magazine, Curbed SF, Eater, Bitch Media, Teen Vogue, Transom, Making Contact Radio, and Rooted in Rights. Her activism and work have been featured in the CNN original series United Shades of America (Season 3, Episode 4), Huffington Post, WNYC’s Death, Sex, and Money podcast, KQED’s Truth Be Told podcast, Wired, The Hill, Autostraddle, Werk It: The Podcast, WNYC, The Guardian, Roll Call, WBUR radio, Al Jazeera, Teen Vogue, Bitch Media, Rewire, Vice, Esquire, CNET, and Buzzfeed.

In 1997 she graduated with degrees in English and sociology from Indiana University at Indianapolis. She has an MS in medical sociology and worked at the University of California, San Francisco as a Staff Research Associate for over 10 years.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR: As a co-founder of Supermajority, Jess Morales Rocketto works to advance and protect the rights of women of color and immigrants. Jess spearheaded and currently chairs the Families Belong Together campaign that is working to end family separation and reunite children with their parents. Currently, Jess is the Political Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) where she leads NDWA’s political advocacy campaigns on economic justice, immigration reform, sexual harassment, and the future of work for the 2.5 million domestic workers in this country. Additionally, Jess serves as the Executive Director of Care in Action, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group dedicated to fighting for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States, most of whom are women. Jess is an alumna of Hillary for America where she led Secretary Clinton’s digital fundraising strategy as the Digital Organizing Director. Jess also worked for AFL-CIO, Obama for America, the Democratic National Committee, Rebuild the Dream, and the New Organizing Institute. During the 2018-2019 academic year, Jess was a Democracy and Technology Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Jess is originally from Norwalk, CA, and received her BA from Rosemont College. She currently lives in New York.

ABOUT THE BOOKSTORE: Women & Children First opened in a modest storefront in 1979, before eventually settling in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago. They strive to offer a place where everyone can find books reflecting their lives and interests in an atmosphere in which they are respected and valued. Their collaboratively written mission statement reads: Women & Children First believes in the transformative power of literature. As intersectional trans-inclusive feminists, we believe books are tools for liberation. Since 1979, we have celebrated and amplified underrepresented voices. In order for feminism to remain relevant, it must be forever evolving.