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To Be a Problem: A Black Woman's Survival in the Racist Disability Rights Movement
A searing call out of the systemic racism happening in disability rights and also ableism occurring in other justice movements, told through the story of a Black women activist and policymaker
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.
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.
184 pages, Hardcover
Published July 9, 2024
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1852 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 17, 2024
I find it amazing that a woman who would write an entire book attempting to explain how racism is detrimental to a thriving society could write said book in such racist language. She continually called people with white skin oppressors, white supremacists, and other extremely derogatory names, and even went so far as to say at one point that all white people should be thrown out of the disability rights movement and should not come back until invited (and I'm guessing that if she had the choice, that would be never).
I completely agree with the author that if our social advocacy system is as broken as her book indicates, particularly in terms of racial equality, we are long overdue for some major changes to that system. But advocating the exclusion of an entire group of people from discussions of these changes and how they are implemented based solely on the color of their skin is racism, no matter the skin color of the person spouting it, and is counterproductive to the work needing to be done.
I completely agree with the author that if our social advocacy system is as broken as her book indicates, particularly in terms of racial equality, we are long overdue for some major changes to that system. But advocating the exclusion of an entire group of people from discussions of these changes and how they are implemented based solely on the color of their skin is racism, no matter the skin color of the person spouting it, and is counterproductive to the work needing to be done.
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 disabled people can better support others in our community and make it a more inclusive place.
Instead, the author is a non-disabled Black woman who worked for many years within the government striving to improve disability rights on a larger scale. This is a fascinating perspective in its own right, and I believe that this is a story worth telling. But I didn't feel as engaged hearing about caucuses and lobbyists as I would have learning about another disabled person's experiences within local communities and what it was like for them specifically to grow up in this ableist world.
This book is fine for what it is. I was just hoping to read something else.
Instead, the author is a non-disabled Black woman who worked for many years within the government striving to improve disability rights on a larger scale. This is a fascinating perspective in its own right, and I believe that this is a story worth telling. But I didn't feel as engaged hearing about caucuses and lobbyists as I would have learning about another disabled person's experiences within local communities and what it was like for them specifically to grow up in this ableist world.
This book is fine for what it is. I was just hoping to read something else.
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 even with their disability, they have white privilege and are part of the white supremacy of this country."
A concise review of legislation intended to aid and integrate disabled people, but led by white cisgender non-disabled persons. A compelling explanation of why we must listen to voices from lived experience and promote diverse leaders in order to create a more just society.
A concise review of legislation intended to aid and integrate disabled people, but led by white cisgender non-disabled persons. A compelling explanation of why we must listen to voices from lived experience and promote diverse leaders in order to create a more just society.
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 "multiplying" our marginalized identities), this is an important book to be written, an important perspective to have.
As she accurately states, rights movements have a long history of ignoring those who are in less privileged positions in society. Baldwin points out that after an entire career working in disability justice, there are still only rare women, rare disabled folks, and rare BIPOC in policy positions.
The book is an important recent history of disability activism from the inner circle and where we historically and currently are failing our BIPOC friends and neighbors in the movement.
She points out through the book that although disabled people are regularly left out of other rights movements, it's our duty to "clean our own house" before looking at others (that is, to fix the racist disability movement first before complaining about our lack of place in other movements). Although I understand why her specific role and job focus gives her a unique perspective that no disabled BIPOC can have- no one who was both racially marginalized and disabled worked where and when she did - it still leads me to wonder why a very vocally non disabled person is leading this discussion. The conclusion is the most confusing piece- she offers ideas that feel sound (to my white disabled ears) while Sharing that only those with lived experience and direct impact should be coming up with the solutions. She explains it would be ethically and morally inappropriate for her to come up a plan for the future of an inclusive disability justice movement, and then goes on to outline what that plan would look like, if she created it. I don't have lived experience here; just because it sounds good to me doesn't mean it's in line with what the Black/POC disabled community is actually wanting.
It's a genuinely good book. You should read it. But also, I would have liked to have a disabled co-author and not just "I came up with these ideas after talking with disabled people"- which reads as "I stole these ideas from the disabled community without crediting them." The fact that this wasn't a bigger note makes me feel like it wasn't even previewed by a disabled person. That raises another set of questions- is she so removed from the community that they aren't wanting to work with her? Did she not ask? Is this the edited version, and she spoke for/over us worse before? All that ends up losing the star. 4+ for the autobiography and historical perspective that only she could give.
As she accurately states, rights movements have a long history of ignoring those who are in less privileged positions in society. Baldwin points out that after an entire career working in disability justice, there are still only rare women, rare disabled folks, and rare BIPOC in policy positions.
The book is an important recent history of disability activism from the inner circle and where we historically and currently are failing our BIPOC friends and neighbors in the movement.
She points out through the book that although disabled people are regularly left out of other rights movements, it's our duty to "clean our own house" before looking at others (that is, to fix the racist disability movement first before complaining about our lack of place in other movements). Although I understand why her specific role and job focus gives her a unique perspective that no disabled BIPOC can have- no one who was both racially marginalized and disabled worked where and when she did - it still leads me to wonder why a very vocally non disabled person is leading this discussion. The conclusion is the most confusing piece- she offers ideas that feel sound (to my white disabled ears) while Sharing that only those with lived experience and direct impact should be coming up with the solutions. She explains it would be ethically and morally inappropriate for her to come up a plan for the future of an inclusive disability justice movement, and then goes on to outline what that plan would look like, if she created it. I don't have lived experience here; just because it sounds good to me doesn't mean it's in line with what the Black/POC disabled community is actually wanting.
It's a genuinely good book. You should read it. But also, I would have liked to have a disabled co-author and not just "I came up with these ideas after talking with disabled people"- which reads as "I stole these ideas from the disabled community without crediting them." The fact that this wasn't a bigger note makes me feel like it wasn't even previewed by a disabled person. That raises another set of questions- is she so removed from the community that they aren't wanting to work with her? Did she not ask? Is this the edited version, and she spoke for/over us worse before? All that ends up losing the star. 4+ for the autobiography and historical perspective that only she could give.
May 29, 2025
3.5
Lots of good stuff in here, esp her analysis of the organizations and their faults and of the different laws that have established rights for disabled people.
I don't love that she is not disabled. She still has a valuable perspective on various things as described above but she sometimes makes generalizing statements that I think go too far, and it's a bit ironic to see her critiquing organizations for having, eg, non-disabled boards when she herself is not disabled. Occasionally, she makes an argument that doesn't hold weight (i.e. criticizing advocates for calling a SCOTUS case by the first name of the case—she says that cases are usually referred to by both names, i.e. Brown v. Board, but that is actually not true... in general you hear people say Roe, Dobbs, Obergefell, Casey, etc—it's just a straw man argument). She also makes a major factual error on the history of institutionalization in the United States. That doesn't mean there aren't strong points here, as I said, but this kind of thing detracts from an overarching argument—I find myself trusting an author less when a major error like that gets through.
Lots of good stuff in here, esp her analysis of the organizations and their faults and of the different laws that have established rights for disabled people.
I don't love that she is not disabled. She still has a valuable perspective on various things as described above but she sometimes makes generalizing statements that I think go too far, and it's a bit ironic to see her critiquing organizations for having, eg, non-disabled boards when she herself is not disabled. Occasionally, she makes an argument that doesn't hold weight (i.e. criticizing advocates for calling a SCOTUS case by the first name of the case—she says that cases are usually referred to by both names, i.e. Brown v. Board, but that is actually not true... in general you hear people say Roe, Dobbs, Obergefell, Casey, etc—it's just a straw man argument). She also makes a major factual error on the history of institutionalization in the United States. That doesn't mean there aren't strong points here, as I said, but this kind of thing detracts from an overarching argument—I find myself trusting an author less when a major error like that gets through.
January 14, 2025
I decided to Google the "disability right" when I read more than half portion of the book. I have a hard time associating the term "disability right " with this author's anger on inequality. The author has resentment at seeing white people in charge organization, not because of those white people's ideas or working agenda. White skin color irritated her.
I sense her strong pride. She owes her success to her unique character of courage brought by her mom. She fights for equality, fighting and making moments are her tools to gain equality.
This is not in line with Dr. Martin Luther King ideas. I feel sorry for her.
I sense her strong pride. She owes her success to her unique character of courage brought by her mom. She fights for equality, fighting and making moments are her tools to gain equality.
This is not in line with Dr. Martin Luther King ideas. I feel sorry for her.
July 30, 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 started the book off with a primer on disability policy and its history, and then went into her experiences and her critiques. I feel like the book would have flowed better (in my opinion) and I would feel less like I was missing something and having to pause to look up crucial info.
For me, I really wish this book was organized better. There is so much great information about disability policy and I wish Baldwin started the book off with a primer on disability policy and its history, and then went into her experiences and her critiques. I feel like the book would have flowed better (in my opinion) and I would feel less like I was missing something and having to pause to look up crucial info.
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 everyone should read this book and have their eyes opened to what is going on in a segment of the population that is often overlooked.
August 11, 2024
I agree that the Democrats lost the 2016 election because of the belief that Hillary Clinton had already won.
I agree that everyone with a disability deserves a seat at the table to discuss disability issues. This is a priority BEFORE anyone without a disability should be heard.
I agree that any disability discussion must include all races, creeds, and national origins.
I fail to understand how exaggerated statements and name-calling advance an intelligent argument.
I regret that the author fails to recognize that our democracy is a living, evolving institution. The world of 2024 is vastly different from the world of 1787 when the Constitution was ratified. Our 21st Century eyes see wrongs in our past. Some progress has been made. Our 21st Century eyes see wrongs existing today. Fortunately, the institution will continue to evolve. I doubt whether the ideal will ever be attained. It does, however, merit the involvement of everyone: all races, all creeds, all origins, all sexes, all religions, all political beliefs, all citizens and non-citizens. To strive toward the ideal all of us must work together. Why should I work with you if you paint me with a stereotype? Why should I work with you if you call me names like a playground bully?
I agree that everyone with a disability deserves a seat at the table to discuss disability issues. This is a priority BEFORE anyone without a disability should be heard.
I agree that any disability discussion must include all races, creeds, and national origins.
I fail to understand how exaggerated statements and name-calling advance an intelligent argument.
I regret that the author fails to recognize that our democracy is a living, evolving institution. The world of 2024 is vastly different from the world of 1787 when the Constitution was ratified. Our 21st Century eyes see wrongs in our past. Some progress has been made. Our 21st Century eyes see wrongs existing today. Fortunately, the institution will continue to evolve. I doubt whether the ideal will ever be attained. It does, however, merit the involvement of everyone: all races, all creeds, all origins, all sexes, all religions, all political beliefs, all citizens and non-citizens. To strive toward the ideal all of us must work together. Why should I work with you if you paint me with a stereotype? Why should I work with you if you call me names like a playground bully?
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