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MLK Symposium 2011: Commemorative Reading

Greenwood Library guide to the 2011 Martin Luther King, Jr., Symposium and activities at Longwood University.

An Evening with Christopher Reeve

In recognition of Dr. King’s dream of equality, a diverse group of faculty, staff and students from the campus will read excerpts from Christopher Reeve's May 13, 1999, speech at the Copps Coliseum that focuses on disability as part of civil rights and the continuing struggle for acceptance and equality.

In the speech, Reeve speaks of two great civil rights movements in the 20th century -- the rights of blacks, Hispanics and people of other nationalities and equality for women. He goes on to highlight a large minority population that still faces discrimination, namely the disabled.

"There is nothing wrong with us. There is nothing wrong with being disabled and society must learn to get rid of its prejudice, the same way...the same way they had to learn to deal with minorities and women, to remove the stigma and say disabled people are actually more able than many supposedly able people."


You can read the entire speech at http://www.chrisreevehomepage.com/sp-coliseum-130599.html.

Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an actor, film director, producer, screenwriter and author who became a quadriplegic in 1995 after falling from a horse in a competition in Virginia. For the remainder of his life, he was a tireless advocate for people with spinal cord injuries and embryonic stem cell research. You can learn more about Reeve and paralysis resources at the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation website.

What do you think?

What is your reaction to Christopher Reeve's speech? Please record your comments below.