Join the celebration of Rev. Harold H. Wilke, a minister from Washington, MO, on the anniversary of the ADA signing. Let’s commemorate his dedication to promoting inclusion for all.
Who:
People with disabilities and their allies – from sixteen organizations connected to disability services or the United Church of Christ, plus the broader community
Elected officials
Keynote Speaker: Philip Deitch, a former hospital administrator who served on the Advisory Board for the 1978 “Independence Festival” led by people with disabilities on the National Mall; he personally knew Rev. Harold H. Wilke
Response panel speakers: Lori A. Becker, CEO of the Starkloff Disability Institute, and DeMarco Davidson, Executive Director, Metropolitan Congregations United
When: Friday, July 26, 2024, 10 a.m.-noon
Where: Eden Theological Seminary, 475 E. Lockwood, Webster Groves, MO
2nd floor chapel, Press Educational Building
What: Disability Pride Month Celebration – on the 34th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Background: Each year Paraquad, one of the oldest and largest independent living centers in the U.S., celebrates Disability Pride Month and the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with a special celebration. Since the disability justice champions who secured the ADA are passing away, it is important that we preserve memories of their courageous actions.
In 2024, we celebrate the life of Rev. Harold H. Wilke (1914-2003), a minister who gave the invocation at the signing of the ADA on July 26, 1990, and received an ink pen from Pres. George H.W. Bush. Wilke was born without arms on a farm in Washington, Missouri, and had to fight discrimination in school, in religious institutions, and in society throughout his life. Without his efforts and that of our disability rights ancestors, there would be no ADA.
#RevWilke #WashingtonMO #ADASigningAnniversary
