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Brad Lomax joined the Black Panther Party and was the founder of the East Oakland Center for Independent Living He had multiple sclerosis and used a wheelchair. Explore Brad Lomax’s under-reported contributions to the early disability justice movement, which laid the groundwork for the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.

Educational Resources: Brad Lomax: Creating Communities of Care PBS LearningMedia Video, Discussion Questions and Teaching Tips (Grades 9-12)

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Brad Lomax (1950-1984) was a civil rights and disability rights leader who had multiple sclerosis and used a wheelchair.

He was a member of the Black Panther Party and a founder of the East Oakland Center for Independent Living in the 1970s, an organization focused on assisting people with disabilities to live on their own, rather than with family or in institutions.

An experienced organizer, Lomax also built a Black Panther health clinic in DC and was in charge of the first aid tent at the Black Panther Convention and at the 1972 African Liberation parade. Lomax was one of the key protesters during the historic 26-day 504 sit-in at the Federal Building in San Francisco in 1977, which demanded the government enforce regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, to prohibit discrimination of people with disabilities. He brought in the Black Panther Party to feed the protestors, which many credit for the success of the sit-in. The sit-in resulted in entities receiving federal funds being required to make their programs and spaces accessible, and paved the way for the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Despite his pivotal role in the disability justice movement, the story of Brad Lomax is largely overlooked, and descriptions of the Black Panther Party’s alliance with the 504 demonstrators rarely mention Lomax’s previous work in civil rights and disability justice, and his coalition building efforts.

The episode features interviews with: Glenn Lomax, Lomax’s brother; Corbett O’Toole, disability rights advocate and a contemporary of Lomax who participated with him in the 504 sit-in; Cara Reedy, Director of the Disabled Journalists Association; Sami Schalk, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose book Black Disability Politics provides scholarship and perspective on Brad Lomax’s life and legacy.