CA Memorial Project: 22nd Remembrance Ceremony for Patients' Deaths in State Institutions

California Memorial Project 22nd Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony

Remembering The Unheard, The Unseen, and The Once Forgotten. Remembering the lives of those who died without recognition at state hospitals and developmental centers and honoring residents who presently live in state institutions.

Check back here on September 16, 2024, at 1:00 pm to watch the virtual ceremony: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/events/california-memorial-project-22nd-anniversary-remembrance-ceremony

(ASL Interpreter, Spanish Language Interpreter and Live Captions available)


In the recent past, and in some ways still to this day, people with mental health, intellectual, and developmental disabilities were treated as if they didn’t exist and as if their voices didn’t matter. They were treated as if they had no rights at all – which at the time wasn’t too far from the truth. It was easy to institutionalize people, and once they were locked away in these state institutions, isolated and far from cities, they were forgotten by the general public.

When our peers died at these institutions, most were buried in unmarked graves with numbers on their gravestones, instead of their names, instead of their stories, instead of anything that could possibly humanize them.

And now in the present, our peers who currently live in state institutions are hidden from our view in locked facilities, unseen and unheard. We fight to ensure that they are not forgotten, and we fight so that their voices may be uplifted in their lifetimes.

Today, we are here to work together to restore dignity and respect for our peers that lost their lives at state institutions. We are here to remember, acknowledge and appreciate them, and we truly feel that they are here with us today in our hearts and minds.
Speakers:

Guest Speakers: Andy Imparato; DRC Executive Director; Scott Barron, Peer Advocate, Anton Estes, Group Facilitator and Policy Specialist; Dena Pfeifer, Advocate; Rebecca McClary, Program Director DSH-Metropolitan

Peer Self-Advocacy (PSA) Staff: Harvey, PSA Trainer; Rosy Tellez, PSA Supervising Coordinator; Maria Garcia, PSA Coordinator; Debi Davis, PSA Trainer; Jesse Gilbert, PSA Trainer; Robyn Gantsweg, PSA Unit Manager

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