Helena Berger/Mary E. Dolan: 25th Anniversary of the FDR Memorial

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

And welcome everyone in the United States and around the world to Disability Matters. I am so excited about the listening audience from around the world. Oh my goodness, you know, China is really taking off. But then there are all these other countries from Rwanda to Australia where we have listeners. So some of those countries, we may only have one person, one of the 17 countries. And you know what I say on every show? You matter. You matter, and you are making a difference, but you can make a big difference. Tell other people with disabilities about this show, uh, because you know what we want everyone to know? That people with disabilities have dignity, quality of life. Please share it with other people. And you know, I have these great friends from the State Department. I have Richard Roberts, who I first met in South Korea and is now in Kazakhstan— I'm sorry, Japan. Veniamin in Kazakhstan. Cheryl Harris in— well, she was in Tunisia, now she's with the State Department. So, Gangyong in South Korea, Richard in Japan, although he's leaving Japan, so he'll be going on his next destination. Coordination. I want to tell you about these people. They're with the State Department, or like Veniamin, he's an on-the-ground disability rights leader who worked in conjunction with the State Department. Are all great people. And Veniamin, I'm thinking about you. I know being in Kazakhstan that this is a very tense time. And to all of our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine, especially people living with disabilities, My headquarters are in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Of course, the radio show is heard around the world, but you know what? No matter where we are, we are with you in Ukraine. We're behind you. And kudos to all those great people. I'm on the board of the World Institute on Disability that are working to try to help people with disabilities get out of that country. So, and get resources to everyone. So, uh, just want you to know that. And of course, every show, every show for years now, special shout out to Yoshiko Dart. Yoshiko, you know why I do this every, every show? Number one, because I love you, but number two, I'm trying to make sure we keep the history and life of Justin Dart alive. And Yoshiko Widow, wife of Justin, also is a disability rights leader. But I know Yoshiko, I know what you're doing right now. You're saying, "Hello Joyce, lead on." I know it. I don't even have to be there. I know it. I'm positive. And I love you, Yoshiko. And our great sponsor, Highmark, lead sponsor for the past 6 years. Quarterly, not part of something, but lead sponsor. Thank you so much. Having you as the sponsor has meant so much to me for so many years. Well, I am so excited today with the two guests we have. I know both of them. I know one of them very, very well, and I've been friends with for a long time and love her so much. And that is Helena Berger, the chair of the board of directors, first chair for the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee, and Mary Doolin, my new friend, who is the executive director and co-founder of the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee. Both of you, welcome to the show.

Thank you, Joyce Bender. We really appreciate this opportunity, and I want to, I guess, let you know that I share the love that we have between each other, and it's just good to be part of your show today. So thanks so much.

Oh, and I— thank you, and I echo that too. Thank you, Joyce, for this opportunity, and to your growing listenership, and as well, with tremendous respect and honor to Yoshiko and the memory of Justin Dart. Thank you.

You're welcome. And it's a privilege for me to have both of you on. Helena Berger, we have been friends for so long. And I cannot tell you how happy I am to congratulate you as being the first chair of the FDR Legacy Committee. And if you don't know, and we're going to have Helena tell her story here in a minute, but Helena Berger Joyce Bender, who I met when she was Chief Operating Officer and then of course ended up being the CEO of AAPD, is the— is a great disability rights leader and she lives it. She lives it. She really, really cares and has passion and is such a kind person and my friend, and I am just so excited for you. Helena, but since we do have listeners throughout the United States and around the world, would you start by telling our list— our listeners about how and why you became a disability rights advocate, Helena? And also, Helena, you— I was thinking about this— you really were with AAPD from the beginning. So after you tell us how and why you became a disability rights advocate, uh, maybe you could also tell us what it was like building AAPD from where it was to when you left.

Sure, happy to. Um, so I, I've been a disability rights advocate now for for over 30 years, which is hard to believe. I like to say I started when I was 10, but unfortunately that's not true. But how I started my disability rights career was— I'll try to keep this short because I know we don't have a lot of time— but my first— I moved to the Philadelphia area and there was a job announcement in the Philadelphia Inquirer for a government relations position, and I was a political science major., and I found that very intriguing, and you didn't see a lot of job openings for government relations positions in Philly, unlike, you know, Washington, D.C. And it was for an organization called Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association, which is now the United Spinal Association. So I interviewed and I got the job, and I became an advocate in their Philly office. And full disclosure, I'm not a person with a disability. To be honest, I had no connection to disability. This was a whole new world, and when that world opened up to me and I realized there were millions of people on a regular basis that were being discriminated and the inequities and the injustice, I couldn't believe it. I just could not believe that I wasn't aware of this, somebody who I thought understood civil rights and social justice movements. I just, like I said, I was appalled and from that day forward I became very passionate about disability rights and it became my lifelong career, like I said, as well as my lifelong passion. So I became the advocacy— I became an advocate in the Philadelphia office of Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association and then got promoted to run their— become the director of advocacy. And when I moved to Washington, D.C., that's when I began my career with AEPD. And as Joyce mentioned, I ultimately for many, many years was the chief operating officer When I started at AAPD, it was 1997. The organization was just a couple of years old, and to be honest, it was, you know, a young, floundering organization like many startup nonprofits, and I left 20 years later as the president and CEO, and, you know, the organization went through trials and tribulations and lots of successes, and, you know, we had some progression and regression, and I actually came back to do a second stint at AAPD in 2015, and we were sort of going through some hardship. And when I left in 2019, I was proud to say that the organization was on very sound financial footing. We had really strong programs, and I left the organization. Decided to retire and felt extremely gratified what the staff and certainly the board, Joyce Bender being one of the leaders on our board, what we were able to accomplish. And I would now say that AAPD is a leading disability organization in the United States.

Well, yes it is, and you were the major part of that. I want to say one other thing about Helena. Helena not only brought us through difficult times and, you know, really built up the organization, not just financially, but in the community, worked very hard to make sure that she had the disability community grassroots aligned with us. And, and Helena, you know, was saying how she doesn't have a disability. She is universally accepted. Into our family as a person with a disability, even though she doesn't have a disability, it doesn't matter because she is the real deal. And, uh, Halina, I thank you for all the hard work you did with AAPD for years. And guess what, Halina, remember Bender Consulting, 1995. We have the same date that AAPD was founded as Bender was. That's why I always want to know how old they are. I always thought that was amazing. But anyway, okay, now Mary Dolan, another fireball. Mary, how about you? Why, how and why did you become a disability rights advocate?

Sure, thank you so much. Well, there's something very auspicious about the year 1995, it seems, because that's the year that I started at the National Organization on Disability. I was fresh out of graduate school.

Oh my goodness, that's amazing.

Yeah, that's quite something. And which is also the year that NOD, National Organization on Disability, when NOD started its campaign for the FDR wheelchair statue. There's, I don't know, maybe play that number in the lottery tonight. But I was fresh out of graduate school looking to work in a place to help make the world a better place and wound up being very attracted to this organization that was doing domestic work on disability rights, but also international work. Later in life, I would become diagnosed as a person with disability, but from that day one, like Halina, felt a kinship and a draw to this community and the— and recognizing that it was one of those communities that not enough people understood what was really going on. So, I feel very fortunate that I stumbled upon that, that work. And frankly, also that I received the diagnosis I did, which has been a major, major benefit in being able to manage my life. So, as I said, I started in 1995, and one of the first projects was my bosses were upset about this memorial that was being built. Called the FDR Memorial, and they weren't going to show President Roosevelt in a wheelchair. And so I dutifully did all the things I was supposed to do as a staffer, and 6 years later, so a very long 6 years later, I was also there when we prevailed. And I don't mean just we as in those who worked at NOD, but I mean we, the entire disability community, because one of the things that Jim Dixon did, who was the grassroots organizer, was to get over 50 disability organizations from across the country to endorse the campaign. So the big, big we, we prevailed against all the powers that be, against all the odds, and got a statue and paid for it, mind you, and paid for it. Got a statue put into the FDR Memorial, which shows the president as he was in a disabled person as 1 in 5, or sometimes it's quoted 1 in 4 people in the United States, a quarter percent, a quarter of all people around the world have a disability. So did FDR, President Roosevelt. And so I'll just quickly say in 2001, after that statue was dedicated, we all went on our merry way. I continued doing disability work. I did a went into teaching, teaching students with disabilities, became a mom, got my diagnosis, learned to live in different ways. And then we realized we needed to make sure that we documented our history about the fight for that wheelchair statue because it is part of our disability history. It's part of American history. It's part of the history of that memorial.. And I wanted to make sure that all the folks who came before me, who brought me along for the fight and taught me how to be an advocate, get remembered and their story gets remembered and gets passed on, not just within our own community, which I'm passionate about, but to everybody who walks through or rolls through or uses a cane or a guide dog or God knows what to get through that memorial, that they know that that memorial was completed by the blood, sweat, and tears of disabled people.

Well, and that is such a great story. I want to ask you now, Mary, when this decision was first made, you know, that there would not be a chair, that he would be— what, how are they going to depict him then?

Sure. He, um, for those who might be familiar, or you could even just do a quick quick Google search, the one of the first— the statue that was first put in place at the memorial, it's still there, it's by Neil Estern, who is a well-known sculptor. And it's a very large, as it's called, heroic statue of FDR, which means it's just huge, oversized. He looks like a— he's a giant. He's got his conference, Yalta Conference cape. He's sitting in a chair. And what we were told was, well, look behind the chair and you'll see a little wheel or a caster, and well, that's the kind of wheelchair he used. So you all must be, you know, satisfied with that. And, uh, you know, I certainly have sat in— I sit in a chair with wheels every day, but it's not a wheelchair. FDR sometimes used a kitchen chair with a wheel on it, but guess what? He also used a good old-fashioned metal wheelchair as well. So we said, eh, we're going to call that one out. That ain't no wheelchair. Let's get it— let's show it as it really was. Let's show a real wheelchair so there's no question. So that's how they first tried to appease us. But, you know, we're a feisty bunch. We weren't having that.

So where is that first statue?

That first statue is in, I think it's considered Room 3. It's in the FDR Memorial. And, you know, it's quite something. It's a haggard-looking FDR. It's the wartime FDR. Any one of us would be looking as haggard as he does. It's also on a step, on a pedestal, which, you know, reduces access for many. It also is, like I said, heroic. It's, it's huge. So if you are a person who's relying on your tactile senses to experience something, unless you're going to start climbing that statue, you're not going to really experience what, what it really looks like, feels like from a tactile experience. And that is in that memorial.

Okay, because I want all, you know, so that our, uh, and it's a beautiful memorial. Of course, I saw the statue that is most important is with the wheelchair, and that is just unbelievable, uh, what you went through, Mary. That is unbelievable what the disability community went through. And Helena you were probably involved with this, right?

So AAPD back then, I mean, we were supportive of obviously what NOD is doing, but I think, you know, as part of the community, but clearly, you know, leadership and staff at NOD, you know, really led the charge here and led the grassroots movement and really, you know, made it happen. So I have to, you give NOD, you know, a huge shout-out and kudos. And, you know, the one thing that I love about FDR and his statue is that's the first thing that greets visitors when you enter the memorial. So to me, it's a very, very powerful message. I mean, look, we had to fight for it, we won, and now if you haven't been at the memorial, when you enter the memorial, it's the first thing you see. So again, I think it's very powerful. I think it sends a strong message that we had this amazing leader, and he led from his wheelchair. I think it serves as an incredible role model for younger disabled people. So again, it was a hard-fought fight, but to have that be the first image and the first thing you see when you enter the memorial, I think there couldn't be a better placement for it.

And it is, it is beautiful. It really is beautiful. As a matter of fact, Helena, why don't you describe it since we're talking about it? If you could describe the park and then Mary, I had another question. I'll be back to you, but for our listeners, I know when I was there for the event last year, I thought, wow, it's so beautiful here, but describe it for those not just in the United States but listeners around the world what it was.

Sure, absolutely. And I would, you know, recommend for folks who, you know, live outside of DC and the US, I mean, certainly you can go on to the website and there are, you know, some great descriptions and photos. But it is— I know I'm biased, but even before I became board chair and affiliated with the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee, The FDR Memorial was always one of my favorite memorials because it is beautiful. I mean, it's set up as 4 open-air rooms that represent FDR's 4 terms. So you'll have like, you know, the first room where when he launched his presidency, it would be like, it would be the New Deal. And you'll see men representing, you know, the breadline. And then it will go into his fireside chat speeches. And then Room 3 would be during World War II, and it would be representative of that. And then his last term, which would have been his fourth term, is representative of his death. But back to the beauty of it, I mean, there are waterfalls. There's— it's just If I'm not mistaken, the FDR Memorial Commission selected a landscape architect named Lawrence Halprin to design the memorial in 1974. So that resulted in a lot of trees and again waterfalls and quiet alcoves. So you sort of feel like you're in a, sometimes like a secluded garden, especially if the memorial is not crowded, than more of a traditional memorial that you may see, for example, like the Lincoln Memorial the Jefferson Memorial. And I love the memorial as much at night as I do during the day. I highly recommend that people see it both in daylight and in the evening. So again, it is beautiful. It's one of my favorites. And I think, you know, I know we'll probably get into this a little more, but I think some of the work that the FDR Memorial Legacy is doing is around you know, preservation of the memorial, which I think is going to be really critical because the memorial is sitting by the tidal basin and there's a lot of flooding that's happening and the memorial could be, you know, severely damaged or underwater. So the future work of this committee is going to be really, you know, crucial to making sure we preserve this incredible memorial and what it represents.

Yeah, and you know what, um, well, first I wanted to— I forgot to ask you this, Mary. The Roosevelt family, were they involved with this from the beginning?

Um, well, they have been involved in the entire story of the FDR Memorial since, since the beginning, definitely. Um, they were also involved and endorsed the campaign back in the '90s to add the wheelchair statue. And then for this new iteration, the FDR Committee, we very much enjoy the endorsement from the Roosevelt family. We have 3 family members who serve on our advisory board: Ann Roosevelt, Christopher Roosevelt, Jim Roosevelt, all of whom are grandchildren of Franklin and Eleanor and have been just tremendous.

Oh, that is so— that is wonderful. Um, you know, Helena, I'll never forget when I talked to Mary, you know, over 2 years ago before I went for the first time, and she— I mean, to one of the events. I remember her telling me we have to worry about the statue being underwater. I'll never forget that because I thought, what? That's horrible. How could that even be possible? Because as you well know, you know, there are other memorials there you would never want to see underwater. So, I mean, Helena, what do you think about that? I just think that's terrible.

You know, it is, and that's why, you know, we need the FDR Committee to make sure we're representing the memorial and also whatever plans they finally come up with, that the disability voice is part of it. As you know, Joyce Bender, if we're not at the table, many times disability interests, accessibility, etc., are not built into these plans initially. But people need to remember that D.C. was a swampland and things are sinking, water is rising, we're dealing with climate change, so it's catastrophic and it's It's horrible to think about, but yet when you think about it, it's probably not that surprising. What is surprising is, you know, by putting the FDR Memorial there, by putting the, you know, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial there, they're like adjacent to each other, so that memorial could also be underwater. It's like, you know, what was the thinking by putting the memorials there? But nevertheless, we are where we are, and we have to have a, you know, strong voice again to make sure we are there to preserve the memorial and like I say, I think just as importantly represent the voices of our community.

Yeah. It would be great to have like Senator Dole and Senator Casey and Congressman Clyburn all involved with this. Do you know what I mean?

Because— Well, we do. I mean, so we do have Senator Harkin on our advisory committee. He's been serving as co-chair of our ADA— listen to me— ADA 25th anniversary events. I don't know, Mary, if you want to just talk a little bit about the involvement of Senator Duckworth and Representative Eleanor Norton Holmes regarding the resolution that they passed. Sure. Some of the media that's come up around that.

Yes, no, absolutely. So, the 3 things that our committee is focused on is education, inclusion and accessibility, and preservation. And they all overlap. You can't preserve things unless you're really— you understand them, and we need to be inclusive, and if you don't preserve things, they will become— they will not be accessible because— so they're very overlapping, interweaving. So one of the first things that we did try to tackle was the long-standing issue of access at the memorial for folks who are blind and low vision. And we enjoyed the interest from Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Senator Tammy Duckworth who both in their respective chambers introduced a resolution really committing the nation to the values of the FDR Memorial and the wheelchair statue, but also calling for improved access at the FDR Memorial, which has happened. There's been some positive movements by the Park Service in putting in an audio tour, and they are soon to launch some tactile materials that will be available for folks to have a different way of appreciating and visiting the memorial on site. We've been working with them and enhancing their website, their— the verbiage that they're using, the language that they're using. So it's been pushing on all different areas. And when it comes to the preservation piece, that is something we most definitely will be working with friends who are up on the Hill and in various areas. I mean, these are our nation's treasures. Nobody wants to see anything bad happen to any of them. And one of the things that we've noticed, and I think we all know, you know, you need to be there. You need to speak out. You need to be at the table. The FDR Memorial deserves to be protected, as does the Martin Luther King Memorial, as does The Lincoln, the Jefferson, and on and on and on. I understand that there's hard decisions that's going to be needed to be made in terms of how that protection looks, but we're determined to help provide that disability voice and help coordinate with other disability organizations to make sure that not only is the preservation piece inclusive of people with disabilities, but, you know, when it's all said and done, that the access is is still a priority throughout the tidal basin and as far as we can throughout the park system. Frankly, we would like to be a model at the FDR Memorial of what inclusion and access looks like in cultural sites. So that's what we're aiming for.

Well, that's critically important. I mean, we have to do that. Helena, I always say to people, I'll say, you question whether a person with a disability can be a senior-level accountant, but the President of the United States with 4 terms that led us through World War II had polio and used a wheelchair. What? I don't get that. Why? You know, why don't people get that? And the only thing I could think of is because somehow that wheelchair or disability is not in their mind. I don't know. I mean, one of the most powerful leaders in the world lived with a disability. I mean, what do you think about that, Halina?

I agree with you. I, you know, one, obviously he hid it, and we understand those were different times. I cannot ridicule FDR for not wanting to proudly display his disability. Again, that was very different times than where we are today. Even today, let's be honest, not everybody is open to and receptive to our political leaders having certain disabilities. Stigma certainly still exists today. I think you're right. One, he hid it. And two, I don't think, to Mary's point around the education, I don't think it's something we talk enough about. I'm trying to remember, I mean, I'm getting older so I don't remember as much like when I was in grade school and history. I mean, I would imagine it probably came up, but probably not to the extent it should have. One thing I will say that was encouraging, I met Mary at the FDR Memorial. We were doing a site visit for our events coming up, and while I was waiting for her— this is just a few weeks ago— there are a number of schools that came through, and I started to hear— and these were the teachers who were giving the tours, not the National Park Service— and there was one teacher in particular who did a great job about talking about FDR and his chair and what that meant and accessibility. I felt somewhat optimistic to hear that. These kids were, I don't know, maybe junior high. If they're starting to get that education and then they see that image and again, they have the right teachers, maybe we'll start changing hearts and minds. You know, all of us know this because we've all been doing disability rights work a really long time. The hardest thing to change is attitudes. And, you know, we're still fighting a lot of attitudes. We're still fighting a lot of, you know, stigma. And, you know, that's why I think the educational piece is so important.

You know, last week, Andy Imperato said, you know, I hate to hear that, you know, we have double the unemployment rate, but that doesn't bother me as much as 74% not being counted in the workforce because that means we're not, you know, it's not even between the pandemic and everything else. And I almost fell off my chair. I thought, what? It's higher than 70? I mean, what's— this is terrible. How can this still be going on? And you know, Halina and Mary, we talk about this all the time, this stigma. And so if it's bad now, just as you said, Halina, think about what it was like when President Roosevelt was living. So I can tell you in school, because I'm older than you, I do not remember ever hearing about him being in a wheelchair.

It was just something I think, right, that wasn't talked about, you know, because again, there's such negativity around the word disability, um, that yeah, I think, you know, I think it was intentionally you know, omitted. That's why, like I said, when I was sitting there and this, you know, school group came through, this teacher really did— you know, I'm assuming maybe she was a history teacher— she just did such a great job about talking about FDR. She even talked about— and I don't know if I mentioned this to you, Mary— I mean, this is one of the things I love— she talked about the fight. She said this wasn't here, you know, when the memorial got dedicated in 1997. The disability community fought for it. And when I heard that, and I was actually with another colleague and we looked at each other, I was with actually Jason Maida, Joyce Bender, we looked at each other and we just smiled. The fact that, you know, this teacher understands the history and understands how important it is to tell these students the history. But I don't think we see enough of that.

No. No, we don't. And, you know, Mary, when you were talking about this, making sure people know about this fight you know, the disability community had. You know, that should be talked about more. You know what I mean? Whenever, like, even when history readers are talking, that should be talked about more because a lot of times when you read, and of course, very important historic things that, you know, people like Judy Heumann and Tony Coelho and so many other people fought for. But, you know, we need to, I realize now this is after, this is, you know, after ADA was signed, et cetera. But that still is something we need to add to that history because that is really a big deal.

I couldn't agree more. And that's one of the initial reasons why I got inspired to help set up this organization. At first, we just were thinking, well, we got to make sure we write our history and remember who did what. Right? And then we wound up morphing into a larger organization that is the friends group for the entire FDR Memorial, but with this very important through line of disability. And, but, you know, one of the things that we are doing is, and we started it last year, is running teacher professional development workshops. I was a teacher for 7 years. And so it takes some time. You know, you know what you know, and then, you know, you teach what you know, and you teach what Common Core tells you to teach. But if you are looking for new perspectives, which a lot of people, a lot of teachers are these days, you know, how do you teach these things with different ideas of representation, different angles? And a lot of states also are asking teachers to make sure they introduce inclusion, diversity, and disability into the classroom. So, we are doing a 2-day teacher professional development workshop with our partners at the University of the District of Columbia. It is going to be virtual again this year, where we walk the teachers through the story of the fight. We teach, we help them learn how to teach that. We have some master educators who are helping us sort of break down the pieces of, of the campaign. And what could become lesson plans. And in addition to that, we're also launching a lesson plan packet later this month, and it's called the D.C. Disabled Heroes. And it's just the start, so I don't want anybody's feelings to be hurt because we definitely have more people that we could write, write these lesson plans about. But we started with Mike DeLand, Judy Heumann, and Thomas County, who went by the name Mick, who all are individuals who were involved in various ways in the fight for the wheelchair statute and in the fight for disability rights overall. And so we are launching that, and we are going to work our way to get that also into the hands of teachers and educators around the country. So we've— our education is the largest piece of what we do. But with that said, we believe that, again, remember we have also inclusion and preservation are our two other prongs. Everything that we do in education is from the perspective of fully inclusive education. It's written with various ways to modify, to adapt. So it is written with that in mind. And we also believe that preservation does not just mean bricks and mortar. It means the stories. It means the narratives that will be lost if we don't get them down and write them and tell them. So, um, we're always— that's all embedded within our education program.

Oh, that is so exciting. Yeah, that— I think that is so important. Uh, well, Helena, we have a very important event happening in May. That's so exciting that I can't wait to be there for. Do you want to share with our listeners what we're doing? And by the way, I want to tell everyone I'm so honored to be on the committee, to be on that advisory committee. I'm so honored because I think this is such a big deal. So, Helena, tell everyone what, what's going to be happening.

Yeah, I'm happy to. And yeah, Joyce, we love having you on our committee, and we also appreciate your sponsorship of the event. So we are coming up on the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the FDR Memorial, not the wheelchair statue. This is the FDR Memorial, was dedicated by President Clinton in 1997. So to commemorate that, we are holding 3 events. 2 of them are going to be on May 10th, the evening, or I should say late afternoon, 4:30 on May 10th, we're going to be at the Capitol Visitor Center and we're going to have a panel discussion. It's going to be focused around the reflection on the past and a plan for the future. So we sort of made a conscious decision this is not as much about the FDR legacy, although of course it's going to get weaved into the discussion because a lot has been talked about, about his legacy. But we really felt that especially in light of what's happening today, in today's world, where we see democracy being threatened in the U.S. and abroad. You talked about, you know, standing shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. So we see what's happening again with, you know, authoritarian authoritarianism and the invasion of Ukraine and what FDR stood for, you know, in terms of working with our allies, you know, protecting, you know, democracy. So that's going to be, you know, some of the focus and the importance around memorials and what they represent and to what Mary was saying, you know, it's a lot more than just brick and mortars. So we're going to have Mary on the panel. We're going to have former Senator Tom Harkin. And we're also going to have Valerie Jarrett. And if people— if that name sounds familiar, Valerie Jarrett was a senior advisor in the Obama administration. And as our keynote, we're going to have the Ambassador for Norway because there was a very unique and special relationship between Norway and FDR in the United States during World War II. So we're really excited about that. I also want to mention our MC for all of our events is going to be Jonathan Capehart, who works for the Washington Post. He also has a segment on MSNBC, and if anybody watches the NewsHour on Fridays, he's also on the NewsHour. So he should be a phenomenal MC for us. Then that evening, we move over to a cocktail reception. On 101 Constitution Avenue at 630, which has probably the best view of the Capitol and the city in all of Washington. And we're going to be honoring Congressman Jim Langevin, who many people may realize— Oh, that's great. Because he is retiring. Congressman Langevin from Rhode Island, who is a wheelchair user, is retiring. He is also the co-chair of the Bipartisan Disability Caucus. So we do want to honor his work and his long-term commitment to issues representing people with disabilities. We're going to have Tony help us present that award, Tony Coelho, one of the authors of the ADA. We'll have Senator Bob Casey involved and— We'll also have some other speakers lined up. And then we move into May 11th where we'll actually have the anniversary event at the memorial at 11 o'clock. And we're going to have Speaker Pelosi present as well as Jim Roosevelt, who I think— I'm not quite sure. I think we mentioned him earlier, but that is the grandson of FDR. He's a member of the advisory committee. He's been a co-chair along with Senator Harkin of our events committee. So he'll be present throughout these 3 events as well as Senator Harkin. We're going to also have the Ambassador of Great Britain at the event on the 11th. And, you know, more to follow. But as you can see, it's impactful and a full agenda. And one that we're really excited about because we really think— one, I think it's going to be informative as well as fun and interesting. But because the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee is still a new entity and a new organization, I think it's a real opportunity for people to get to know who we are and why, you know, we're so important and that hopefully people will want to stay engaged with our work and support us.

Wow, this is so exciting! Oh my goodness, okay, let's start. First day is May 10th, right?

First day is May 10th at the panel discussion that starts at 4:30, goes from 4:30 to 6:00, and then we go into a reception from say 6:30 to 8:30, and then on the 11th, the morning of the 11th at 11 o'clock is the actual event at the memorial.

Okay. And the— but the other two events, did you say they're in different buildings?

Yeah. They're close by, yes. So the moderated discussion is at the Capitol Visitor Center and the reception is at 101 Constitution. And they're fairly close by.

This sounds so exciting, so exciting, so exciting. And so if someone's listening right now and they want to attend, what do they have to do?

We're going to have all of this posted up on our website. So we are fdrmemoriallegacy.com, and you will see some information on there. And, and if for some reason you don't, um, just shoot us an email, which you can get to that also from our website, and we'll direct you to the right spot.

Okay, and is there a—

I just want to emphasize, Joyce, as far as the event on the 11th at the memorial, even if for some reason, you know, you don't have an opportunity to get onto the site and let us know you're coming, that's an open space. So there will be people there who that day just happen to be visiting the memorial that will stumble upon this event, which again, I think is going to be great for us to just have the general public. I'm sure it will be like, oh, what's going on here? So I just wanted to mention that, you know, for that particular event, it's really open to everybody because, you know, the National Park Service won't let you make this an exclusive event. So— So again, that's sort of an easy one just to, you know, show up.

So I'm saying, I mean, could anyone attend that then?

Yes.

Technically, yes.

Absolutely. Okay. Yep, it's— yep, the memorial, like I said, is open to everybody and anybody can attend.

Okay, I have another question. What if you want to make a donation?

The website.

Most welcome question. Yeah, our website again, so it's www.fdrmemoriallegacy.com. Um, and even if you just Google FDR Memorial, uh, we're one of the first couple of things that will pop up. Um, and there's a big yellow donate button. Um, um, on our, on our website, on our homepage. And so, and there's lots of different ways. You can text, it's still directed, you could text to give. You could, if you want to just go shop on Amazon, you can use Amazon Smile and donate to us. In fact, you can even set it up so every time you shop on Amazon, you will get, you will be making a contribution to the organization. So, that is how I, That is how I do my Amazon shopping. So, that would be a wonderful way for people to, to show their support for all of the effort that we are putting in. I am really proud that, I mean, we are a small organization. We just got started in 2019. And we are the organization that is running, organizing the 25th anniversary for this tremendous presidential memorial. I mean, I— we have come a really long way in a very short time. And I do want to also do— I do want to thank you, Joyce Bender, for being on our advisory board, because it is people like you that give us the, you know, the power and the verve and support to keep— to do what we are doing. But I also want to take a moment that I got to say, I could not be more pleased than to have Halina as our inaugural board chair. You know, I have never run a nonprofit organization before. You know, I've worked for nonprofit organizations, but I've never been at the helm. So to have someone as seasoned and wise and caring and patient as Halina is a true gift to me personally, but to the entire movement. And to this whole community. I think everyone— I hope everyone coming up into this nonprofit world gets a Halina who could help, help them do what they need to do.

Well, thank you, Mary. That's really—

it's so true. My advice to you, Mary, is with your bylaws, with everything you put together, don't have term limits.

Mm-hmm.

No, don't do that. That way you can keep Helena. You need Helena. I actually, I tell people, when you're the chair of a new organization, I mean, come on, at the very beginning, as people don't even know who you are. I mean, really, it takes years to do this, Helena. I would say at least 10.

Yeah, no, I mean, yeah, of course, yeah, at least, Joyce, at least 10.

I mean, nothing less, you know.

And as the board chair, I'd be remiss, and as somebody who's sort of trying to take the lead here with some of the fundraising we're doing for the committee and specifically for the anniversary event, no contribution is too small. We understand that everybody's budget is different, but if what we're saying today really resonates with you and you want to support us, and you know, you can make a contribution of $5 or $10. No contribution is too small, and we would be grateful to receive that and really appreciate that support. So I think sometimes people think, you know, oh, it's too small of a contribution to give, you know, but it's not. And a lot of those $5 and 10s, you know, add up pretty quickly. So I just wanted people to realize that, that we would be grateful for any support if you, um, if you'd like to, to do so.

You know, Helena, I'm really glad you did say that, because I remind people, if there's one thing we've learned from, uh, Bernie Sanders, it's that there is no too small of a contribution. I mean, it adds up. Is what I'm saying. It's that individual. Yeah, they may only give $20, they may give $10, they may give $5. I don't care what it is, it matters. So, you know, don't feel like that. Reach out, make a contribution. This is a very wonderful and worthwhile organization and nonprofit. So first of all, Helena and Mary, it has been a pleasure having you on the show today. And please use this podcast, you know, on your own website. And to anyone else listening, you know, there's a huge on-demand listening for those that can't listen live. And if you're thinking, oh, I wish so-and-so would have heard this, they can. And share it with them, share it with everyone so people can hear about right here the first board chair and Mary telling us how this all started. So you got to save this podcast. So Helena and Mary, uh, Helena, what message do you have for our listeners?

What message do I have? Um, I think my message would be, you know, what we're working on now, and if you know anything about, you know, FDR and what he believed in, as far as preserving democracy and equality. I think, you know, I think in today's environment and in today's politics and even globally, we see a lot of his values being devalued and disintegrating. So I would hope people would take the time to maybe get a little educated. He wasn't perfect. None of us are, so I want to just— that's my caveat. Not a perfect human being, but a lot of what he represented is, I think, values that we should all uphold. And I think if more of us take the time to learn about FDR and think about his values and try to live his legacy, we may have a, you know, a slightly better world as we move forward.

Such a great message. And listen, folks, we end every show with a quote, and here it is: "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little," said President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This is Joyce Bender. America's Voice: Where Disability Matters at voiceamerica.com. In the words of Mary Brocker, choose joy.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11:00 AM Pacific time and 2:00 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters right here here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.