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Health Justice Commons

@hjcommons.bsky.social

HJC is a movement-building project with a deep commitment to Disability justice and an abolitionist approach to the Medical Industrial Complex. https://linktr.ee/healthjusticecommons

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Health Justice Commons@hjcommons.bsky.social · yesterday

Disabled people deserve to live in community, receive care with dignity, and otherwise have their needs consistently and abundantly met! We know that disability rights have never equally applied and many members of our beloved community have been excluded and unprotected from the start.

An image with a grid paper texture background. In the foreground toward the center of the image is an outlined image of a group of disabled people — several of whom are wheelchair users — all holding black rectangular signs with white text that says, “I am Olmstead.” Above and below the group is yellow and blue highlighted text that says, “Disabled people deserve to live IN COMMUNITY!” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the top left corner of the image.An image with a grid paper texture background. In the foreground is yellow and blue highlighted text that says, “On June 18th, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a legal opinion that threatens to undermine the key findings of the Olmstead v. L.C. (1999) decision. The Supreme Court findings in the Olmstead case affirm disabled people’s right to live in community and receive care and services in the setting of their choice instead of being institutionalized and shuttered away. The June 19th DOJ memo rejects this assertion.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the top left corner of the image.An image with a grid paper texture background. In the foreground is yellow and blue highlighted text that says, “According to the American Bar Association — which responded to the DOJ legal opinion on July 1st: ‘The memo concludes that neither the ADA nor Section 504 requires states to provide services in the ‘most integrated setting appropriate’ or creates a broad legal obligation to offer home- and community-based services. Instead, it argues that Olmstead held only that states may not unnecessarily institutionalize individuals with disabilities without adequate justification, and that the decision did not establish a general ‘integration mandate.’” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the top left corner of the image.
Health Justice Commons@hjcommons.bsky.social · 4w ago

On June 18th, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a legal opinion aiming to undermine the 1999 Olmstead v. L.C. decision. Olmstead affirms disabled people’s right to live in community and receive care and services in the setting of their choice instead of being institutionalized.

The background is an assortment of colorful magazine clippings. In the foreground is bold black text on white cutout paper strips that says, “27 Years after OLMSTEAD.” Below this is white slightly angled text that says, “Disabled People Are STILL Fighting to Protect the Right to Live in Community.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the top right corner of the image.The background is an assortment of colorful magazine clippings. In the foreground is tattered white grid paper pulled out of a notebook. The black text atop it says, “On June 18th, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a legal opinion aiming to undermine the 1999 Olmstead v. L.C. decision. Olmstead affirms disabled people’s right to live in community and receive care and services in the setting of their choice instead of being institutionalized and shuttered away. At the heart of Olmstead were two Georgia women, Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the top right corner of the image.The background is an assortment of colorful magazine clippings. In the foreground is tattered white grid paper pulled out of a notebook. The black text atop it says, “Lois and Elaine were at the center of a lawsuit challenging their repeated confinement in state hospitals across their lifetimes. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court. Both Lois and Elaine lived with mental health conditions and intellectual disabilities, and the Supreme Court found that the two of them were discriminated against on this basis, a direct violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) signed into law a few years earlier.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the top right corner of the image.The background is an assortment of colorful magazine clippings. In the foreground is tattered white grid paper pulled out of a notebook. The black text atop it says, “As of this writing, states can still uphold Olmstead, but they now have the option of disregarding it. The DOJ opinion issued on June 18th comes at a time when disability rights are facing a myriad of legal and policy threats which vastly amplifies ableism and its devastating impacts. This Disability Pride Month and every day, we call on our communities to reject ahistorical narratives of “progress” that conceal the pervasive harm of ableism, while neglecting those who are most impacted here and now.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the top right corner of the image.
Miles W. Griffis@mileswgriffis.bsky.social · last mo.

New from @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social: the CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System, a federal program that supports testing across the U.S. for COVID-19 and other diseases, is set to run out of funding this fall. thesicktimes.org/2026/06/30/w...

Wastewater testing is vital for public health. It needs sustained funding to continue beyond fall 2026. - The Sick Times

Public health organizations are calling for Congress to fund the CDC’s wastewater surveillance program — which tracks COVID-19 and other diseases — in its 2027 budget, while state health departments p...

thesicktimes.org

Health Justice Commons@hjcommons.bsky.social · last mo.

This Pride season — as the federal government continues to leverage its power to target trans existence, paralleling and superseding the 1940s-1950s McCarthy-era Red Scare — we stand firm in our commitment to protecting each other and imagining otherwise.

A watercolor rainbow — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple — fills the background. In the foreground is bold white text that says, “Queer Bodies, Queer Lives. Words of wisdom for PRIDE Season (and beyond!)” The Health Justice Commons logo appears at the top of the image.A pink-tinted photograph of the late Audre Lorde — Black lesbian mother warrior poet — sitting on a balcony. She is surrounded by flowers. Lorde slightly smiles at the camera, her hands folded in her lap and legs crossed. The word LESBIAN appears in pinkish-white text, all caps, at the bottom of the image. The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the top right corner of the image.A pink background textured with faint squiggly lines similar to the rings of a tree. In the foreground is a quote attributed to Audre Lorde, included in her book “The Cancer Journals.” Lorde says, “I have found that battling despair does not mean closing my eyes to the enormity of the tasks of effecting change, nor ignoring the strength and the barbarity of the forces aligned against us. It means teaching, surviving and fighting with the most important resource I have, myself, and taking joy in that battle.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the top right corner of the image.
Health Justice Commons@hjcommons.bsky.social · 2mo ago

This Juneteenth, we want to recognize anti-Black racism – in medicine and beyond – for the public health crisis that it is. Black liberation is foundational to Disability and Healing Justice. We honor and uplift Black leadership and lineages of collective care, mutual aid, and self-determination.

The background of the graphic depicts the Juneteenth flag — the upper half of the image is dark blue while the lower half is red. In the center is a white five-point star surrounded by the outline of a white 12-point star. The text on the graphic reads, from top to bottom, “In honor of Juneteenth. Black Health and Healing Justice: Building Beyond the Medical Industrial Complex.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the bottom right corner of the graphic.A split red and dark blue background. In the foreground is white text that says, “This Juneteenth, we want to recognize anti-Black racism — in medicine and beyond — for the public health crisis that it is. Black liberation is foundational to Disability and Healing Justice. We honor and uplift Black lineages of collective care, mutual aid, and self-determination as we build beyond the Medical Industrial Complex, bringing the world we deserve to life.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the bottom right corner of the graphic.A split red and dark blue background. In the foreground is a black-and-white photo of a Black midwife, Mary Frances Hill Coley, sitting down with a newborn baby in her hands. The photo is captioned with italicized white text that says: “Mary Frances Hill Coley, a midwife in Albany, Georgia, as seen in the 1953 documentary ‘All My Babies ... A Midwife’s Own Story.’ At the time, she had delivered over 3,000 babies.” White text above the photo says, “Black Midwives.” The white text below the photo caption says, “The impact of Black midwives both during slavery and post-Emancipation cannot be overstated. There is a long history of Black midwives attending to births across racial lines, especially in rural Southern communities.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the bottom right corner of the graphic.A split red and dark blue background. In the foreground is white text that says, “In the early 20th century, there was a systematic ousting of Black midwives by white male physicians, which coincided with the medicalization of childbirth. Laws were created that limited or banned midwifery, and over time, most births shifted to being in-hospital. As of 2026, Black birthing people in the US are 3 times more likely to dies from pregnancy complications than their white counterparts.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the bottom right corner of the graphic.
Health Justice Commons@hjcommons.bsky.social · 2mo ago

May 29th marks one year since Patty Berne – beloved Disability Justice visionary and force of nature for collective liberation – joined the ancestors. With love at the center, they found a myriad of ways to connect and challenge people across movements, struggles, and experiences.

Patty, a Japanese-Haitian person with light brown skin and dark hair pulled into two space buns, smiles while seated in their power wheelchair outside in front of green shrubbery The image is overlaid with whimsical doodles of stars and curved lines in purple — Patty’s favorite color — and white. On the right side of the image is glowing white and purple text that says, “Remembering Patty Berne. 1967-2025.” The Health Justice Commons logo is in the bottom right corner of the image.Patty, a Japanese-Haitian person with light brown skin and long, dark, curly hair, is seated in their power wheelchair inside a classroom. Patty smiles and gestures with one hand. Printed pages from the lesson plan sit atop their clear tray table. A projector screen and handwritten notes on large sheets of paper taped to the wall are seen in the background. The image is overlaid with whimsical doodles of stars and curved lines in purple and white. The white text overlaying a translucent, abstract, purple shape at the top of the image says, “May 29th marks one year since Patty Berne – beloved Disability Justice visionary and force of nature for collective liberation – joined the ancestors.” The Health Justice Commons logo is in the bottom right corner of the image.Patty, a Japanese-Haitian person with light brown skin, and long, dark, curly hair, is seated in their power wheelchair. Patty is wearing a flowy green shirt and two colorful necklaces. They are seated in front of a mural with different shades and swirls of blue. The image is overlaid with whimsical doodles of stars and curved lines in purple and white. The white text overlaying a translucent, abstract, purple shape at the top of the image says, “Patty was both an artist and architect of the Disability Justice movement. With love at the center, they found a myriad of ways to connect and challenge people across movements, struggles, and experiences.” The Health Justice Commons logo is in the bottom right corner of the image.White text overlays a background with multiple shades of purple. The quoted text is attributed to Mordecai Cohen Ettinger, a longtime collaborator and chosen sibling of Patty Berne. Mordecai says, “Patty brought together a movement that centers the struggles, brilliance, and beauty of disabled people. That movement understands disabled people expansively, not only as those who use technology for mobility assistance, but also neurodivergent and mad people, as well as those who have been hurt in climate chaos, survivors of state violence and incarceration.” Below this are whimsical doodles of stars and curved lines in dark purple and white. The Health Justice Commons logo is in the bottom right corner of the image.
Health Justice Commons@hjcommons.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we are uplifting the memories of Stacey Park Milbern, Patty Berne, and Alice Wong. The crip wisdom they left behind is a precious gift unto the Disability Justice movement for generations to come.

A dark abstract background with four angled quadrants. In the top left block is a photo of Alice Wong, an Asian American woman with short dark hair and honey blonde streaks. She is smiling and wearing red lipstick. Alice is wearing a multi-shade pink and orange long-sleeve shirt along with pink pants. She is in a black power wheelchair. A trach tube is visible at her neck and greenery is in the background. The bottom of the image is overlaid with her name: Alice Wong. In the top right block is a photo of Stacey Park Milbern, a Korean American, queer, disabled person. She has short dark hair, orange framed glasses, and is smiling with a big grin. Stacey is seated in her black power wheelchair. She is wearing a yellow and white striped shirt and a trach tube is visible at the base of her neck. There are red flowers amid the bushes behind her. The bottom of the image is overlaid with her name: Stacey Park Milbern. In the bottom left block is a photo of Patty Berne, a Japanese-Haitian person with light brown skin and dark curly hair. Patty is seated in their black power wheelchair and wearing dark-colored clothing. They are smiling widely while holding a bouquet of flowers. The bottom of the image is overlaid with their name: Patty Berne. The fourth quadrant in the bottom right of the larger image has black text highlighted in white that says: “In fierce & loving memory.” The HJC logo appears beneath this text.A dark abstract background with a rounded white rectangular textbox in the foreground. The black centered text says: “This Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we are uplifting the memories of Stacey Park Milbern, Patty Berne, and Alice Wong. The crip wisdom they left behind is a precious gift unto the Disability Justice movement for generations to come. Engage their work. Support the projects they stewarded. And continue to struggle forward.” The HJC logo appears in the bottom right corner of the image.An abstract orange background with a rounded white rectangular textbox in the foreground. The orange centered text is a quote by Stacey Park Milbern taken from her 2019 essay, “On the Ancestral Plane: Crip Hand Me Downs and the Legacy of Our Movements.” She says: “I do not know a lot about spirituality or what happens when we die, but my crip queer Korean life makes me believe that our earthly bodyminds is but a fraction, and not considering our ancestors is electing only to see a glimpse of who we are.” A black-and-white cutout photo of Stacey appears in the bottom left corner of the image. The HJC logo is in the bottom right corner of the image.An abstract green background with a rounded white rectangular textbox in the foreground. The green centered text is a quote by Patty Berne taken from their 2015 essay for Sins Invalid, “Disability Justice – a working draft.” They say: “Disability Justice is a vision and practice of a yet-to-be, a map that we create with our ancestors and our great grandchildren onward, in the width and depth of our multiplicities and histories, a movement towards a world in which every body and mind is known as beautiful.” A black-and-white photo of Patty appears in the bottom left corner of the image. The HJC logo is in the bottom right corner of the image.
Health Justice Commons@hjcommons.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Mother’s Day and its radical roots remind us that we cannot ensure bodily autonomy, the right to have children, the right to not have children, and the right to parent the children we have in safe and sustainable environments without an end to genocide and war.

A red background with faint line drawings of flowers interspersed throughout. In the foreground in white text are the words, “Mother’s Day has Radical Roots.” Below this is a white one-line drawing of a mother holding her child’s hand as they walk together. Above them are white v-shaped birds. The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the bottom left corner of the image.A red background with faint line drawings of flowers interspersed throughout. In the foreground in an oval frame is a black-and-white 19th-century image of Ann Jarvis. Below this is white text that says, “In 1858, Ann Jarvis — an Appalachian mother who lost multiple children to childhood diseases for which we now have vaccinations — created Mothers’ Work Day to promote better sanitation practices and improve health in her community.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the bottom left corner of the image.A red background with faint line drawings of flowers interspersed throughout. In the foreground in an oval frame is a sepia-tone, late 19th-century photograph of Julia Ward Howe. Below this is white text that says, “Later, in 1870, Julia Ward Howe — an author, abolitionist, and suffragist inspired by Ann — authored a Mother’s Day Proclamation. She called on women worldwide to protest war and advocate for peace after witnessing the mass death and destruction of the US Civil War. Two years later in 1872, the first Mothers’ Day for Peace was commemorated in Boston.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears in the bottom left corner of the image.A red background with faint line drawings of flowers interspersed throughout. White v-shaped birds appear toward the bottom of the image. Above this is white text that says, “This year, perhaps we can reclaim the political roots of Mother’s Day and struggle forward. In the words of Julia Ward Howe, let us work ‘to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, [and] the great and general interests of peace.’”
Health Justice Commons@hjcommons.bsky.social · 4mo ago

This Earth Day, we highlight visionary ways people are caring for our communities and ecosystems in the face of climate crisis, protecting our beloved planet and building toward a more sustainable future. Climate and environmental justice are inseparable from health and disability justice.

Illustrated green vines of multiple shades cascade down from the top of the image toward the center. More green vines rise from the bottom of the image toward the center. In all caps, the greenish-white text against a bright green background says: “Protecting the Earth and Building the World We Deserve.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears at the bottom of the image.Translucent green vines in multiple shades emerging from the top and bottom of the image, directed toward the center. These vines appear against a bright green background. In the foreground is a light, greenish-white rounded rectangular box with a dark green border and dark green text that says: “This Earth Day, we highlight visionary ways people are caring for our communities and ecosystems in the face of climate crisis, protecting our beloved planet and building toward a more sustainable future.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears at the bottom of the image.Translucent green vines in multiple shades emerging from the top and bottom of the image, directed toward the center. These vines appear against a bright green background. In the foreground is a light, greenish-white rounded rectangular box with a dark green border and dark green text that says: “Climate and environmental justice are inseparable from health and disability justice. Building the world we deserve requires an understanding of how we and our living planet are interconnected.”Translucent green vines in multiple shades emerging from the top and bottom of the image, directed toward the center. These vines appear against a bright green background. In the foreground toward the center of the image is a dark green rounded rectangular box with a light, greenish-white border and greenish-white text that says: “Thousands of Indigenous people marched in Brazil’s capital on April 7 during the second day of the 2026 Free Land Camp (ATL). Leaders from the Xingu River demanded an end to the Canadian company Belo Sun’s proposed Volta Grande mega-mine which violates Indigenous land rights while failing to consult communities threatened by industrial projects.” Above the text box is a rounded rectangular screenshot from the article, with Indigenous people carrying protest signs in the background and a white text overlay that says: “Major Indigenous Protest in Brazil Targets Belo Sun Gold Mine Project.” The Health Justice Commons logo appears at the bottom of the image.
Krystal Kavita Jagoo, MSW (She/Her/Hers) 🇹🇹👊🏽✍️🏾♊️♊️♏️@equitableforall.com · 4mo ago

Five books to get to know me by: 1. Skin, Tooth, and Bone: A Disability Justice Primer by Sins Invalid 2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 3. Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese 4. The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor 5. The Break by Katherena Vermette

Swara A.S. ☀️🍉🌊🧿@spiderswarz.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Five books to get to know me by: 1. The Lord of the Rings 2. The Righteous and People of Conscience of the Armenian Genocide 3. Orientalism 4. The Silmarillion 5. One Hundred Years of Solitude

Krystal Kavita Jagoo, MSW (She/Her/Hers) 🇹🇹👊🏽✍️🏾♊️♊️♏️@equitableforall.com · 4mo ago

We only had a tiny group for last weekend's Disability Justice workshop, so if you were unable to attend, but could benefit from engaging with the presentation slides on your own time, please do so, as Alice Wong's legacy deserves to be celebrated by all, & writing can offer an insightful option!✍🏾✍🏾✍🏾

March.Access as Love: Weaving Words for Liberation.Krystal Kavita Jagoo, MSW.pptx

Access as Love: Weaving Words for Liberation Krystal Kavita Jagoo, MSW. Link to slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12p-rMRhEfCXPleZuixr0vwFwf6ZyMn6W/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=10600167978853857...

docs.google.com

Krystal Kavita Jagoo, MSW (She/Her/Hers) 🇹🇹👊🏽✍️🏾♊️♊️♏️@equitableforall.com · 4mo ago

For March, Taking Alice Wong’s Advice in this Capitalist Hellscape will be our focus, with an invitation to reflect on how this can inspire our Collective Liberation, so I hope you will consider joining us then!🫂 Here is the registration link: accesslovemarch.eventbrite.ca Please share widely! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Health Justice Commons@hjcommons.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Today we honor Trans Day of Visibility. To our Trans kin, we offer the words of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy: “We have a culture, we have a history, we have a reason to be here. We have a purpose. We’re entitled to be loved, and seek happiness, and share that with the people that we care about.”

An ethereal, soft, blue, pink, and white background with a few bright shining white stars. In the foreground are the words: “In honor of Trans Day of Visibility: We have a culture, we have a history, we have a reason to be here. We have a purpose. We’re entitled to be loved, and seek happiness, and share that with the people that we care about. Miss Major Griffin-Gracy.”
Health Justice Commons@hjcommons.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Amid mounting global war, authoritarianism & climate crisis, March 11th marked 6 years since World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. We recognize the pain and dire complexity of this time, as years of COVID denialism continue to obscure and minimize that COVID is still here.

In the foreground is an illustration by artist Olly Costello comprised of a black square with pink and white detailing. The illustration shows a person with short wavy hair wearing a face mask and holding their hand up to small, drooping tree blossoms. Their eyes are closed and they wear glasses. Pink words read: “Small acts of care make our world more survivable.” White text above and below the illustration says: “No Body or Mind Left Behind. Disability Justice Futurism.” In the background behind the text and illustration are two pink and black flower cutouts against a bright green background. The Health Justice Commons logo is in the bottom right corner of the image.In the foreground is a white square with black text that says: “Amid mounting global war, authoritarianism, and climate crisis, March 11th marked 6 years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Health Justice Commons recognizes the pain and dire complexity of this time, as years of COVID denialism continue to obscure and minimize that COVID is still here.” The bright green background behind the text box is layered with two pink and black flower cutouts. The Health Justice Commons logo is centered at the bottom of the image.In the foreground is a white square with black text that says: “Sick and disabled people, particularly with Long COVID, are increasingly written off and dismissed, abandoned and left to navigate both daily life and the Medical Industrial Complex (MIC) with little to no material support. To our beloved community, we say: “we love you, wet thank you, and you are not alone. Our survival is rebellion.” The bright green background behind the text box is layered with two pink and black flower cutouts. The Health Justice Commons logo is centered at the bottom of the image.In the foreground on the right side of the image are screen shots of projects by Patient-Led Research Collaborative, Long COVID Justice, History Moves, and RTHM. On the left side of the image is a white rectangle with black text that says: “We uplift the critically important Long COVID resources and advocacy work coming from our communities. Patient-Led Research Collaborative recently released a 2026 Long COVID Fact Sheet. Long COVID Justice and History Moves launched a Long COVID oral history project called Listening for the Long Haul. And Patient-Led Research Collaborative in partnership with RTHM created a Long COVID Treatment Guide highlighted in a recent article from The Sick Times.” The bright green background behind the text box is layered with two pink and black flower cutouts. The Health Justice Commons logo is centered at the bottom of the image.