Stand Up For What Is Right, Even If You Stand Alone

Like a small boat on the ocean

Sending big waves into motion

Like how a single word

Can make a heart open

I might only have one match

But I can make an explosion

And all those things I didn't say

Were wrecking balls inside my brain

I will scream them loud tonight

Can you hear my voice this time?

Fight Song - Rachel Platten

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree

There will be an answer, let it be

For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see

There will be an answer, let it be 

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Let It Be - The Beatles

Judith Heumann was an activist, a physically disabled person, a writer, a philanthropist, but most of all, she was a human. This memoir is of a disability rights activist who lived her life fighting for the inclusion and respect of people with disabilities. Heumann’s story starts as early as childhood and stretches to Judith’s later life such as the pivotal Section 504 sit-in. Heumann was someone who continuously tried to find ways to improve her own everyday struggles while also focusing on bringing attention to other’s lives as well. 

Heumann’s memoir begins when she was paralyzed by polio at a very young age. At that time, it was a doctor’s recommendation that she be institutionalized; she was not, but throughout the memoir Heumann describes how her health is what drew her towards her career, with many barriers in her way might I add. Huemann faced difficult battles that people in this day and age would find atrocious. One specific battle Heumann mentioned in her book was she was trying to be a teacher in New York City, but was denied a teacher’s license because she used a wheelchair. I’m sorry, excuse me? That is the ground the government has to stand on because of non-wheelchair accessible buildings? Another flaw within our system, but that’s an entirely different topic. Despite that hurdle, Heumann ended up becoming a teacher in New York City which is what lead her to the rest of her life fighting for herself and what she believed in.

Heumann founded multiple disability rights organizations, worked with the U.S. government in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, the U.S. Department of Education, and those are just the few that I remember off the top of my head. Throughout the memoir Heumann showcases how important ‘disability culture’ is and how important the collaboration with other civil rights movements was in order to achieve their goals. As well as highlighting that if you fight for one group, you fight for all. Everything Heumann did in her life was driven by her commitment to human rights and social justice for all and that leads me to a significant focus of the book which was Heumann’s role in the 1977 Section 504 sit-in in San Francisco. This protest was what lead to the first federal civil rights law for people with disabilities and it was a protest I didn’t even know existed.

While reading this book I didn’t just learn about Heumann’s life, but I also learned more about the disability rights movement as a whole. It was such an important part of Heumann’s story, yes, of course, but it was also something that needed to be focused on. This type of conversation, isn’t one that is talked about regularly, and speaking from experience, I didn’t know half of the issues that Heumann even brought up in her memoir. It showed me that even though I know there are struggles the world faces everyday, but if you do not see it right in front of your face, it is easy to miss or wipe away, and that isn’t right. That right there is what Judith intended I think. Not just for people to know about disability rights, but to learn that even though something isn’t directly in-front of their face, it still is something worth noting and fighting for.

There were two quotes that constantly popped into my mind while learning about Heumann's life that I want to share. One, stand up for what is right, even if you stand alone - Suzy Kassem, and two, tell your story even if you have a small audience - Mitta Xinindlu. Both of those quotes are what I think Huemann wanted the readers to know. One, not just to fight for others who can't fight for themselves, but if you truly think something needs to change, no matter who stands with you, you take a stand and fight for it. Two, if you truly wish to take a stand for something, you really don't know who out there will hear your story and wish to fight because you were brave enough to face the world and the difficulties that might be thrown your way. Speaking your truth is a beautiful and brilliant way to raise awareness and gain knowledge.

Heumann comes across as a fighter through and through while reading her memoir. As I have previously stated, Heumann was always fighting for herself and others, so why not mention Fight Song? The mention of having one match, that can make an explosion? To me, that has Heumann and everything she worked for written all over it. There is no proof that without Heumann being the advocate she was, that certain fights would have even been fought, should she not been alive. Because of Heumann being alive, and deciding to take that leap to fight for her own rights, it is what started so much of the disability rights movement and just like in Fight Song, the nation heard Heumann’s voice loud and clear, and even more so; proud.

Let It Be seems like a no brainer for this particular story as well. Whether you first heard the song from The Beatles themselves, or like me, from the movie Across The Universe, this song pairs with fighting for what you believe in and hoping all who fight along side you will make a difference. Within the song, it is mentioned ‘when the broken hearted, people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be, for though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see, there will be an answer, let it be.’ This part of the song is where I view the perfect comparison to Heumann’s advocacy. No matter what is going on in the world, there are always two sides of the story, two opinions. Heumann is advocating for the opinion and rights of all disabled humans, herself included, and even though all the people living in the world may disagree on certain issues, Heumann is trying to find that answer for herself and the community she strives to protect. 

I almost rated this book a 5 out of 5 because I genuinely enjoyed reading it so much, but I do have to knock it down to a 4.5 only because the style that Heumann writes this memoir; I am unsure how I felt about it. Taking into consideration that this is a memoir which is the telling of person's life, I just felt like it read as an essay. It came across as something that Heumann felt like she needed to hit certain points and also some of the topics just didn’t flow together in my opinion. Of course, that’s not how real life works where everything flows perfectly, but as a reader it is always nice to read something continuously.

Alright now let me explain why I enjoyed this book. Not in the way that I was smiling throughout all of the pages, because to be honest most of the time I was sad or angry, but I think that is what Judith wanted to do. She didn’t want to just write a memoir showcasing all of the good that she did, but she wanted to highlight on all the challenging battles she had to go through to get to the good. Heumann showed us as readers that you should be thankful for the little things in your life, because there could be someone out there that struggles to complete the ‘little things’, so don't take that for granted.

I applaud Heumann because the title of this book was very attention grabbing as well as Heumann really did follow through on instructoring readers what it means on 'being human'. This book taught me that being human is to struggle, to fail, to have obstacles that most people would jump right over, but you can’t even crawl to the starting line. Being human is taking those challenges, rising to defeat them, break down barriers and stereotypes, and fight for yourself and others who can’t fight for themselves. And more importantly, something that Heumann fought her whole life for people to comprehend was that disability rights are human rights. Plain and simple. That is what is important and that is something everyone needs to realize.