04/06/2023
Today is the 46th anniversary of the start of the 504 Sit-In. This was a historic, 26-day protest demanding the enforcement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 504 stated that programs receiving federal funding could not discriminate based on disability. Eight sit-ins happened around the country, with the biggest one in San Francisco with more than 150 people. It was the longest non-violent occupation of a federal building in United States history. Section 504 was signed on April 28, 1977. It paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act two decades later.
Kitty Cone was one of the organizers of the San Francisco Sit-In. She reflected on the legacy of the protest:
“Even though 504 wasn’t strongly enforced, the sit-in was of historic importance. For the first time we had concrete federal civil rights protection. We had shown ourselves and the country through network TV that we, the most hidden, impoverished, pitied group of people in the nation, were capable of waging a deadly serious struggle that brought about profound social change. The sit-in was a truly transforming experience the likes of which most of us had never seen before or ever saw again. Those of us with disabilities were imbued with a new sense of pride, strength, community, and confidence. For the first time, many of us felt proud of who we were. And we understood that our isolation and segregation stemmed from societal policy, not from some personal defects on our part and our experiences with segregation and discrimination were not just our own personal problems.”
