The Spirit of ADA Torch Relay arrived on the steps of the Mississippi state capitol building in Jackson

By Jacqueline Kravetz

Jackson, MI (July 13, 2000) – The Spirit of ADA Torch Relay arrived on the steps of the Mississippi state capitol building in Jackson, the thirteenth stop on its 24-city tour, for an opening ceremony where state, local, and national dignitaries gathered to celebrate and raise awareness for the ADA and IDEA.

The relay caravan then took off on an 11-mile journey through Jackson stopping at locations such as Jackson City Hall; Jackson State University, the largest urban university in the state and traditionally a hot bed for civil rights activities; and at the Freedom Corner monument where Charles Evers, the brother of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, passed the torch. The relay ended in late afternoon with a closing ceremony at the Jackson Medical Mall.

For a state steeped in civil rights history and milestones, the local theme for the ADA celebration in Jackson, "ADA: Providing New Opportunities in the Old South," sent a message of optimism and inclusion.

"ADA fits very well in the south," Eric Clark, Mississippi’s Secretary of State said in his remarks.

"It just puts into law what we all know from our childhood which is that we’re all family and we’re all responsible for each other. Whether its a matter of gender or race or physical capabilities or whatever, we’re all in this boat together and we’re all going to look out for each other and help each other because that’s who we are," Clark said.

In Jackson, Mayor Harvey Johnson has been reaching out to the disability community through an advisory group that meets frequently with city officials to review services relating to the disability community.

"Clearly Mississippi has a very long history in the civil rights struggle and perhaps Mississippi has learned and benefited more than most states from that struggle," Johnson said following the relay stop at City Hall.

"Part of that learning process and part of the benefits is to make sure that inclusion is the order of the day; inclusion not only means from race and soci o-economic standpoints but also from an accessibility standpoint, he said."

Johnson has made provisions in his new fiscal budget to create a job-training slot for a person from the disability community to introduce that person to city government.

To date, Mississippi has made great strides in providing physical access to persons with disabilities since the ADA was passed into law, according to Shirley Tipton the Assistant Director at the Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities in Mississippi and a local relay coordinator. "There’s no comparison to the way it was before the ADA," she said. "There was nothing accessible here. No buildings were accessible, no services were accessible."

She said for the last two years her organization has been focusing on increasing home and community based services to provide an alternative to nursing homes and institutionalization.

Paul Miller, Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), made Jackson his first visit to a Relay city.

"This is the new south and this is the new civil rights law and the picture is totally different. The picture is about embracing civil rights rather than having the state troopers moving people back," he said in an interview.

"I like to think about the ADA as being built upon the shoulders of all other civil rights movements. It’s the most inclusive movement because disability is an issue that effects everyone regardless of race, regardless of gender, regardless of economic background and ADA is the new kid on the block and I think coming here to Jackson is a good way to celebrate," he said.

The mission of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is to promote equal opportunity in employment through administrative and judicial enforcement of the federal civil rights laws and through education and technical assistance.

Additional speakers at the Jackson event included Christy Gilliland, Director of Living Independence for Everyone of Central Mississippi, Ronnie Musgrove, Governor of Mississippi, Mark Smith, Executive Director of the Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities, and Amy tuck, Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi

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