Marta Russell (December 20, 1951 – December 15, 2013) was an American writer and disability rights activist. Her book, ''Beyond Ramps: Disability at the End of the Social Contract'' published in 1998 by Common Courage Press analyzes the relationship between disability,
social Darwinism
Social Darwinism refers to various theories and societal practices that purport to apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology, economics and politics, and which were largely defined by scholars in We ...
, and economic austerity under capitalism. Her political views, which she described as "left, not liberal," informed her writing on topics such as healthcare, the
prison-industrial complex,
physician-assisted suicide
Assisted suicide is suicide undertaken with the aid of another person. The term usually refers to physician-assisted suicide (PAS), which is suicide that is assisted by a physician or other healthcare provider. Once it is determined that the p ...
, poverty,
ableism
Ableism (; also known as ablism, disablism (British English), anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination) is discrimination and social prejudice against people with Disability, disabilities or who are perceived to be disabled. Ableis ...
, and the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 19 ...
.
["Election 2012: Right, Left, Disabled?", "New Mobility," Sept. 1, 2012](_blank)
/ref>
Biography
Russell grew up in the Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo ...
, born into an old Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
family. She was diagnosed with Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
as an infant. During her childhood, she underwent numerous surgeries attempting to improve her mobility. The surgeries were without positive results. As a young adult, Russell attended the Memphis College of Art
Memphis College of Art (MCA) was a private art college in Memphis, Tennessee. It was in Overton Park, adjacent to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. It offered Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts in Art Education and Mas ...
and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Frustrated with the conservative culture of the South, she moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, in her early 20s to pursue a career in film. Marta attended The American Film Institute (AFI) and worked as a graphic artist, cinematic visual effects artist, and a commercial producer.["Marta Russell", ''Zocalo,'' July 10, 2009](_blank)
/ref> A notable visual effects role was as Background Composite Supervisor for the film "Tron" (1982), working in parallel with her then-husband.
Russell's identity as a writer and journalist emerged as her disability progressed and she had to navigate the disability policy netherworld to survive. She became more involved with disability rights groups such as ADAPT
ADAPT (formerly American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today) is a United States grassroots disability rights organization with chapters in 30 states and Washington, D.C. They use nonviolent direct action in order to bring about disability just ...
. A photographer as well as a producer of audio and visual content, Russell was recognized in 1994 with an award from the City of Los Angeles Commission on Disabilities for her contributions to disability society in the media.["Is the ADA Enough?: An Interview with Marta Russell", ''Colorado Quarterly Magazine,''2002 A&H Publishing Corporation](_blank)
/ref> Russell was co-producer/correspondent for the KCET
KCET (channel 28) is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOCE-TV ...
Life & Times documentary entitled, ''Disabled & the Cost of Saying 'I Do (1995) which was honored with a Golden Mike Award
The Golden Mike Award is a broadcast journalism award presented by the Radio and Television News Association (RTNA) of Southern California. Awards are given in the categories of television news and radio news. Eligibility is limited to a select gr ...
for Journalism.
Russell has one daughter named Georgia Scheele.
Journalism
In addition to writing for ''New Mobility
''New Mobility'', launched in 1989, is a United States-based magazine for active wheelchair users. This monthly publication covers health, disability rights, adaptive technology and lifestyle topics such as recreation, travel, the arts, relationsh ...
, Ragged Edge Magazine,'' and the ''Monthly Review
The ''Monthly Review'', established in 1949, is an independent socialist magazine published monthly in New York City. The publication is the longest continuously published socialist magazine in the United States.
History Establishment
Following ...
'', Russell contributed articles to numerous scholarly and policy journals such as the '' Journal of Disability Policy Studies'' and the ''Socialist Register
The ''Socialist Register'' is an annual socialist publication. It was founded in 1964 by Ralph Miliband and John Saville. They had criticisms of the ''New Left Review'' (''NLR'') after Perry Anderson became editor of the ''NLR'' in 1962. Miliband a ...
'' as well as print and online newspapers such as ''The Los Angeles Daily News
The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media.
The offices of the ''Da ...
.''
Legacy publications
In 2016, Routledge Press published an anthology dedication entitled,
''Disability Politics in a Global Economy: Essays in Honour of Marta Russell''
. The book was edited by Ravi Malhotra and numerous authors contributed. In 2018, a paperback edition of the book was released.
A Second Edition of
''Beyond Ramps: Disability at the End of the Social Contract''
was released in Amazon Kindle digital format in 2016. The new edition features a foreword by Ravi Malhotra.
In 2019, Haymarket Books published a book of Russell's writings entitled
''Capitalism & Disability: Selected Writings by Marta Russell''
. The book was edited by Keith Rosenthal.
Bibliography
Books
* ''Capitalism and Disability: Selected Writings by Marta Russell'' (2019)
* ''Beyond Ramps: Disability at the End of the Social Contract'' (1998)
Articles
*
The Medicaid Kill-Off
" Aug 2005. ''Monthly Review.''
*
Targeting Disability
" 1 April 2005. ''Monthly Review''.
*
Capitalism and Disability
with Ravi Malhotra. 2002. ''Socialist Register'': 38.
*
Backlash, the Political Economy, and Structural Exclusion
" 2000. ''Berkeley Journal of Employment & Labor Law:'' 21(1).
*
Disablement, Prison and Historical Segregation
" 2001. ''Monthly Review.''
References
Sources
* Russell, Marta ''Beyond Ramps: Disability at the End of the Social Contract'' Monroe: Common Courage Press, 1998
External links
* "Is the ADA Enough?" Interview fellow disability activist Laura Hershey, originally published ''Colorado Quarterly Magazine,'' 2002 http://dljmlight.tripod.com/DL/IsADAenough.htm
* "Dollars and Death," originally published in ''The Los Angeles Daily News,''Sunday April 25, 1999 http://disweb.org/issues/pas/marta1.html
* "Backlash Against the ADA: Reinterpreting Disability Rights" Linda Hamilton Krieger, Editor University of Michigan Press, 2010 http://www.press.umich.edu/2717075/backlash_against_the_ada
* "Disablement, Prison, and Historical Segregation," co-written with Jean Stewart ''Monthly Review'' July–August 2001, Volume 53, Number 3 http://monthlyreview.org/2001/07/01/disablement-prison-and-historical-segregation
* "Targeting Disability" ''Monthly Review'' April 2005, Volume 56, Number 11 http://monthlyreview.org/2005/04/01/targeting-disability
* "The Medicaid Kill-Off" MR Zine August 15, 2005 http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2005/russell150805.html
* "Too Many Human Rights" Feminist International Radio Endeavor, date unknown http://www.fire.or.cr/disabilities/notas/dis-russell.htm
* "Capitalism and Disability" co-written with Ravi Malhotra ''Socialist Register'' Vol. 38 http://socialistregister.com/index.php/srv/article/view/5784
* "Disablement, Oppression, and the Political Economy" Journal of Disability Policy Studies Fall 2001 vol. 12 no. 2 pp. 87–95 http://dps.sagepub.com/content/12/2/87.short
* "Honoring Marta Russell (1951 - 2013)" Ravi Malhotra 'Solidarity' April 2014 http://www.solidarity-us.org/node/4113
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Marta
American disability rights activists
American women journalists
Activist journalists
American socialists
1951 births
2013 deaths
20th-century American journalists
Writers with disabilities
20th-century American women writers
People with cerebral palsy
21st-century American women