“Tell Them You Love Me” is hard to watch. This documentary exposes hard truths about sexual assault of the disabled and who has access to their bodies. However, history reveals exactly why this film is so heart wrenching.
Derrick Johnson, the film’s focus, has cerebral palsy. This impairment is most common among Black males, who tend to have low birth weight. However, the root cause boils down to the medical racism faced by Black mothers.
In the U.S., disabled people have long been targeted by whites seeking to exploit them. Thomas Wiggins, for example, could not speak or see, but his captors monetized his unique musical gifts. Even Mark Twain and Elton John used his story for financial gain after his death. But there’s something even worse than economic exploitation.
White terrorism. Even before Harriet Tubman was harmed by her captor, Black people with disabilities were tormented. Today police disproportionately murder disabled Black people, such as Daniel Prude, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, and more.
No matter the challenges we’ve faced historically, community has always kept us safe, supported, and heard. When we advocate for each other, we are powerful. Liberation means all of us—regardless of our abilities—help free each other.