Image Description: Anita Cameron, wearing a green turtleneck and a black blazer. Anita has long locs.

Anita Cameron is a living legend whose lifework is helping us all get free. As a Black, Indigenous, disabled lesbian, Anita has experienced – and fought back against – racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism and other systems of oppression her whole life. In doing so, she’s uplifted us all, and shown us that just sometimes, when we fight we win, and we care for each other deeply in the process. As a national leader, a mentor, a friend, and a warrior with a much-needed intersectional analysis, Anita has devoted her life to making sure there’s room for everyone at the table – and building radical new tables when there isn’t. Put simply, Anita is a threat to the harmful status quo, and as these times get harder and harder, Anita needs our support. And we need Anita.

Anita is an accomplished writer, public speaker and educator who always speaks truth to power. And although Anita’s fierce voice is especially needed right now, her speaking gigs keep getting cancelled. No one is booking her. Funding cuts are everywhere, and folks are scared. But Anita relied on this income to survive (and we need Anita to survive). She’s looking for work, but as a queer Black elder with visible disabilities, she faces intensive hiring discrimination and ageism. Anita has paved the way for so many of us, and it’s time to have her back like she has always had our backs.

If you benefit from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), you have Anita to thank. She was part of the Capital Crawl that got the ADA passed, and was among those arrested in the takeover of the capital rotunda. This was just one of Anita’s 140+ arrests fighting for our freedom. From her work teaching disabled people to become emergency responders (and ensuring that we are included in emergency response), and her 2SLGBTQIA+ advocacy (including getting non-discrimination ordinances passed in Chicago and Denver, and organizing the first Pride March in Colorado Springs) to supporting the American Indian Movement (AIM), protecting voting rights and making sure voting is accessible, Anita brings people together. Nothing is a single issue to Anita, she helps us see how everything is connected, and this is another way she brings us closer to collective liberation.

Anita also brings us closer to collective liberation with her writing. Her latest project, We Were There Too :Blacks in The Disability Movement, is a vital inclusive history, making sure that the contributions of Black disabled activists are remembered, celebrated and never forgotten. Despite their sacrifices, Black activists have too often been left out of mainstream disability history. Anita’s project is crucial, but she needs financial support to be able to complete it. She also needs support so she has time to finish her autobiography, Troublemaker: The Life and Times of an Intersectional Activist. Anita’s whole life has been about leading us all forward, and her writing will help clear more paths.

Anita is our warrior queen, our friend, our elder, our teacher, our protector. Let’s protect and treasure her. You can donate directly here, or donate to her paypal (@AnitaCameron135), venmo (@anitacameron746) or cashapp ($adaptanita). Please share this fundraiser far and wide, in honor of all the community Anita has built. If you have job leads or connections to paid speaking engagements for Anita, please reach out to her. Let’s give Anita her roses and a rose garden to write in, because she does that for us every day, and her survival is vital to our survival, and our freedom.