Find your local Day of Mourning vigil site

Closeup Of People Holding Candle Vigil In Dark Seeking Hope

In the past five years, over 600 people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents, relatives or caregivers.

On Sunday March 1st, the disability community will gather across the nation to remember these disabled victims of filicide – disabled people murdered by their family members or caregivers.

In the year since our last vigil, our community has lost over 70 more people to filicide. These are just the cases that we are aware of – since we began monitoring this issue, we learn about more murders every week. We read the victims’ names, see their photographs, and gather what information we can about their lives. The criminal justice system has continued to give lighter sentences to parents and caregivers who murder disabled children. And we have seen the news media continue to portray these murders in a sympathetic light. We hold the Day of Mourning vigils to draw attention to these injustices, to commemorate the lives of victims, and demand justice and equal protection under the law for all people with disabilities.

Since 2012, ASAN and other disability rights organizations have come together to send a clear message that disability is not a justification for violence. We’ll be at our local vigils on Sunday, March 1st – and we hope to see you there.

Some vigils will be on a weekday so please check before you attend.

If you cannot attend a vigil in-person, please consider taking part in our Virtual Vigil.

2020 Vigil Sites

USA

ARIZONA
Tucson, AZ
Tom Racey, cornelius@cornelius413.net

CALIFORNIA
Sacramento, CA
California Autistic Self Advocates, caautisticselfadvocates@gmail.com

Los Altos, CA
Los Altos Lutheran Church, office@losaltoslutheran.org

Claremont, CA
Donnie Denome, cdenome@gmail.com

Oakland, CA
Mills College Disability Advocacy Club, millscollegedisabilityad@gmail.com
Held on Monday, March 2nd

GEORGIA
Atlanta, GA
Autistic Self-Advocacy Atlanta, km.rodriguez1123@gmail.com

Atlanta, GA
Emory Autism Awareness Organization, erneely@emory.edu
Held on Monday, March 2nd

ILLINOIS
Chicago, IL
Institute on Disability and Human Development, hrotti2@uic.edu, tgordo7@uic.edu
Held Monday, March 2nd

INDIANA
Muncie, IN
Hoosier Alliance for Neurodiversity, contact@hoosierneurodiversity.org

MARYLAND
College Park, MD
Michelle Appel, akraemer@terpmail.umd.edu
Held on Monday, March 2nd

Towson, MD
Nic Koski, nkoski2@students.towson.edu

MINNESOTA
Minneapolis, MN
Queer Grace Community, queergracecommunity@gmail.com

NEW JERSEY
Edison, NJ
Alliance Center for Independence, ctonks@adacil.org
Held Friday, February 28th

Ewing, NJ
Elizabeth Miner, minere1@tcnj.edu

NEW YORK
Rochester, NY
Not Dead Yet, dcoleman@notdeadyet.org
Held Friday, February 28th

NORTH CAROLINA
Boone, NC
Autistic Students & Allies of the high country, whitejd4@appstate.edu
Held Monday, March 2nd

OHIO
Kent, OH
Autism Connections Kent, lfrankle@kent.edu

PENNSYLVANIA
Collegeville, PA
Jennifer Stevenson, jstevenson@ursinus.edu

Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy, cori@autisticpgh.org

TENNESSEE
Johnson City, TN
Courtney Johnson, johnsoncp@etsu.edu
Held Monday, March 2nd

TEXAS
Arlington, TX
The Self Determination Group, cindipaschall@sbcglobal.net

UTAH
Salt Lake City, UT
Neurodiverse UT, NeurodiverseUT@gmail.com

VIRGINIA
Blacksburg, VA
Disability Alliance and Caucus at Virginia Tech

Williamsburg, VA
William & Mary Neurodiversity Student Group, neurodiversitysg@email.wm.edu

WASHINGTON STATE
Tri-Cities, WA
Carly Coburn, carlycoburn4109@gmail.com

WASHINGTON, DC
Autistic Self Advocacy Network, houtlaw@gmail.com

WISCONSIN
Milwaukee, WI
Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin, emilyl@assew.org

CANADA
Fort McMurray, AB
Autistics United Fort McMurray – Cree, Dene, Dane-zaa, & Métis Territory, mcmurrayautistics@gmail.com

Winnipeg, MB
Autistics United Manitoba, rsalahub@mts.net

Halifax, NS
Autistics United Nova Scotia, novascotiaautistics@gmail.com

Guelph, ON
Kinnery Chaparrel, kinnery@live.ca

Ottawa, ON
Morgan Wall, cei-csd.coord@uosu-seuo.com

Toronto, ON
Autistics for Autistics, rayashields@hotmail.com

Burnaby, BC
Autistics United Vancouver, vancouverautistics@gmail.com

Kamloops, BC
Brenda Anderson, timandbrenda90@gmail.com

IRELAND
Dublin, Ireland
UCD Students, hannah.bryson@ucdconnect.ie

UNITED KINGDOM
Aberdeen, Scotland
Topher Endress, topher.endress@gmail.com