Find your local Day of Mourning vigil site

Closeup Of People Holding Candle Vigil In Dark Seeking Hope

In the past five years, over 700 people with disabilities have been murdered by their parents, relatives or caregivers.

On Monday 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 80 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.

Everyone is welcome at our Virtual Vigil on Monday, March 1st – and we hope to see you there.

All vigils are virtual unless otherwise noted.

2021 Vigil Sites

USA
Autistic Self Advocacy Network, mbartley@autisticadvocacy.org

ALABAMA
Jasper, AL
McCartney Hagar, mccartney.hager@gmail.com

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

CALIFORNIA
Berkeley, CA
Spectrum: Autism at Cal (UC Berkeley), spectrumatcal@gmail.com

Orange, CA
Chapman University, lboyd@chapman.edu

Sacramento, CA
Disabled and Nondisabled Alliance at California State University – Sacramento, adindzans@csus.edu

COLORADO
Durango, CO
Community Connections, Inc., jnewman@cci-colorado.org

CONNECTICUT
Monroe, CT
Samantha Goldfarb, samanthagoldfarb@gmail.com

GEORGIA
Athens, GA
Presbyterian Student Center at University of Georgia, emmatpeacock@gmail.com

Atlanta, GA
Autistic Self-Advocacy Atlanta and Autistic Women and Non-Binary Network, kaylarod@awnnetwork.org

ILLINOIS
Chicago, IL
UIC Disability Cultural Center, Institute for Disability and Human Development, and Chicagoland Disabled People of Color Coalition (Chicagoland DPOCC), tgordo7@uic.edu

INDIANA
Indianapolis, IN
Butler University Advocates For Autism, ldvander@butler.edu

MARYLAND
College Park, MD
Michelle Appel, mappel@umd.edu

Montgomery County, MD
Zeta Sigma Honor Society at University of Maryland-Baltimore County, zu03811@umbc.edu

MICHIGAN
Ann Arbor, MI
University of Michigan, emclain@vt.edu

MINNESOTA
Minneapolis, MN
Critical Disabilities Studies Collective – University of Minnesota, cdscol@umn.edu

Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN
Queer Grace Community, queergracecommunity@gmail.com

NEVADA
Reno, NV
Center for Self Determination, Csdlibrary@gmail.com

NEW YORK
Statewide
ADAPT Capital Region New York State, mphecker93@gmail.com

Statewide
Sylvia Rivera Law Project and Jae Casper, sasha@srlp.org

NORTH CAROLINA
Asheville, NC
UNC Asheville’s Disability Cultural Center, echiang@unca.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

TEXAS
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
The Self Determination Group, TheSDG@thearcofdfw.org

Houston, TX
Cassandra Clement, cassiclement@gmail.com

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

VIRGINIA
Blacksburg, VA
Disability Alliance and Caucus at Virginia Tech, emclain@vt.edu

WASHINGTON STATE
Washougal, WA
Sebastian Rubino, rubinos1@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu

CANADA
Canada-wide
Autistics United Canada, info@AutisticsUnitedCA.org

ALBERTA
Fort McMurray, Alberta
Neurodiversity YMM, neurodiversityymm@gmail.com

ONTARIO
Guelph, Ontario
Disability Education Empowerment and Pride, kinnery@uoguelph.ca

Kitchener, Ontario
Tristan Fassel, fass5930@mylaurier.ca

Toronto, Ontario
Autistics For Autistics Ontario, mandy@acts319.com

SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg, South Africa
Emile Gouws, mieliemeel93@gmail.com

MÉXICO
Mérida Yucatan, México
Superbabe vs Daily Ableism, Monse.dom.na@gmail.com

THE NETHERLANDS
Netherlands-Wide
Madpride, info@madpride.nl

AUSTRALIA
Sydney, NSW – In-Person
Margot Beavon-Collin, margot.beavoncollin@protonmail.com