Riverside commemorates Disability Pride Month

Riverside City Council recently adopted a resolution to display commemorative flags. Friday’s flag raising ceremony recognized Disability Pride Month.

Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July and is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of those with disabilities.

Within the flag, each color has a meaning.

The charcoal gray background commemorates and mourns disabled people who have died due to ableism, violence, negligence, suicide, rebellion, illness and eugenics. The gray background also represents rage and protest against the mistreatment of the disabled community.

The diagonal band is for “cutting across” the walls and barriers that separate disabled people from society. It also represents the light and creativity of the disability community that cuts through the darkness of ableism.

Each stripe represents different disabilities:

• Red – physical disabilities
• Gold – neurodivergence
• White – non-apparent disabilities and undiagnosed disabilities
• Blue – emotional and psychiatric disabilities
• Green – sensory disabilities, including the blind, deaf, and deaf-blind communities