INVISI(BILITY)

Event Description 

LPAC in collaboration with Bechdel Project presents INVISI(BILITY)

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INVISI(BILITY), explores whether Blackness could legally qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The play centers on Gabriela Johnson, a Black attorney with rheumatoid arthritis, who argues for Blackness to be included among protected disabilities. Marcus, a fellow Black Harvard Law graduate working with the ACLU, challenges her premise.

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Drawing inspiration from Mary Church Terrell's 1906 speech, in which she referred to herself as "a member of a handicapped race," the work examines how phenotypic constructs create varying experiences of oppression based on appearance. 

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INVISI(BILITY) creates a framework to examine how our legal systems categorize and protect marginalized identities. By positioning Blackness as potentially qualifying for ADA protection, the play forces us to confront uncomfortable questions about how we define, measure, and accommodate differences in America.​