In 2023 Leroy Moore wants to bring back DAMO under a new name, Black Activists Artists with Disabilities, BAAD as a non-profit solely focusing on the Black community with a separate LLC of Krip-Hop Nation that is a new LLC but has been a network internationally since 2006. The reason why now is after all my years of activism, cultural expression, international travels, and helped to start organizations that has opened up doors of new opportunities like becoming a Ph.D. student here at UCLA, and to use this opportunity to open what will be called Krip-Hop Nation Institute in the Black community that will put all that Leroy have worked on since the 1990’s and more under one roof. Having an LLC and a non-profit aka combining Krip-Hop Nation and DAMO under its new name, Black Activists Artists with Disabilities, BAAD will give the Institute more avenues of ownership, funding, becoming a notional and international hub for Black disabled people and the Black community worldwide.
Disability Advocates of Minorities Organization’s (DAMO)’s Brief History
Disability Advocates of Minorities Organization’s (DAMO) was started in 1998 after Leroy Moore came back home to San Francisco from London, England. While in England, he heard and talked about a Black disabled movement in 1995 when it was fizzling out as he arrived and also after working and volunteering in disabled non-profits since the mid 1980’s.
DAMO was a non-profit started in 1998 by Leroy Moore and Gary Norris Gray in the San Francisco Bay Area. It had a cultural arm called New Voices Disabled Poets & Artists of Color. DAMO also had a public access talk show on Berkeley’s public access TV channel. DAMO’s early supporters were Poor Magazine, Idriss Stanley Foundation, San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness, Harambee Educational Council, and LA Familia.
DAMO was dissolved in 2008 because of burnout, lack of funding, and Leroy’s interest in more artistic expression. That’s when he collaborated with Patty Berne to form Sins Invalid in 2008 that led to the birth of Krip-Hop Nation around the same time.
What Were Some Projects Led by Disability Advocates of Minorities Organization’s (DAMO)
DAMO’s first projects consisted of Leroy Moore’s consulting and lectures in the early 1990’s when Leroy moved from Hartford, CT to San Francisco, CA. After Leroy met Poor Magazine in the mid 1990’s, he decided to turn his consulting into a non-profit with support from Poor Magazine and a Latino/ Latina mental health organization called LA Familia, which at the time, was DAMO’s sponsor until they got their own non-profit status shortly after. Like all non-profits, DAMO created a small board then started to apply for grants. Although they received only two grants, they started New Voices Disabled Poets & Artists of Color, a monthly public access television talk show. They also spearheaded The Other Side rally of the Americans with Disabilities Act in front of San Francisco’s City Hall, and held two open forums around police brutality against people of color with disabilities in the mid 1990’s.
DAMO’s Purpose and Goals
The primary purposes of DAMO at that time was to represent, promote, and celebrate the abilities of disabled people of color through the encouragement and development of public education, public awareness, self-advocacy training, networking, artistic expression, awareness training, and consulting.
Education: Providing lectures, DAMO’s newsletter, workshops, articles in local newspapers, expression art, and classes for special education and mainstream students and teachers.
Training: Self advocacy, disability awareness, diversity training, and other issues facing people of color who have disabilities (such as sensitivity training).
Arts and Culture: New Voices Disabled Poets & Artists of Color events, booklets, and videos; family and special events and workshops on how to express oneself through the arts, etc; collaborate with other grassroots arts organizations.DAMO also used expression arts to mobilize for a political cause; and to promote and support local disabled artists, especially disabled artists of color.
Consulting: Provided consultation to organizations, schools, employers, etc. on legal rights, services, culture, outreach methods, and other issues that touch the disabled people of color communities in the Bay Area.
Library: DAMO offered a small resource library containing videos, books, articles, laws, etc. pertaining to disabled people of color and their families.
Specific Goals:
- To produce educational materials for public awareness of disabled people of color.
- To provide a platform and public arena for disabled artists and poets of color.
- To be an educational advocacy group for the legal rights, services, and other issues that touch disabled communities of color.
- To provide empowering workshops, lectures, and classes on the history, culture, and issues that face disabled people of color.
Why DAMO is Back Under a New Name: Black Activists Artists with Disabilities, BAAD
In 2023, Leroy Moore is bringing back DAMO under a new name: Disability Advocates/Artists of Black People, DAABP, as a non-profit solely focusing on the Black community, with a separate LLC of Krip-Hop Nation. Although Krip Hop Nation is a new LLC, it has been a network internationally since 2006.
Why Now?
After all Leroy’s years of activism, cultural expression, international travels, and assistance in starting organizations, new doors of opportunity have opened up. One such opportunity has been becoming a Ph.D. student at UCLA. Leroy plans to maximize this opportunity by opening what will be called Krip-Hop Nation Institute, which will be housed within the Black community. Everything Leroy has worked on since the 1990’s, and more, will be available to the community under one roof.
Combining an LLC and a non-profit, Krip-Hop Nation and DAMO, under its new name, Black Activists Artists with Disabilities, BAAD will give the Institute more avenues of ownership and funding, enabling it to become a national and international hub for Black disabled people and the Black community worldwide.
What will be Black Activists Artists with Disabilities, BAAD?
Black Activists Artists with Disabilities, BAAD will pick up the work of DAMO but will focus on the Black community locally, nationally and internationally with five main goals and those are as follows:
- Increasing Black disabled political education in the Black community
- Increasing Black disabled artistic voices and visibility in Black media, Black events, Black colleges, and in the Black diaspora
- Create and display Black disabled educational materials, books, archives, and events
- Become a hub for Black disabled awareness, historical facts, organizing, and artistic expression
At this point, Leroy has established an LLC for Krip-Hop Nation, will continue to make that solid legally and financially, and has brought on board an intern whose sole purpose is to bring back DAMO in good standing in the California legal system, and build the non-profit under its new name, Black Activists Artists with Disabilities, BAAD
Thanks again for your years of love, support and advice!
