Students at William Chrisman High School in Independence, MO, were among hundreds of volunteers who spread the word about the terrible impact of using "retard" as an insult. Click to see more photos.
What It's All About
Spread the Word to End the Word is raising the consciousness of society about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the R-word and urging people to resolve to stop using it as an insult, casual or intended. (Take the pledge right now! )
"The earlier we can start teaching this awareness, the easier it will be to reverse the language, " wrote James Saetern of Sacramento, California, in an e-mail to Special Olympics. "This is not just a day of awareness, but a movement to end hate as a whole."
Keep Spreading the Word
Join millions of other young people across the globe in making a difference. On 26-29 April 2009, take part in Global Youth Service Day, an annual event that highlights and celebrates the ongoing contributions of youth to their communities through volunteer service and service-learning. Global Youth Service Day is organized by Youth Service America and the Global Youth Action Network, along with a consortium of international organizations and over 125 national partners with thousands of local organizations.
Please continue to help Spread the Word to End the Word on Global Youth Service Day. Visit www.r-word.org to learn more about how you can help build respect, acceptance and inclusion in your school and community. Then post your activity or project on the Global Youth Service Day Web site.
What's Going On
The campaign kicked off with more than 700 events and activities happening throughout the United States – and around the world. Celebrities and just plain folks put on Spread The Word T-shirts (order one for yourself), buttons or stickers or made signs and placards and banners to make it clear that usings the word "retard" as a term of derision is just as cruel and offensive as any other slur. Events weren't limited to one country. More than 1,000 school children in Malawi with and without disabilities gathered to raise awareness and symbolically bury the R-word.
One visitor to the R-word.org site said it well: "It was a commonly accepted term when I was growing up and is handed down from generation to generation like all strange sayings that never die and kids keep saying every year. Well, I have chosen to break the cycle and am teaching my kids how wrong it is."
Here's a sample of what happened:
State Proclamations
Three U.S. states--California, Iowa and Oklahoma--made official proclamations about Spread the Word to End the Word day.
Congressional Recognition
U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy issues a statement in support of Spread the Word to End the Word. Read the statement.
Spread the Word to End the Word online youth rally
The 50-minute rally, streamed live on www.schooltube.com, featured actor Eddie Barbanell from the hit movie “The Ringer,” Special Olympics athletes and volunteers, and original music performed by rap artist Rush. Also on the program were original videos produced by young people. High school students across the country were asked to take the pledge to stop using the “R” word and to help raise awareness among their friends. The rally was produced by Miami Palmetto Senior High School 11th-grader Noah Gray, Special Olympics Florida and SchoolTube.
News Coverage
Take The R-word Pledge Rallies
American University, Beirut, Lebanon
Soeren Palumbo's R-word speech played hourly; movie at 6 p.m., "The Loretta Claiborne Story"; posters, pictures, online R-word signups.
All high schools in Delaware, USA
All 40,000 students will be asked to sign pledge boards in their schools.
Tower Hill School, Newark, NJ, USA
Spread the Word day as culmination of a week of exploring disabilities
Fort Worth Independent School District, Fort Worth, TX, USA, all day
Lunch-time rallies, video shows, student testimonials and R-word pledge boards
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA, all day in high traffic areas
Sign pledge boards, visit www.r-word.org, get information. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in five campus locations
See posters, sign pledge boards, talk with committed volunteers and Special Olympics athletes.
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE, USA, all day in student union
Sign the pledge board, talk about why you support the campaign, get stickers, buttons and bracelets
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA, all day on campus
Sign the R-word pledge, see big-screen displays of Special Olympics and R-word videos.
Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA, USA, all day on campus
Sign pledge boards, get buttons, bracelets and stickers for free, buy T-shirts
How It Started
Created by young people with and without intellectual disabilities, Spread the Word to End the Word is one element of Special Olympics’ vision of a world where everyone matters, where everyone is accepted and, most importantly, where everyone is valued. Leading the way in promoting acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics opposes prejudice and discrimination, continuously working to dispel the negative stereotypes associated with this population — the use of the R-word being one such stereotype. In a world that has worked to eliminate pejorative racial and ethnic language such as the “N word,” among others, the R-word is gaining popularity.
Actor and activist John C. McGinley, of the hit show “Scrubs,” helped with this effort by making national media appearances on behalf of the campaign.
What YOU Can Do
Let us know how your Spread the Word event went. Send a report, photos and videos to r-word@specialolympics.org