Twitter friends.
Do you mind if I tell you another story?
This is the story about how America treated developmentally disabled people & how @GeraldoRivera really changed that.

The young man on the far right is my Uncle Chuckie.
He died last week from Covid & was buried Wednesday

My Uncle Chuckie was the 9th out of 10 children born to my grandmother Gwenderlyn Lynch.
He was born in 1943.
He attended Catholic schools & was promoted - but was labeled “spastic” by the nuns.
He was later diagnosed with Fragile X Chromosome syndrome.

My grandmother had her 10th and final child in 1949.
This was my Godmother, my Aunt Stephanie.
In 1957 when my Aunt Stephanie was 8 years old, my grandmother was pressured to institutionalize Chuckie by social services
He was 14 yrs old
He was prone to tantrums & hard to control.

Acquiescing to the authorities, my grandmother agreed to send Chuckie to Marcy Hospital.
It how most of the country dealt with people who had developmental disabilities in the 1950’s.
At 14, my uncle was placed in an institution w/criminally insane adults.

One of the most notable inmates at Marcy Hospital was David Berkowitz aka Son of Sam - who murdered 6 people.
Institutions at the time did not care if they were cohabitating people with Down Syndrome with psychopaths.
It was a terrible, horrible, shameful time.

When my dad married my Mom - he hoped to take my Uncle out of Marcy Hospital and bring him to live with us.
We would check him out on the weekends and he would stay with us.
I remember these weekends sweetly.

My Uncle LOVED fried chicken - so we would always stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken - which for years I thought was “Can Chuckie Fry Chicken” - and get boxes of fried chicken with the fixings.
My Uncle Chuckie and I would discuss his favorite animal - anacondas.

Unfortunately, Chuckie was still prone to tantrums & was incontinent at night. My mother and father could not provide proper care - and were worried that he would accidentally hurt my sister, my mother, or me.

In 1972 - Geraldo Rivera did an expose on the Institution at Willowbrook - which showed the fate of developmentally disabled people in institutions.
Because of this expose, the idea of “Group homes” formed.

My Uncle was placed in one of the earliest group home communities - and he thrived.
He had friends.
They went to movies, bowling, concerts, museums. He had a wonderful, active life.
I am forever grateful for that.
We would always take him out for fried chicken when we visited.

In my current career - I work for an organization that provides funding for special needs, affordable housing. I see face-to-face the changes that have been made to insure that people who are developmentally disabled live full, independent lives and I am grateful.

How we now treat our brothers & sisters with disabilities gives me hope.

Please give to your local organizations who advocate for the disabled.
Here are some suggestions in #Roc:
Center for Disability Rights
DePaul
CDS Monarch

Thank you.