For Information contact:
Johnny Crescendo (215) 633-0193
Babs Johnson (303) 733-9324
Mark Johnson (404) 350-7490
www.adapt.org/
The auction for the very first ADAPT "t" shirt has gone on to EBAY with a reserved bid of $1600. ADAPT, once known as American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit, is auctioning off the only remaining T- shirt from their first National Action over 23 years ago. Before it went on EBAY ADAPT held its own "start-off" auction and received a bid of $1,600. This has now become the reserve price.
"I'm not surprised said Johnny Crescendo auction organizer, I bid $501 myself. It's an historic shirt and a complete one-of-a-kind. No other shirt is going to come on sale, as far as we know, and we know that no other shirt will have the history that this shirt has."
The shirt is not only signed by activists who were in Washington in 1983 but also by some of the original "gang of 19" in Denver who were the first disabled people to campaign for accessible public transport in the world.
"I can see this shirt in a civil rights museum, in an educational establishment or a law firm, said Mark Johnson, one of the people who was at the first demonstration in DC and actually wore the "t" shirt."
The shirt, which cost less than $5 at the time, comes in a frame with sworn affidavits of its authenticity from people who were at the demonstrations and photos from the original actions. "The great thing is that all the money raised will go straight back to ADAPT which now is fighting to end the institutional bias and allow disabled people to live in the community" said Stephanie Thomas a national leader of ADAPT.
"It's really appropriate that the money should go to this cause because the people who started this, like me, came out of an institution in Denver and when they found they couldn't get around they started demonstrating," said Larry Ruiz, one of the original "Gang of Nineteen" from Denver.
"I never thought we'd get $1000 and I guess it could go for $10,000 now" said Babs Johnson a national leader of ADAPT from Denver who was in DC in 1983. "It would be nice to think that a local group would bid for the shirt and keep it here in Denver but wherever it goes it's great that the fight for disability rights is being recognized."
The Auction ends at noon EST on the 19th March.
To bid on the shirt and for more details and photos go to: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7750184961&rd=1&sspag ename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1
