DAN and Then Barbara met Alan
The drama shown on BBC on Monday 21st March 2022 was a wonderful piece of drama, but we must keep in mind it was just that a work based on events that really took place they just probably did not happen exactly as portrayed in this programme.
A prime example of this is if you take the drama at face value then you would be forgiven for believing Barbara was single-handedly responsible for getting the Disability Discrimination Act through parliament, Barbara is a wonderful woman, she is not however Wonder Woman as she herself would be the first to acknowledge. The passing of the DDA and all DAN achieved was a combination of hard work and effort of many disabled activists over a long period of time.
Similarly, the character Billy was not a real person, he was a mash up of a number of people who gave and continue to give their lives, so disabled citizens can gain their rightful place in society. So we can live the lives we chose, not the lives chosen for us.
Here is my humble tribute to Barbara and Alan and all those who fought and fight for civil equal rights for disabled and disadvantaged people in society.
The poem I wrote here is based on the programme, not true events. I did not join Direct Action Network (DAN) until after events depicted in this programme had pasted.
Barbara and Alan
Alan was the arrow, Barbara was the archer
Alan was the bullet, Barbara was the shooter
Each one is essential for the other if we are to hit our target
Bullseye was/is the cry, as we follow/ed their trajectory,
achieve our ultimate goals of choices and rights
Alan was our warrior, Barbara was our leader
Alan was our main man, Barbara designed our golden plan
The gains we achieve today are built on
The foundations pioneers like them set yesterday
Tomorrow we will sit on the shoulders of folk
Like Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth
aka Johnny Crescendo
It proved impossible for them to work as a couple
It proved important to us they worked well as a partnership
Imagined what our world might look life
If Barbara had never met Alan
This poem also came from watch the programme and reflecting on the commitment sacrifice DANNERS have made for our cause civil rights not hand outs.
DAN
Dan took to the streets to fight for our civil and human rights
Give us choices today and tomorrow
Back then we had little option, but to stand and sit proud
Shout out loud to gain our freedom
Freedom to break the chains that bind us
Freedom to leave the cells that imprison us
Freedom to create and live in our own communities
DAN is the name of our people
Who brought our plight into plain sight
Bringing disabled people into the public eye
With their handcuffs and chains,
they barricaded buses and trains
The journey to freedom is far from being completed
Because of DAN at least we can now travel
Like passengers and not livestock
Without DAN we might still be treated like parcels not people
Addressed, labelled sent on our way
Hopeful of reaching our correct destination
If you will allow me a little self indulgence here is a poem about what discovering DAN meant to me I called it Awakening
Awakening
I remember the night I truly connected to
The Disabled Peoples’ Movement
Sitting in an audience listening and watching
Ian Stanton and Johnny Crescendo perform on stage
It was an instant awakening, I became a born-again activist
I discovered other disabled people
who saw the world from my perspective
people who did not just talk about making changes
they were willing and able to take direct action
to bring about those changes
From that day to this I have worked to create and achieve
a better way of life, where disabled and
disadvantaged people do not need to struggle to survive
in a poorly designed society
I cannot do this on my own, as the saying goes
“If you want to go fast go alone,
if you want to go far go together”
I will forever be grateful to Alan and Ian for
Opening my eyes to a world of
Positive possibilities and Dangerous opportunities
They gave me the vision to explore the vast seas
The tools and skills to build the boat in which I sail
The final poem for this post is a dedication an tribute to my inspirational comrade and friend Liz Carr who was seen in "Then Barbara met Alan"
Our Liz
Liz will always be our Carr, even though
she is a multi-media juggernaut these days
Liz is our majestic because she has always been
A Royal pain in the arse to the ruling-class
Our Liz Carr is a real vehicle for social change
Through social justice
Our Liz Carr has always been good for
The environment, she has always been all electric
She has always been up for leading the wheelchair waltz
Across the streets of old London town, leading the
Metropolitan Police in a merry dance
This London woman is not afraid to mix it in the sticks
A true advocate for living, both living life & experiencing life
This campaigner held the barricades
Long before appearing in Les Miserables on our telly screen
This talented actress whether on the stage,
on the small screen, on the big screen,
has never lost sight of the bigger picture
that every citizen has the right to
A better life with all that entails
It is only right that the last word should go to Barbara as she said in the final scene of Then Barbara Met Alan - the fight for civil rights is far from over. So watch the streets of Britain, watch this space!