Draft:Mia Ives-Rublee


Mia Ives-Rublee
Photo of Mia Ives-Rublee, a Korean American woman with short black hair. She has on a black blazer and maroon shirt. Her arms are folded across her chest
Born
Mee Hye Hong

1984 (age 39–40)
Busan, South Korea
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Illinois (BA)[1]
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (MSW)[2]
Known forDisability rights advocacy

Mia Ives-Rublee (born 1984) is an American disability rights activist, policy analyst, social worker, and public speaker[3] who currently works as the Senior Director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress.[4] She is best known for her work on the Women's March in 2016, co-founding the Women's March Disability Caucus and developing the accessibility plans for the original march in 2017.[5] She was nominated by President Joe Biden on December 20, 2021 to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.[6]

Early life and advocacy

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Mia was born in Busan, South Korea with the Korean name Mee Hye Hong. She immigrated to the United States through inter-country adoption at the age of three.[1] She attended Walter Hines Page High School and studied sociology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At Illinois, she competed in Wheelchair Track and Road Racing[7] and was the president of Delta Sigma Omicron, a disability service fraternity.[8] After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in sociology, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and obtained her Master's Degree in Social Work.[9]

Women's March

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Ives-Rublee became involved with the Women's March on Washington following the 2016 U.S. election. She saw posts online about the march and decided to get a group of disabled friends together to push for the event to include disabled people.[10] Estimates showed over 40,000 disabled people attended.[11] The event was one of the first progressive political events to have Deaf certified interpreters.[12]

Center for American Progress

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Ives-Rublee currently works at the Center for American Progress as the Senior Director of the Disability Justice Initiative. On September 21, 2021, she provided testimony to U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy during a hearing on "Policy Options for Improving Supplemental Security Income".[13] She worked with Representative Ayanna Pressley, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Senator Patty Murray on a resolution to establish a "Disability Reproductive Equity Day".[14]

Awards and recognition

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Ives-Rublee was named one of the Glamour's 2017 Women of the Year, along with other Women's March organizers.[15] In May 2019, the UNC Chapel Hill's School of Social Work gave her an Outstanding Alumni award.[16] She was also named She the People's 20 Women of Color to Watch in 2020.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Activism Through the Lens of Mia Ives-Rublee". OCCRL | College of Education.
  2. ^ "Disability Justice, Coalition Work and Environmental Futures: Featuring Mia Ives-Rublee". Disability Services. January 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "Mia Ives-Rublee". Collective Speakers.
  4. ^ https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2021/05/03/is-liz-cheney-about-to-get-the-boot-492695
  5. ^ "Women's March Organizer Reflects on 2017 and Next Steps". HuffPost. December 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "Daniel Dae Kim Among Those Named to White House's AAPI Visibility Task Force".
  7. ^ https://libsysdigi.library.uiuc.edu/OCA/Books2010-05/sigmasigns/sigmasigns2006delt/sigmasigns2006delt.pdf
  8. ^ https://libsysdigi.library.uiuc.edu/OCA/Books2010-05/sigmasigns/sigmasigns2007delt/sigmasigns2007delt.pdf
  9. ^ White, Susan (March 22, 2023). "Bobby Boyd Leadership Lecture: Mia Ives-Rublee urges social workers to be conduits for change". University of North Carolina School of Social Work.
  10. ^ "Activist Mia Ives-Rublee On Being A Leader In The Movement For Disability Rights". GirlTalkHQ. May 8, 2019.
  11. ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/they-want-a-voice-disabled-who-couldnt-go-to-womens-march-found-a-way-to-be-heard/2017/01/24/5f74073e-e280-11e6-a453-19ec4b3d09ba_story.html
  12. ^ Cassidy, Shannon (November 2, 2021). "Episode 56. Mia Ives-Rublee - Accessible Voices". Bridge Between.
  13. ^ "User Clip: Mia Ives-Rublee #1". C-SPAN.
  14. ^ Eldahshoury, Mae (May 23, 2024). "Pressley, Duckworth, Murray, Advocates Unveil Bill Calling for Equitable Access to Reproductive Healthcare for People with Disabilities".
  15. ^ "Revolutionaries To Supernovas: Glamour Names Women Of 2017". CBS Texas. October 30, 2017.
  16. ^ Stewart, Rich (May 14, 2019). "SSW honors outstanding alumni for 2019".
  17. ^ "20 Women of Color in Politics to Watch in 2020". ELLE. December 17, 2019.