The title of this blog may seem a bit jarring right now. It may feel counterintuitive to think of leftist values as those condemning diversity. After all, don’t liberals fervently advocate for diversity, inclusion, and the empowerment of the marginalized? Isn’t it the left who seeks justice for all? How could they possibly condemn what they strive for? As a legally blind, female law student who dedicates her life to the civil rights of people with disabilities, I have firsthand experience with the hypocrisy of the “social justice” movement. Throughout my time in my undergraduate studies, I was surrounded by this culture, and I embraced it. I learned about a variety of systemic issues effecting a wide range of people groups. I heard the passion, the hope, the pain, the rage, and the longing for something greater. I aligned myself in solidarity with people from all walks of life, from all over the world. To this day, I am thankful for these long-lasting friendships and for the greater understanding that I have today.  So, where did things go wrong? It didn’t take me long at all to realize that the diversity that was being strived for did not include people like me. While I understood the reality that the experiences of others were very different from my own and the oppression of some individuals stemmed from different sources, it became clear to me that I didn’t quite grasp the important knowledge that I was the wrong color to know what oppression was. Despite the reality that in the United States in the 21st century, it is perfectly legal to pay me less than the federal minimum wage. Regardless of my reality of facing a 70 percent unemployment rate upon graduation, I had no room to talk about struggle due to the fact that I didn’t fit anyone’s narrative about privilege and disadvantage. I specifically remember being told “At least it’s easier to be a blind white girl than a black girl”. I thought to myself “OK, I really am on my own in this fight for basic human rights when it comes to disability”. I remember taking a course on educational equity. It was rather informative, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn how the education system puts racial minorities and poorer economic communities at a disadvantage. The course put a spotlight on several issues that, to this day, I believe need to be addressed at a systemic level. On the other hand, I found it baffling that there was very little attention placed on the special education system. We spent one portion out of one day during the entire semester discussing special education in a very generic fashion. Then the professor asked, “Does anyone have any other questions or comments on special education?” I jumped at the opportunity to discuss the topic in greater detail. I finally had a chance to shed light on the plague of trauma that surrounds a student with a disability. I proceeded to share with the class about that IEP meeting that lasted for two hours, during which a mobility “specialist” stated “She just doesn’t get it! She can’t do what many other blind kids can do. I don’t know if she has a mental problem, but we need to start from the basics!” I told them about all the days in that classroom where I would hear teachers belittling students and gossiping about students who were not in the room. I shared about my best friend, who was also blind, who  experienced “specialists” trying to force him to wear hearing aids and take ADHD medication because  he was too busy operating in fight or flight mode because yelling at him didn’t enable him to  learn. My blood was boiling just to recall the injustices that take place against children with disabilities. Was the class receptive to my testimony? Some students were quite surprised that kids could be treated with such a lack of humanity. What was the professor’s response? “Thank you for sharing, but at the end of the day we still must ask, what race has got to do with it”. I couldn’t believe it. All that ableism I just exposed, thinking that I would gain allies in the struggle, was completely dismissed and invalidated. It was humiliating! While I understood that many ethnic minority students are misunderstood and get placed in special education in error, it still doesn’t take away from what students of all races with disabilities face in education. If there was no state-sanctioned discrimination against people with disabilities in education, there would be no inferior learning environment for the able-bodied ethnic minority students to be placed into! These confrontations, among many others, impressed in my mind the importance of narrowing my focus on the civil rights of those with disabilities and let others fight the other battles. Since those of us with disabilities don’t fit the liberal narrative of what it means to be a human being in need of justice and vindication, I have no energy left over at the end of the day to fight their battles.  The “social justice” movement condemns diversity in its true form. One must conform to the “enlightened” way of thinking and being to be embraced. I wash my hands. I walk away.