Stacey Park Milbern's 35th Birthday

Go behind-the-scenes of today’s Doodle below!

Stacey Park Milbern was a queer, Korean-American disability justice activist, who co-founded the disability justice movement and dedicated her life to advocating for marginalized communities. In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, today’s Doodle—illustrated by San Francisco, CA-based guest artist, Art Twink—celebrates Stacey Park Milbern’s legacy on what would be her 35th birthday.

Milbern was born in 1987 in Seoul, South Korea. She grew up in Fort Bragg, North Carolina and began her service as a leader for disability justice at the age of 16. After noticing a lack of advocacy for disabled LGBTQ+ and people of color, she teamed up with other activists in 2005 to coin disability justice—a framework dedicated to ensuring the perspectives of traditionally marginalized groups within the disabled community weren’t left out of the fight for disability rights. 

At the age of 24, Milbern moved to the Bay Area, California, where she worked tirelessly to organize, write, and speak for the movement, and became Director of Programs at the Center of Independent Living.  In 2014, Milbern was appointed to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and served as an advisor to the national administration. 

“I want to leave a legacy of disabled people knowing we are powerful and beautiful because of who we are, not despite of it." - Stacey Park Milbern

From advocating for national legislation to building community through the Disability Justice Culture Club—Stacey Milbern always dreamed big and lived up to her values. Happy 35th birthday, Stacey Park Milbern.
 

Discover more about the life and legacy of Stacey Park Milbern, a warrior for disability justice, with a story from the American Association of People with Disabilities on Google Arts & Culture.
 

Special thanks to Stacey Milbern’s friends and family for their collaboration on this project. Below, her sister Jessica Milbern and her close friend Andraéa LaVant both share their thoughts on Stacey’s legacy.

Photographed: Stacey Milbern
Courtesy of the Estate of Stacey Milbern

Our family is honored that Google is celebrating Stacey. Today in North Carolina, in California, and across the country, people are reflecting on Stacey as a friend and activist, revisiting the imprint she left on their lives. Stacey was a pioneer for disability justice and intersectionality. Her life experiences led her to empower and revitalize others. Stacey taught us that everyone is valuable, despite what society may say, and that each person has an important role to play. She advocated for movements to move at the pace of the slowest person so that no one is left behind and used her voice to amplify the voices of underserved communities. “As a visionary speaker, Stacey captivated audiences in the largest auditoriums, not by the strength of her voice but through the wisdom of her words and the power of her convictions,” our dad says. 

The passing of Stacey was devastating for many of us. This was not only due to the impact of her work but also largely due to her connections with people on a personal level. She opened her home to many grassroots organizations and folks in the Bay Area to share meals and build community. 

Stacey was eager to introduce people and had a wonderful way of making a person feel special. Her smile was joyful, and her laugh was like a much-needed hug. She will continue to shine brightly in all the lives that she touched—as a radiant beacon of wisdom, strength, and love—as we strive to carry her legacy forward. 
- Jessica Milbern, Stacey’s sister

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Her laugh. 
Every time anyone asks what I miss most about my dear, sister-friend, Stacey Park Milbern, my response is the same. It’s her laugh. Stacey had a giggle that said so much. It expressed joy, lightness, and freedom. Whether it was a meme we’d send one another after a taxing work day or the happiness she’d experience from watching me react to a new cuisine (like Korean BBQ), that giggle had power! Stacey’s very essence exuded power.

Like many other millennials and generations that come after us, Stacey and I first connected on social media. Given her work and reputation as a trailblazing young disability advocate and activist, I already knew who she was. However, disability wasn’t the topic that prompted me to send that initial DM to Stacey. Scrolling through my feed one day, I was wonderfully surprised to see her post photos of a commemorative moment from the previous weekend where she professed her faith through a water baptism. Up until then, I’d learned much about Stacey. I knew she was a proud queer disabled, Korean American femme. I did NOT know she was a person of faith, and quite honestly, I was floored! How someone could so boldly embrace every single aspect of their communities and identities without shame was beyond me. I wanted to know more…

…and that’s what happened for years after that. For about two years Stacey and I traded stories and supported one another from afar. She helped me transition to a new city and I supported her as she navigated the complexities of building the dream home that would later become the headquarters for the Disability Justice Culture Club (DJCC). 

I learned so many things from her, but the lesson I will cherish the most is the art of “taking up space”...of being unapologetic. Stacey never apologized for who she was. She never apologized for ensuring her needs were met. She was fully and completely herself, and that’s what I loved so much about her and what I love about this Doodle created by Art Twink. It depicts the full joy and pride Stacey had for herself and the communities she represented.

While the world continues to laud her for her powerful words and radical, brilliant mind, even when Stacey was not speaking verbally, she was saying something. Her presence, her smile (or frown), her LAUGH said something. Something that the world needed then, needs now, and that I will continue to cherish.

- Andraéa LaVant, Stacey’s friend