Note: Please access the transcript (see below) so that you can follow along with David as he speaks. A stroke has damaged his ability to talk and at times it is hard to understand his words

A Renewed Call for a Mad Pride Revolution on the 20th Anniversary of Hunger Strike: with David Oaks and Debra Nunez from MindFreedom

Bernadine chats with David Oaks and Debra Nunez about his work as a civil rights activist, co-founder and from ED of MindFreedom International based in Eugene Oregon. Mind Freedom is an independently funded nonprofit that actively fights for the human rights of those with lived experience of mental health challenges. It is accredited by the United Nations as a non governmental organization, essentially an NGO with CRS status, which means they are consulted on matters important to mental health. As they say, “MindFreedom International is where democracy is finally getting hands on with the mental health system. They challenge abuse by the psychiatric and drug industry, support psychiatric survivors and mental health consumers and promote safe and humane and effective options in mental health.” And they have been doing it since the Mad Pride Revolution started in the 1970s as they say on their website in a spirit of mutual cooperation, mind freedom leads a nonviolent revolution of freedom, equality, truth and human rights that unites people affected by the mental health system with movements for justice everywhere.

Up until 2012, Oaks was their Executive Director and then he fell from a ladder of fall which broke his neck and left him paralyzed. And I say this, not because it is important to the work he continues to do, but as a segue into understanding that David currently is unable to speak in the manner he once did. However, rather than suppress or silence his very powerful voice, we are interviewing him. His partner Deborah Nunes, will be a part of this interview and you may hear her every once in a while help make clear what he is saying. It is difficult at times to hear him clearly and it may be helpful while listening to close your eyes. However, we have also included a transcript of his interview on our website. If you would like to listen to the interview while reading the transcript, you can do so at www.rethreading madness.ca.