Cancel Humanitarian Award for Jerry Lewis

  • Author:
    n/a
  • Send To:
    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • Sponsored By:
    The Trouble with Jerry
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This petition has been launched to object to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' announcement that it will give Jerry Lewis its Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Oscar Awards ceremony on February 22, 2009.

During his decades of hosting the Labor Day Telethon, Jerry Lewis has helped to perpetuate negative, stereotypical attitudes toward people with muscular dystrophy and other disabilities. Jerry Lewis and the Telethon actively promote pity as a fundraising strategy. Disabled people want RESPECT and RIGHTS, not pity and charity.

In 1990, Lewis wrote that if he had muscular dystrophy and had to use a wheelchair, he would "just have to learn to try to be good at being a half a person." During the 1992 Telethon, he said that people with MD, whom he always insists on calling "my kids," "cannot go into the workplace. There's nothing they can do." Comments like these have led disability activists and our allies to protest against Jerry Lewis. We've argued that he uses the Telethon to promote pity, a counterproductive emotion which undermines our social equality. Here's how Lewis responded to the Telethon protesters during a 2001 television interview: "Pity? You don't want to be pitied because you're a cripple in a wheelchair? Stay in your house!"

Jerry Lewis has also made derogatory comments about women and gay men. His outdated attitudes and crude remarks are dehumanizing, not humanitarian.

Therefore, we the undersigned support the actions and arguments of the coalition group The Trouble with Jerry. We protest the Academy's characterization of Jerry Lewis as a "humanitarian." And we ask that the Academy cancel its plans to give Lewis the Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

2894 Signatures

  • David B
    • City/State
    • Cullowhee, NC 28723
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • В
    • Comments
    • В
  • Michael R
    • City/State
    • Sicklerville, NJ
    • Comments
    • Along with his position against those with disabilities, he has a deplorable record on his treatment of homosexuals. For someone in the entertainment industry AND a supposed advocate for MS, he does not deserve your award. Please reconsider finding someone worthy. Thank you.
  • Samuel O. J
    • City/State
    • Plainfield, New Jersey
  • Holly
    • City/State
    • Greenville( NC
  • Joann N
    • City/State
    • Lansing, Michigan
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Michigan Disability Rights Coalition
    • Comments
    • В
  • Colleen
    • City/State
    • Edison, NJ
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • NEXT STEP
  • Christl F
  • Janet B
    • City/State
    • Charleston, SC
  • Ben
    • City/State
    • Long Beach, CA
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • CDR
  • Paul Lazar, M
  • Ginger L
    • City/State
    • Chicago
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Access Living
  • Susan G. B
    • City/State
    • Martinez, California
    • Comments
    • As a social services department employee, I agree with the senitments of this petition. Working with clients that have various "disabilities", I know first hand how unwelcome and unnecessary is pity or an attitude that they are in any way "less." People with any disability are no different than those without a physical disability. I have long felt that Jerry Lewis' sentiments expressed during his telethon were sadly uninformed and not serving well those he claimed to help.
  • Carrie M
    • City/State
    • Sylva, NC
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • В
    • Comments
    • I do this in honor of Harriet who was disabled but became a lawyer and didn't want pity.
  • Lauri Y
    • City/State
    • Tucson, AZ
    • Comments
    • Jerry Lewis has been unapologetic after making extremely derogatory remarks about people with disabilities (e.g., that if people in wheelchairs don't want to be pitied they should stay home, referring to one as a "half-person."). Please cancel this award.
  • Josue R
    • City/State
    • El Paso
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • ADAPT
  • Zerrie D. C
    • City/State
    • Chicago Il
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • В
    • Comments
    • В
  • Brendan C
    • City/State
    • New York, NY
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Producer, The Largest Minority Radio show
  • Pat P
    • City/State
    • Decatur, GA
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Georgia Independent Living Council
  • Karla M
    • City/State
    • В
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Little People Of America
    • Comments
    • В
  • Tom H
    • Comments
    • In memory of Harriet Johnson, who taught me much about the reality of disability. She tried to teach Mr. Lewis, too.
  • Oreatha S
  • Kelly G
    • City/State
    • Plattsburg, MO
  • Thayis M. N
    • City/State
    • Sicklerville, NJ
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Liberty Resources, Inc.
    • Comments
    • Fifty-one percent of the workforce here at Liberty Resources are disabled persons who with the assistance of attendants,get up and work a 37.5 hr week like any able-bodied employee. Jerry Lewis has been promoting a campaign of pity instead of a positive image for far too long. It needs to cease and he should be replaced with someone who can project a positive image.
  • Jennifer L
    • City/State
    • В
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • В
    • Comments
    • В
  • Tracey B
    • City/State
    • Philadelphia, PA
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Liberty Resources INC.
  • Mary F. M
    • City/State
    • Cheyenne WY
    • Comments
    • Lewis should be half the person that Harriet was.
  • cathleen c
    • City/State
    • crestline, CA
    • Comments
    • I agree that people with disabilities need to be emplowered rather than pitied. They need champions of their cause to enter the workforce and live lives of independence.
  • Lydia P
  • Mike S
  • Valerie
  • Abigail C
    • City/State
    • Portland OR
  • Danny S
    • City/State
    • London
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Heart n Soul
  • Jeffrey R
    • City/State
    • Minnesota
  • Nora E. D
    • City/State
    • Topeka, KS
  • Aaron M
    • City/State
    • Redlands
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • CSUSB
  • Lynn H
    • City/State
    • Highland Park, NJ 08904
  • Soyoung O
  • Lisa M
  • Sarah H
    • City/State
    • New Orleans, LA
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Little People of America
  • Julie H
  • Mike M
    • City/State
    • Santa Clarita, CA
  • Jean E. S
    • City/State
    • Amherst, MA
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Stavros Center for Independent Living
  • Eleanor A. C
    • City/State
    • Washington, DC
    • Comments
    • As a person with muscular dystrohpy, i strongly object to the presentation of any humanitarian award to Jerry Lewis. Jerry Lewis and the MDA have actively fought against the progress of the disability rights movement and have acted only in self interest to appear as "humanitarians". He is protested against by people with muscular dystrophy themselves every year. Could we be any more clear?
  • M J T
    • City/State
    • Redlands, CA
    • Comments
    • This type of attitude is from the dark ages!! We who work tirelessly to mainstream qualified job candidates with disabilities seek employment find this type of attitude to be deplorable!!!
  • Ginny G
    • Comments
    • Jerry's attitude of pity is inappropriate and terribly outdated. Now we need to overcome this attitude that he has perpetuated.
  • Deidra J. L
    • City/State
    • Chicago
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • Renaissance Women
  • Karla C
    • City/State
    • Rancho Mirage, CA
  • Karona M. M
  • Ms. SM T
    • City/State
    • Philadelphia, PA
    • Organizational Affiliation
    • ADAPT
  • doug b
    • City/State
    • washington, pa 15301