Take it Easy, Larry: The Civil Rights Activist Who Changed the World

Meet Larry.

Did you know that a revolutionary Civil Rights activist was born right here in Denver, Colorado? An activist who was arrested over 60 times in national protests and helped lead to the passage of one of the most significant pieces of Civil Rights legislation in our country? Meet Larry Ruiz.

I volunteered at the Rocky Mountain Village in Empire, Colorado in 2012. I volunteered with folks with Cerebral Palsy and together we camped out at Easter Seals for a week. Through a week of of the songs, dances, activities, and adventures, there was a cloud that hung over the camp. This cloud was the truth that one of RMV’s longtime campers, Larry Ruiz, had passed away over the previous year. On the last full day of camp, camp director Tom Picton gathered the entire camp for a memorial for Larry, and I saw just how far Larry’s legacy traveled beyond his 35 years at the Rocky Mountain Village.

Born in 1954 in Denver, Colorado, Larry was born with Cerebral Palsy and entered a world that possessed little to no understanding about his disability. In the beginning of his life, Larry spent almost all of his time confined to an institution. However, in the 1960’s, an idealistic pastor broke out Larry and the other residents out. The pastor lived with the belief that people with disabilities deserved the rights held by every other individual.

Once he was out of the institution, Larry began to take action after the Civil Rights Act of 1968 excluded individuals with disabilities. Due to the effects of cerebral palsy, Larry, and many others with the condition were in need of city busing that was accessible to everyone; an issue that the 1960’s Civil Rights Acts did not address. In the coming months, Larry joined a huge group of individuals who surrounded Denver city buses and handcuffed themselves to the vehicles. Larry and the rest of the protestors were often surrounded by police and eventually taken into custody. However, the protestors had made such an impact that Denver revamped their entire transportation system within the next year. Larry was not finished. He and the other protestors protested in major cities across the United States until their voices were heard in Washington, and in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act finally became law across the United States.

When Tom finished filling us in on Larry’s legacy, many campers spoke about their favorite memories of Larry. As amazed as I was at Larry’s activism, I was equally touched when I discovered more about who he was as a person. Larry had an incredible sense of humor, and that he reached out and found jobs for fellow campers on a regular basis. I also discovered that “Take it Easy” by the Eagles was his favorite song, and that his activism had caused him to be arrested on sixty-six occasions.

The entire night was incredibly emotional for everyone. Though I had never known Larry, I was taken by the love almost all of the campers possessed for him, and by how he had affected the lives of everyone in attendance. As the memorial ended, Tom led the entire camp in “Take it Easy” as Larry’s ashes were spread around the campsite.

After that night, I began to think how students today should learn about Larry’s protests throughout their school life. Larry’s activism was not only incredible, but it spurred a change for our entire country. Larry, as well as the thousand of protestors who protested in our country for decades, and their efforts help give human rights protections for everyone in the United States.

Take it easy, Larry, and thank you for everything you did to change the world.