In the midst of this summer filled with police violence here in the States and military violence globally, we find ourselves thinking about the place of disabled people, particularly disabled people of color and disabled people in the global south who are disproportionately affected by the destruction of infrastructure and the loss of support when communities are forced to disperse as a result of violence and loss. Whether it be the presidential election here in the States or the "Brexit" vote in Europe or the Zika virus controversy in the Americas, we find ourselves looking to our intellectual and political community of disability activist scholars to help us make sense of our world as the heat continues to rise.

One place of intellectual and political sustenance for us has been in our work at DSQ. Reading submissions and working with peer reviewers whose insights continue to humble and, dare we say, excite us reminds us that in our often solitary work as writers and academics, we are not alone. We hope that, in continuing to read this issue of DSQ, you, too, can feel this sense of community.

We begin this issue with a section we call "Historically Speaking," featuring an article about a little-known disabled abolitionist whose work reminds us of the varied and transformative roles of disabled people in political movements. Our second section, "Paradoxically Speaking" highlights the ways in which, in seeking disability justice, our movement can be contradictory, messy, and unpredictable. Finally, in our third section, "Speaking Back," we bring to you the work of artists and thinkers who are responding to histories of institutionalization and injustice as disabled people. We are also proud to bring back a Book and Media Reviews section, which we hope will inspire more viewing/listening/reading projects among our readers.

We hope, above all and in the midst of this summer of violence and confusion, you continue your work and find intellectual, creative and political sustenance in one another.