Events

ANNIVERSARY EVENTS CELEBRATE THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMPLETION OF THE FDR MEMORIAL AND FDR WHEELCHAIR STATUE 

Special events were held from March through May to mark the 25th anniversary of the completion of the FDR Memorial and the FDR wheelchair statue.  

The first event was held on March 31, 2026 at American University with a panel discussion titled: Disability Representation in America, FDR, the Fight for the Wheelchair Statue, and the Politics of Commemoration. The event also featured a screening of a 20 minute documentary, FDR: Great Abilities. To learn more about the March 31 event, watch the video, and read the transcript visit https://fdrmemorial.org/news/kickoff-event/. To watch the documentary, visit this link. 

8 people stand in front of a modern white background, posing for a picture.

Dr. Max Friedman - Chair, American University History Department; Dr. Mary Ellen Curtin - Professor, American Studies, American University; Mary E. Dolan - MA, MA, Executive Director, FDR Memorial Foundation; Nila Morton - Narrator of documentary short FDR: Great Abilities, Youth Coordinator for Advocates for Justice & Education; Katherine Greenstein, MA - National Park Service AmeriCorps Member; Jim Dickson - led grassroots campaign for the FDR wheelchair statue; Helena Berger - Chair, Board of Directors, FDR Memorial Foundation; Dr. Nkenge Friday, Vice President, Office of Inclusive Excellence, American University.

The second event was held on May 12 and was a panel discussion titled: A Landscape of Memory: Art and Design at the FDR Memorial and the Art of a Seamless Collaboration. To learn more about the May 12 panel, view the video, and read the transcript visit this link.

The third event on May 13 was a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the FDR wheelchair statue, which at its dedication on January 10, 2001, President Bill Clinton called a “monument to freedom.” To view the video and transcript, and to read more about the May 13 panel, visit this link.

A person with glasses and a dark blue blazer stands in front of a clear podium with a microphone. There is a brick background. A person in a blue jacket speaks at a microphone and podium in front of a brick background.

Left: Anniversary Co-Chair, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (retired). Right: Anna Eleanor Fierst, Board Chair, the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill; great-granddaughter of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

A person with a black dress and bright red earrings is holding a microphone in front of a brick background.A person with a grey suit stands in front of a clear podium with a microphone. There is a brick background.

Left: Lachi, Author of I Identify as Blind, CEO of RAMPD, Recording Academy National Trustee, Disability Culture Icon, and
Producer of a GRAMMY-Nominated Album. Right: Master of Ceremonies, Jonathan Darman, Historian and Author of Becoming FDR.

A person in a blue floral dress stands behind the clear podium with a mic. There is a brick background.a person with a black dress and glasses in a wheelchair is behind the podium with the microphone. There is a brick background.

Left: Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO, Center of Democracy and Technology; Member, Board of Directors, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Right: Regan Linton, Actor, writer, filmmaker, artistic creator, playwright and star of the theatrical production FDR’s Very Happy Hour.

A person in a dark blue suit with glasses stands in front of the clear podium with a microphone.A person with medium-length hair is in a National Park Service uniform behind the clear podium with a microphone.

Left: William Raimondo – Firefighter, City of Hackensack, NJ; Advisory Board, FDR Memorial Foundation. Right: Jen Epstein, Education Specialist, National Mall & Memorial Parks, National Park Service.

A person with shoulder length hair and a teal outfit stands in front of a brick background, behind a clear podium with a microphoneA person with a blue patterned button up in a wheelchair is behind the podium with the microphone and in front of the brick background.

Left: Noriko Fujinami, Administrator of the Estate of Robert Graham. Right: Theo Braddy, Executive Director, National Council on Independent Living.

Below: Presentation of Colors by the U.S. Navy Color Guard

Two people in military uniforms stand in a line with American flags.