Honoring Alice: Ideas for Gatherings, Actions, and Activities 2
Make Sure Your Gathering is Accessible: Resources 8
Just some of Alice Wong’s Wisdom 9
Being with Grief: Resources 10
“Hi everyone, it looks like I ran out of time. I have so many dreams that I wanted to fulfill and plans to create new stories for you. There are a few in progress that might come to fruition in a few years if things work out. I did not ever imagine I would live to this age and end up a writer, editor, activist, and more. As a kid riddled with insecurity and internalized ableism, I could not see a path forward. It was thanks to friendships and some great teachers who believed in me that I was able to fight my way out of miserable situations into a place where I finally felt comfortable in my skin. We need more stories about us and our culture. You all, we all, deserve everything and more in such a hostile, ableist environment. Our wisdom is incisive and unflinching. I'm honored to be your ancestor and believe disabled oracles like us will light the way to the future. Don't let the bastards grind you down. I love you all."
Alice Wong’s Celebration of Life will happen on March 25th, 2026, 11 am-1:00 pm PST. While close friends & family will gather in-person in San Francisco, all of Alice’s people - conspirators, friends, admirers, and the like- from around the world will be able to join the celebration through the livestream.
This toolkit is an invitation and resource for individuals and communities to participate in Alice Wong’s Celebration of Life. Not just by watching the livestream, but by creating spaces and experiences to honor Alice’s legacies; be it from bed, your living room, your local community center, classroom, or in the streets…
You can join Alice’s Celebration of Life through:
The livestream and virtual reception: Join the livestream and gather for the virtual reception hosted by Calling Up Justice and the San Francisco Disability Cultural Center.
There will be ASL interpretation (Deaf interpretation for the formal program) and closed captioning. For access-related questions, email: access@disabilityculturalcenter.org.
In-person livestream watch + your own gathering: Host an in-person gathering to join the livestream and connect in person to celebrate Alice Wong.
Document your honorings and celebrations. Share online with the hashtag #AliceIsLove
All of these ideas are just invitations to support communities and individuals globally to honor Alice. Please choose what fits best for you, whether it is on this list or not. We welcome all of these ways and the many more that will continue to keep Alice’s legacy with us.
Building altars is a ritual that spans across cultures and time. Connect to your own lineage’s ways of honoring ancestors.
So what is an altar? An altar is an object or set of objects placed in an intentional way, sometimes in a purposeful place, to represent and honor someone or something special. Altars can be as complex or as simple as you want them to be. Often, altars are ways to recognize and connect with ancestors by setting up a space with their photos, favorite foods, art, and other items that relate to those people and what they loved. So consider building an altar to honor and connect to Alice and her legacies.
Alice was/is a lifelong storyteller, not just of her own life, but she made sure thousands of people’s stories were told and amplified. Consider spending time sharing stories about Alice and how she and her work impacted you! You can share stories online, in person, in writing, or through voice, through images, or through sounds.
More information about how to upload your stories will be shared soon!
Spend some time reading Alice’s works individually or as a group. Consider picking an article or excerpt from one of her books before March 25th, and invite folks to read it before they arrive. You could create some prompts to help spark dialogue and connection. Or you can bring an excerpt to read aloud.
As you reflect on Alice’s writings, here are some sample prompts to journal with or discuss together:
Alice Wong loved a good playlist. This is the official playlist Alice made for Year of the Tiger.
“Food is essential to life, but it is so much more…Food is cultural, political, and social — it ties people together and is a form of identity and pride…It is a chance to commune with family and friends, a space to belong, care, and share…This is my love language: sharing space and enjoying the meal with them [family] even though it won’t end up in my belly…” - Alice Wong, Constant Cravings: On Life With a Feeding Tube
(Check out the series, Low and Slow, by the Disability Visibility
Project and Eater)
Alice adored food and food traditions. She loved hosting meals, creating new recipes, reading restaurant reviews, food art, and more. She offered deep nuance, love, and complexity about food amidst her changing body.
Consider hosting a potluck, cooking a meal, or enjoying foods that are meaningful to you. Not up for cooking? Order takeout from your favorite local restaurants owned by Black, Brown, Native, Asian, and immigrant communities.
Alice loved being a cat mom to Bert & Ernie. She spoiled them silly! If you have animals in your life, give them extra love and attention, do something special for them!
Alice revelled in the joy and pleasure of these two cats. She shared via Instagram on September 8, 2024: “Happy Bert and Ernie Day to all who celebrate! On this day a year ago they came into my life and nothing has been the same. I love them so much and serve at their pleasure.
Adopt, don't shop!
#AdoptDontShop #CatsOfInsta
#OrangeCats”
Alice’s apartment was filled with art. Collage, paint, draw, scribble, rip things up, let your grief, joy, rage, or private desires lead what you create.
Write a letter to Alice to share with others you trust, or to just share with yourself. Save it, burn it safely, or release it into a body of water.
“In 2025, disabled people feel fear, anxiety, and rage about what is happening in the United States under a fascist President and Administration. Artists play a strong role against authoritarianism and speaking truth to power. Here are a few graphics you are welcome to use, share, print, and post in public spaces. Download all the JPGs and a PDF for easy printing. We went to Mission Street in San Francisco and wheat pasted some of them between 16th and 24th St.”
- Alice Wong
In 2026, the rage continues. Alice asked us, “What enrages you? Use the hashtag #DisabledRage and share your thoughts.”
Whether online or in your local neighborhood, put up images about disabled rage! Plus, here are instructions for making your own wheatpaste.
In these times of rising authoritarianism, state violence, ableism and white supremacy, there are abundant ways we can support, defend and protect our neighbors, strangers, and communities. Honor Alice’s legacies by joining an action or supporting a local mutual aid effort.
“Thank you so much for trusting in us and believing in us. This work is not over. Palestinians in Gaza have not given up, and neither will we.” - Jane Shi, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and Alice Wong, Two Years of Genocide+: Crips Aren’t Done Sending eSims to Gaza
Alice unapologetically organized in solidarity and action for the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza amidst ongoing genocide. One of the ways she did that was by collaborating with Jane Shi and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha on “Crips for e-sims for Gaza.” They share,
“We want to get money and resources directly to Palestinians in Gaza, however, as many people know, the blockade has made it almost impossible to get cash and resources into Gaza. One way that is possible is getting people eSims.
The Israeli Occupation Forces have attacked wifi and cellular service over and over again, which stops people from being able to get information, be in touch with their families to let them know they’re alive, and for people to get the word out about bombings and conditions in Gaza. The several times that Israel/the IOF cut off all wireless and cellular service have been chilling and also provided sites where harsh damage, murder and atrocities could occur without media coverage, period, and by the heroic young citizen journalists whose social media accounts are some of the only ways that accurate, up-to-date news has been getting out of Gaza.”
After two and a half years of the ongoing atrocities, blockades continue, and e-sims are still needed. Read more about the crowdfunding campaign here and donate! Plus check out, the Plain language version of “Crips for eSims for Gaza: A Donation Guide” by Noemí Martínez Turull
Thankfully, due in part to Alice’s labor, there are countless resources and tools to support increasing accessibility at events. Here are some resources to help you organize accessible events and gatherings:
*These links are from “Access Is Love: List of Readings and Resources” compiled by Sandy Ho, Mia Mingus, and Alice Wong for the #AccessIsLove project. For more: https://www.disabilityintersectionalitysummit.com/access-is-love