[Blindtlk] What is Federationism?

Fri May 6 17:22:42 UTC 2011

Dear Chris,

You are not the first person to feel this way and I would say that you 
always need to take everything with a grain of salt in any organization. 
There are people with extreme views in every organization and you can be 
turned off by the wrong people if you think they really represent the whole 
organization.
The war between the ACB and NFB goes back to the 1950's.    You can read 
"Walking Alone and Marching Together" to learn more.  .
There was a split at that point because of a couple of issues.
The NFB had come out on the issue of equal pay for equal work in the 
sheltered workshops that
was opposed by the (AFB) American Foundation for the Blind and the 
Lighthouses for the Blind, who operated about 2,000 sheltered work shops 
across the nation.
They had got a law passed in 1933 that let them pay Blind workers less than 
minimum wage and much less than the other disabled workers.  They were 
raking in the money at the Blind's expense.
This made the NFB the enemy of both of these organizations because the NFB 
was trying to take away their little thiefdoms and effect their bottom line.
Now , in the late 50's and early 60's the NFB came out for equal rights for 
Blacks and supported their Civil Rights.
There were those with in the NFB that were opposed to equal rights, mostly 
in the southern states, but others too,  for Blacks and the AFB and 
lighthouses tried to use this to drive a wedge through the NFB.
There were big fights at the National Convention.  There were those State 
Affiliates and Chapters who were opposed to Blacks and Jews being members 
and serving on Boards of Directors.
There was also accusations of people in some affiliates and chapters taking 
money from the AFB and Lighthouses to oppose NFB's efforts to over turn the 
wages law.
There was a split at the convention and a number of members who were against 
Black's civil Rights and being supported by the AFB left the Convention and 
marched down the street to another hotel and formed a new organization 
called the American Council of the Blind.
For many years and still today, the Lighthouses still support the ACB and 
provide them with a place to meet and money support in some cases.
Now the AFB and Lighthouses had this organization to trot out to oppose the 
NFB's efforts to get equal pay for the Blind and to prevent Blacks and Jews 
from being members and serving on Boards of Directors.
For many years Blacks and Jews were prevented from being members of the ACB 
until the Civil Rights Movement in the mid     1960's took hold.
They have since dropped the prohibition to Blacks and Jews and they rarely 
talk about the wages issue anymore, but the hate is still there.
They mostly argue over philosophy and stuff.
The NFB believes that blindness can be overcome by the use of good training 
and a positive philosophy and that we , using these skills can cope with the 
world as it is.
The ACB philosophy, on the other hand, seems to feel that the world should 
be made safer for Blind people by changes in the environment and by law.
I am sure that there is some middle ground there somewhere.
I personally like the positive philosophy of the NFB and that is why I am a 
member.  I know that I can not count on the World being re-made just so poor 
little Blind people will not stub their toe on cracks in the sidewalk.
I made arrangements years ago to go to a ACB National Convention in San 
Francisco until I read some of the information that was sent to me.
I noted that "No members would be allowed to leave the hotel without an 
escort to walk them down the street to where the Exhibition Hall was in 
another building.  What! I can not go out on my own if I want to?
I found that there were as many or more sighted volunteers there to do 
everything for you and who were persistent in and insistent that could do it 
for you and faster and easier.  They were a pest.
I did not like the feeling I got from the experience and the custodial 
attitudes I ran into.
I have gone to another ACB State convention and ran into much the same thing 
as well.
I like attending the NFB conventions, which are much larger and really do 
something.
The NFB is the organization I identify with and I will stay there.
I am looking forward to the National Convention in Orlando Florida this 
year.  I hope to see you there.
I will be the maniac blowing the bugle in the Florida Section.

David Evans, NFBF and GD Jack.f
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nikki Wunderlich" <nikki0222 at gmail.com>
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2011 10:35 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?

>I am not a registered NFB or ACB person. I don't really belong to either
> organization. I just help where I can. I've only been to one NFB 
> convention,
> and and I've never been to an ACB convention. I would like to learn more
> about both agencies before steadfastly joining one or the other. But as it
> stands I am on lists for both groups, because I'm not sure which group 
> fits
> me and my beliefs better.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Chris Nusbaum
> Sent: Thursday, May 05, 2011 5:15 PM
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?
>
> I agree, Eric.  I don't understand all this political bickering between 
> NFB
> and ACB, as if one organization is working to promote the independence of
> the blind and the other isn't.  In fact one of the NFB songs tells ACB to 
> go
> straight to...  well, you get the point.  All the ACB is is another
> organization working for the common good of the blind.  They may have some
> different ideas, but neither is good nor bad.  I have always been kind of 
> a
> reluctant member of the Federation.  By the way, I'm an at-large member of
> NFB-MD.  I completely agreed with the NFB's work for independence, but I
> didn't really like the dogmatic approach some Federationists take to 
> issues:
> my way (the NFB way) is the only way, and ACB...  well, they're just 
> wrong.
> No, no, no! For a long time, I thought that this approach was part of the
> NFB philosophy, and therefore was reluctant to really be active in the
> Federation.  I didn't want to support that one-size-fits-all view of all
> things blindness.  Now that I've spent much time on the NFB site, 
> listening
> to Dr.  Maurer and Dr.  Jernigan's words, I know this is not the real NFB
> philosophy, but only an extreme interpretation of it that some members 
> take.
> That's really why I want to become more active, now that I know that by
> doing so, I wouldn't also be supporting a one-size-fits-all, narrow-minded
> approach to everything related to blindness.  When I joined this list, I 
> was
> a little afraid to talk about these opinions of the NFB approach to some
> issues, and their arguing with the ACB and AFB, being that this is an NFB
> list which supports the NFB philosophy, which I thought might mean the 
> list
> members supported this dogmatic approach as well.  But I'm glad most of 
> you
> have open minds and feel the same as me.  Now that I've said all of this, 
> I
> wonder if this email will ever really get posted to the list, being that
> we're a monitored list, monitored by the NFB higher-ups.  So, do you 
> approve
> this one...  huh, Dave? * Smile!
>
> Chris Nusbaum
>
> "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
>
> --- Sent from my Braille-Note
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Eric Calhoun <eric at pmpmail.com
> To: blindtlk at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Wed, 4 May 2011 14:08:32 -0500
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?
>
> Chris, like you, I have never been that active in the Federation, but I 
> can
> tell you some things I've learned:
>
> ** If you believe in a cause, try and collaborate in others, who share it.
>
> ** Put your money, where your mouth is.  If you don't have a Chapter in 
> your
> area, please consider joining one.  If you do not have a Chapter in your
> area, please consider (1) founding one, or (2) being an at-large member.
>
> ** Membership has its privileges.  When I joined the San Fernando Valley
> Chapter, I was able to interact with other Federationists, some of whom 
> are
> close friends of mine.  My privileges were: selling cookies, going to 
> White
> Cane Safety Day functions, and acquiring a First-Timers'
> scholarship to the
> 1997 New Orleans Convention.
>
> Finally,
>
> ** It is okay to disagree with someone, but disagree agreeably.
> In my
> struggles with NFB, I, myself, do agree, with the Federation on issues 
> like
> braille literacy, independence, and being an advocate for oneself.  But do 
> I
> need an NFB Training Center to further my skills?  No, I am capable with 
> the
> skills I have.
>
> I, soon, will be an at-large member of my NFB-Calif.  affiliate, sometime 
> as
> early as June or July.  Do I think Federationism is bad?  No.
> Do I
> think NFB and ACB can still work together?  Yes.
>
> Eric
> .. ..  Eric from Los Angeles with the baseball list:
> eric at pmpmail.com.
> Also on Facebook
>
>
>
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