[Blindtlk] What is Federationism?
Chris Nusbaum
dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
Sun May 8 01:39:34 UTC 2011
Thank you, David, for that wonderful explanation!!! * Smile! No
really, it was a great history lesson and one that makes me
understand a lot more about the NFB philosophy. I, too, identify
with the positive philosophy of the Federation and I have now
decided, from yours and other responses to my "what is
Federationism" question, that I'm proud to be a Federationist and
will try to be as active as I can with my age and other
circumstances in the Federation! Unfortunately, I will not be
able to come to the Orlando Convention because I'm going on a
family vacation in North Carolina. I know, Orlando's a tourist
site, too, and one where we could take a vacation. But I don't
think some of my family members would be as excited as me about
going to the NFB Convention. They're all sighted! But I'll be
sure to listen to the live stream on nfb.org. And yes, my two
friends (Nathan Clark and Jason Polansky, both from Maryland,
please tell them I said hi if you see them please) are going to
call me and totally rub it in. "I'm at the national Convention
in Orlando, where are you? It's so fun here!" * Smile!
P.S. FYI, I got this message twice, one
with no subject line and from an anonemous sender with no return
email address, but your signature at the end, and then a second
time with your name and email. What are you trying to do, keep
secrets from me? Just kidding, * smile!
Chris Nusbaum
"A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
--- Sent from my Braille-Note
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Evans" <drevans at bellsouth.net
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Fri, 6 May 2011 13:22:42 -0400
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?
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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