[Blindtlk] What is Federationism?

Sun May 8 14:45:01 UTC 2011

Dear Chris,

I do not understand the two messages thing.
Be careful as I only sent the message once.
I have been getting double messages from some people also and they have not 
sent them.
I am goign th run a virus check right away, maybe you should too.

David Evans, NFBF and GD Jack.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Nusbaum" <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2011 9:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] What is Federationism?

> 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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