[Colorado-Talk] NFBCO Contributes picket signs

[Peggy Chong]

As part of our ongoing Preservation of Historical Documents, Curtis and I
took three picket signs from our Goodwill demonstration in 2012 to the
History Colorado Museum in downtown Denver today, March 22, 2024.

 

Our Preservation of Historical Documents Committee, Julie Hunter and I have
been working for five years now to find our old records and put them in an
accessible format to save our history as blind people in Colorado. Not only
did we find our old organizational minutes, but we found news clippings,
newsletters, proposed legislation, correspondence, and more. Most of the
files are puzzle pieces, some revealing more than others. But what a
wonderful history we found.

 

Finding and preserving the files and preserving them in a location outside
of our offices for the public to access is the goal of the PHD project.
Sharing our history with the world is the best way to learn from our past
and celebrate our blind ancestors who left significant footprints on our
state's historical landscape. The original files are still in our possession
as are the electronic files, accessible to us as blind people, if we
remember they are here. 

 

The pandemic changed many things including library services. The virtual
library idea grew exponentially during the pandemic, and we soon realized
this is where our history files needed to go. We are almost done putting up
files on the Colorado Virtual Library's Planes and Peaks Collection. These
are the files that were transcribed into a word document by our group of
volunteers that came to our aid during the pandemic and beyond. Now, anyone
around the world who uses the free Digital Public Library of America can
search for "Blind" and find our Colorado history.

 

During my research as The Blind History Lady here in Colorado, I realized we
have no footprint in our state and local libraries or state and local
museums. Coincidentally, at a function, I met Dr. Rachael Storm, Curator of
Business and Industry at History Colorado Museum who is interested in
bringing into the Museum's collection, artifacts, and stories of the
contributions of people with disabilities in Colorado. For the last year, I
have been working with her to find artifacts and documents that complement
their collections.  

 

Last summer I gave the museum our Cornerstones book that highlighted the
NFBCO leaders from the early 1900s through today. I assisted in connecting
Dr. Storm with the Colorado Talking Book Library to ensure the timeline of
reading services to the blind and changes in reading and accessing the
printed word was included.

 

The museum is not interested in our minutes or newsletters as they are meant
more for a library. The History Colorado Museum is looking for artifacts and
documentation of the significance of the artifact. 

 

I went on a quest to find NFBCO artifacts or items of interest, used by the
blind to give to the museum. Going through shelves with President Beecham
and learning of a storage locker in the basement of the CCB, I found several
items. Some we sent to the tenBroek Library in Baltimore; many things were
of no interest to anyone but me. The bunch of picket signs in the corner was
another story. The tenBroek library most likely have more signs than they
need. We will never use them again. They make a great artifact for the
museum, so I picked three from the bunch and began the documenting of the
significance of the signs. 

 

Today, the NFBCO has added our picket signs from our demonstrations of 2012
that demanded minimum wage at Goodwill. Along with the signs we contributed
electronic folders that include labeled photographs from both demonstrations
in Colorado Springs and Denver. Another folder contained documents from the
demonstration such as our press release and Goodwill's response. Also
included is a file from 1980, a transcript of the testimony of Ruth Ashbey,
a former NFBCO president who worked at Colorado Industries for the Blind in
their home sewing program. Ruth describes how she made pennies on each item
while the items were sold for several dollars. Over more than twenty years,
she saw little in an increase in her pay while the price of the items she
sewed increased yearly in price. Where did the money go? Not to the blind
sheltered workers like Ruth.

 

Another set of documents tells when Denver passed an ordinance prohibiting
sub-minimum wage by any organization or business in Denver. 

 

There are so many more items we might add to our history either in the
virtual library or museums across the state. If you have items you think are
historical in value, please contact me, Peggy Chong at 303-745-0473. I would
love to discover a new find! 

 

Below is a photograph of Dr. Rachael Storm and Curtis Chong at the History
Colorado Museum. Dr. Storm is holding the picket sign between them. The sign
reads, CEO Salary $500,000, Workers Pay 20 cents. Behind them are several
Colorado Flags.

 



 

 

 

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