[Massachusetts-NFB] IMPORTANT: email changes and explanation

Fri Aug 14 18:11:55 UTC 2026

Hi again,

I suppose any change can theoretically be adjusted again in the future. It's possible that we try this new approach and then adjust later on if needed. I support Shara in this, but I also want to offer something that might be helpful, to anyone, in understanding where some of the reactions might be coming from.

There's something about the way we are raised in southern New England where we have a visceral reaction to the feeling that we are being silenced or that people might be maneuvering in a way that gives them tools to silence us later on. I don't think that Shara Winton is the kind of person who would do that, which is part of why I think Shara gets along well with people who are from southern New England.

Until I graduated high school, I lived all but two years of my life, kindergarten through second grade, in either Massachusetts or Connecticut. In both places, we take a lot of pride in what our ancestors or predecessors did to revolt against England and create a new and independent nation. Leading up to and during the American Revolution, the King tried in many ways to silence and prevent the communications of the people of Massachusetts very specifically. We fought back, and we won. If we grew up in this place, we grew up going on school field trips, attending birthday parties, or otherwise visiting the places where key historical events happened. We know that resisting those efforts to silence us are a core part of who we are in Massachusetts. I say this as a direct descendant of the Salisbury family that were the innkeepers in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in the 1620s. They weren't on the Mayflower, but they came right after it. At some level, it might be appropriate to say that the people of Massachusetts carry a kind of historical trauma that got baked into our identity as a people. This goes beyond the ways that blind people across the country have been silenced, which is real and is a big deal, and which led to the creation of the National Federation of the Blind.

I think we can trust the leadership that we have right now to use this power to gatekeep posts on the list to keep things organized. I also think that we need to be vigilant, as I am sure we will, to ensure that whoever holds this power in the future is using it in the ways that we want that power to be used. I've seen this go poorly in another NFB affiliate, and that affiliate technically has the same structure as what we say we have in Mass now. That other affiliate does not, however, have the values of the people of Massachusetts. If we all do our part, this structure can work the way that we want it to work.

Go Sox,

Justin

Justin MH Salisbury, MEd, NOMC, NCRTB
English Pronouns: He/Him/His
Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu<mailto:President at Alumni.ECU.edu>
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin_Salisbury<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin_Salisbury&source=gmail-imap&ust=1727538746000000&usg=AOvVaw3uZJqqJkT2wSVxJDa9dD7W>
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury&source=gmail-imap&ust=1727538746000000&usg=AOvVaw0XtyTG9WXXQ8TWe6UeU4Nz>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1786-2786

Recent Public Scholarship:
Salisbury, J. (2025). Defining and understanding the blind community<https://ojs.scholarsportal.info/ontariotechu/index.php/id/article/view/323>. Including Disability, 6.

"Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter."
Chinua Achebe

From: Jamal Mazrui <jamal.mazrui at outlook.com>
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2026 12:44 PM
To: NFB of Massachusetts E-mail List <massachusetts-nfb at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Justin Salisbury <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu>
Subject: RE: [Massachusetts-NFB] IMPORTANT: email changes and explanation

FYI, the NFB of Washington has an official NFB listserv, and so does the Seattle chapter. Anyone can post to them.

Jamal

From: Massachusetts-NFB <massachusetts-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:massachusetts-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org>> On Behalf Of Justin Salisbury via Massachusetts-NFB
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2026 9:09 AM
To: NFB of Massachusetts E-mail List <massachusetts-nfb at nfbnet.org<mailto:massachusetts-nfb at nfbnet.org>>
Cc: Justin Salisbury <PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu<mailto:PRESIDENT at alumni.ecu.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Massachusetts-NFB] IMPORTANT: email changes and explanation

Hi Shara,

Since I was not at the meeting, I don't know about all of the emotions involved or the actual changes that are being implemented. I hope that it's okay for me to ask about it here.

What are the changes that will be implemented?

Since I've bounced around the country a fair bit, I've seen different things in different affiliates. I can tell you that I have lived in one state where the affiliate has no email list to which members are all allowed to post, and the email list is essentially an announce-only list where the president themselves gets to send all of the messages that get shared within the affiliate. If the president is sick, there's no email method. I don't know where the plans are headed for the Massachusetts affiliate email list, but I hope that we aren't headed toward that. In my opinion, it unnecessarily stifles the process of dreaming up new ideas and learning about the things we do as an organization in the affiliate that has it that way.

With that said, I hope I'm not critiquing the very plan that you had in mind.

Go Sox,

Justin

Justin MH Salisbury, MEd, NOMC, NCRTB
English Pronouns: He/Him/His
Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu<mailto:President at Alumni.ECU.edu>
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin_Salisbury<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Justin_Salisbury&source=gmail-imap&ust=1727538746000000&usg=AOvVaw3uZJqqJkT2wSVxJDa9dD7W>
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury&source=gmail-imap&ust=1727538746000000&usg=AOvVaw0XtyTG9WXXQ8TWe6UeU4Nz>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1786-2786

Recent Public Scholarship:
Salisbury, J. (2025). Defining and understanding the blind community<https://ojs.scholarsportal.info/ontariotechu/index.php/id/article/view/323>. Including Disability, 6.

"Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter."
Chinua Achebe

From: Massachusetts-NFB <massachusetts-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:massachusetts-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org>> On Behalf Of Shara Winton via Massachusetts-NFB
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2026 10:55 AM
To: 'NFB of Massachusetts E-mail List' <massachusetts-nfb at nfbnet.org<mailto:massachusetts-nfb at nfbnet.org>>
Cc: sharawinton at gmail.com<mailto:sharawinton at gmail.com>
Subject: [Massachusetts-NFB] IMPORTANT: email changes and explanation

Hello Beautiful NFB Family and Friends,
I want to take a moment to address some of the discussion that took place during our recent Cambridge Chapter meeting. There was a tremendous amount of conversation, and I know that some of you left the meeting with concerns, while others may have felt discouraged or deflated by what took place.
Please know that, as always, my first and foremost responsibility is to advocate for, support, and protect our members as much as possible. Sometimes, making decisions that I believe are in the best interest of our organization may be uncomfortable or may not please everyone, and I understand that.
I also want to sincerely apologize for not giving everyone more advance notice about the changes to our email list. The situation developed much more quickly than I anticipated, and, quite honestly, I was caught a little off guard myself by how quickly everything came together.
Over the past year, we have received many concerns that our email list has become overwhelming and difficult to keep up with. We have also experienced an increase in spam and other unwanted messages. In addition, there have been occasions when a member, believing they were replying to only one individual, unintentionally shared personal information with the entire list. Once that information is sent, we cannot take it back, and it can potentially compromise someone's privacy, confidentiality, and even personal safety.
Our email list also includes many people who are not currently members but are interested in learning more about the NFB, as well as donors, agencies, media representatives, and other friends and supporters of our organization. Because of this, we have a responsibility to be thoughtful about what information is shared broadly.
After speaking with and seeking guidance from other leaders within the National Federation of the Blind, I came to the difficult conclusion that we need to place some reasonable limits on what can be shared through our affiliate-wide email list.
I want to be very clear: this is not personal, nor is it directed at any one individual or small group of individuals. This decision is about protecting the privacy and safety of our members, reducing unnecessary email traffic, and creating a more comfortable and manageable communication environment for our affiliate as a whole.
I truly hope that you will receive this decision in the spirit in which it is intended-with care, respect, and a genuine desire to do what is best for all of us.
We are a family, and families do not always agree. But we can continue to listen to one another, give one another grace, and work together toward something bigger than any one of us.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and most importantly, thank you for your understanding, compassion, and continued commitment to the National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts.
With appreciation and love,
Shara

Shara Winton
President, National federation of the Blind of Massachusetts
www.nfbma.org<http://www.nfbma.org/>
sharawinton at gmail.com<mailto:sharawinton at gmail.com>
617-304-0347

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