[nabs-l] Appreciating our roots

Sun May 2 23:54:15 UTC 2010

Briley,

I don't know how many people actually read my series of action plan posts.
I'm wrapping it up anyway just to finish my ramblings, and it's funny that
you mention roots because it's basically the foreground of what I have to
contribute.  Yet, I am not convinced the blame rests squarely on our
generation.  Actually, it is my theory that the older generation is almost
completely responsible for our sense of complacency.  I believe the National
Center has saturated the work of the organization so much with fundraising
and technological design that everyday philosophy has been forgotten.  It is
my personal belief that our philosophy has become more the banner than the
engine, and at this rate I do not believe the NFB will exist in 50 years,
maybe sooner.  Outrageous?  Of course it is, but considering the source, are
you surprised?  More later, but I'm glad the subject came up.

Best,

Joe

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing 

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org 
[mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Briley Pollard
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 7:31 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Appreciating our roots

I do think our generation in many ways has a sense of 
entitlement. I think a better understanding of our history and 
our purpose as an organization will better define that line 
between entitlement and creating a level playing field. To whom 
much is given, much is required, and I think people all too 
often forget that.

Briley
On May 2, 2010, at 5:23 PM, David Andrews wrote:

> As an old-timer, thank you!  It is important to remember that 
our ceiling is your floor.  What you can take for granted is 
what we had to fight for!
> 
> And ... we came from a time that was in some ways simpler, 
but where we asked for as little as possible.  We will not ever 
be as comfortable as your generation with asking for some 
stuff.  We also feel somewhat like there is an entitlement 
attitude, and people are not as self sufficient as they need to 
be in the real world.
> 
> Dave
> 
> At 03:35 PM 5/2/2010, you wrote:
>> Good afternoon all,
>> 
>> I am writing to open up a topic of conversation which I feel 
is to often overlooked in our organization; our history as a 
movement. I've grown up in this organization, and admittedly 
didn't fully understand our history until about a month ago 
when I began digging a little deeper.
>> 
>> The federation has always been an important force in my 
life, and has shaped my views about my blindness, even during 
the periods where I wasn't actively involved. I always heard 
about what great leaders we've had, and was exposed to tidbits 
of information at state conventions or national events. But 
most of the focus has always been on the here and now, which is 
understandable to a point. It is vital that we understand the 
obstacles that the blind community as a whole faces on a daily 
basis, and how the federation is responding to them. However, 
life events have spurred me on to discover more about our 
roots. I'll keep the story short for brevity's sake, but it has 
a point which I think is important, so stay with me.
>> 
>> I am dating someone who has never been actively involved 
with any of the blindness consumer organizations. He recently 
realized his need for further training, and that lead him to 
ask me my reasons for being a federationist. He began asking me 
questions about how the federation began, how the philosophy 
developed, and how the rehabilitation views of the NFB evolved. 
I found myself unable to answer a lot of his questions, and was 
disappointed in myself. I knew vague details about Dr. 
Jernigan's involvement with the Iowa Commission for the Blind, 
and something about airplane issues in the 70's and 80's, but 
beyond that, my historical knowledge of the NFB was supremely 
limited. After discussing this with some of my friends in the 
organization, I found that the problem wasn't just with me. I'm 
on the board of our local chapter, and it became apparent to me 
after out last meeting that this is a widespread problem. We 
have lost touch with our past, and that is never good. Roots 
are vital to the life of any tree, and without them, we wouldn't exist.
>> 
>> I began to dig, which isn't hard to do. Nationals has done 
an amazing job of making our history available to us. 
www.nfb.org is a gold mine of information, even some of the 
parts that are hard to see. Issues of the Braille Monitor are 
available online going back 25 years, and important speeches 
are available in both text and recorded form going back before 
that. I have found myself appalled by the discrimination that 
blind people faced even just twenty years ago. The fortitude it 
took to get out there every day and command respect from a 
sighted public is not just commendable, but amazing to me.
>> 
>> I think that sometimes, the youth of this organization 
accuse the older generation of the federation of being too 
"militant," or "confrontational." While I do not always agree 
with how the older generation has approached some issues, when 
you really dig and read about what they had to indoor just to 
be able to do things we take for granted today, you develop a 
greater respect for their views and approach. We still have a 
long way to go in some respects, but we have come far, and I 
think we've lost respect for our past.
>> 
>> I encourage everyone to sea out and understand the 
beginnings and progress our movement has made over the past 70 
years. You will be amazed, and it will make you really 
understand, respect, and love this organization. I have had my 
share of frustrations with the organization over the years. But 
I must admit that I am so proud to be a part of the NFB, not 
just for what it has meant to me, but what it has done even 
before I was born to insure that I can live and work in a world 
where I am seen as an equal with my sighted peers. No 
organization is perfect because no person is perfect. But we 
must all remember to appreciate this community we have, built 
upon a solid foundation provided by many generations of blind 
people before us, tirelessly working to show that blindness 
should not limit our life choices.
>> 
>> Let's all make a greater effort to know and appreciate our 
history. We will all be better for it.
>> 
>> Best,
>> Briley
> 
> 
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