[nabs-l] Appreciating our roots

Mon May 3 02:05:36 UTC 2010

I think it is perhaps a stretch to say we won't exist in just 50 years, but I do think the purpose and philosophy will be very diluted at that point if something isn't done. I did bring it up to say that we have a responsibility to sea out information, but I do think the leadership needs to be more efficient at educating new comers. This is just speculation on my part, but I think part of the reason why the specifics and history of the philosophy stopped being pushed so hard is because the federation didn't want to scare off new members. While I think it is a poor approach to immediately yank away a cane that may be too short, or talk constantly of the "glory days" as soon as someone walks in the door, I think a better effort needs to be made at empowering and educating the membership as a whole.

Thanks for your thoughts,
Briley
On May 2, 2010, at 6:54 PM, Joe Orozco wrote:

> 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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