[nabs-l] Appreciating our roots. And, examining the tree and the forest

[Steve Jacobson]

I've been following this thread for some time with interest as there are some good points of discussion.  Now that the 
discussion has touched my home state, I feel some obligation to comment, hopefully in a way that helps all of us learn 
something.

Kevin, if I read your message correctly, I think you are trying to make some valid points that people within a group do 
come together as subgroups to get certain jobs done.  I am concerned about what apparently happened to you 
yesterday, though.  I was not present after our convention here yesterday having to leave early because of senior prom 
activities.  However, I did try to check with a few others who were in attendance.  It has been a long tradition for people 
to go out to a restaurant after Metro Chapter meetings here in Minnesota and sometimes after conventions.  Some here 
will not know that our convention here yesterday was what we call a "semiannual" convention and is a one day meeting 
and was held at the building we own jointly with BLIND Incorporated.  Since there is no banquet at this meeting, there 
was a group who decided to go out to eat after the convention adjourned just as happens after Metro Chapter meetings.  
These have never been invitation only activities, and I am told that was the case yesterday as well.  Generally, though, 
a reservation is made at the destination restaurant and it is necessary to get a count of everyone who is interested in 
going.  There is usually a good sized crowd in the lobby of our building when this is done, and people generally call out 
that they are interested in going.  If someone who attends regularly is not heard, there is usually an attempt to determine 
if that person is going to get an accurate count.  I suppose this could be seen as an invitation to someone who is not 
part of this process, but Kevin, you have gone out after a chapter meeting with us before.  I am a little surprise to see 
this come up in a national forum, therefore.  I also understand that there was some confusion surrounding this for 
someone yesterday involving a scheduled ride.  , and because this is an informal event, there are probably things about 
it that could be handled better, but portraying it as is done here is not accurate.  There is a lot to planning a convention, 
and there has to be some advanced planning.  There is going to be decisions made that affect how an issue is 
presented to a convention at times, and this will sometimes involve a judgement call on the part of the leadership.  
However, it is really pretty hard to not have something presented at a convention if a significant number of people want 
it presented.  Still, I'm not sure what breakfast is being referenced.  If there is something that could help us avoid the 
feeling of exclusion you had, please let us know.

>From where I stand, we are having to engage in quite a complex balancing act in the Federation.  Many of us who came 
through the 70's and 80's did experience much that brought us closer together.  We felt that the course we chose on 
many events was the only course open to us.  While it helped us grow, it was also very polarizing, and placed some of 
our members in very difficult positions.  It became evident to many of us that carrying signs and picketing were important 
tools in getting our message heard, but it also became evident that would get us only so far.  We need to be able to hire 
legal assistance of high quality when our rights are threatened.  We need to have an impact on research that effects by 
assisting in that research.  We are doing this now in a way we couldn't have begun to do twenty-five years ago.  
However, this has also made us more than a grass roots consumer group.  It puts stress on us as an organization and as 
members.  We need to be more than a grass roots consumer group and we need to be more than a faceless agency.  
This takes funds and it also takes the work of our membership.  It means that newer members need to learn what we 
are, what we have tried, what has worked and what has not.  This takes time to learn.  One man's long meeting is 
anothers attempt to try to impart years of experience, failures, and successes.  It is frustrating to have someone tell you 
that you should do this or that without even taking the time to find out that you are already doing it or why it didn't work.  
We need to listen to new ideas, too, but those presenting them have a responsibility to make the case well enough to 
show their value.  Too often, opinions are expressed and when people don't immediately jump on their particular 
bandwagon, they blame the system rather than the idea itself or the way it was presented.  This organization has 
changed and will continue to change because it is necessary to achieve our goals, but it won't be necessarily for any of 
us.  However, sharing the load will make the load easier to carry than fighting over it.

On Sat, 8 May 2010 21:57:13 -0500, Kevin Fjelsted wrote:

>I am wondering if there isn't a natural tendency to form tribes groups
>and sub groups within an organization to get things done.
>Although I wasn't involved directly with NFB in the middle 80's I
>remember the incredible work that was done by NFB which was certainly
>equivalent to other fights to over come injustice and obtain equal
>rights. THis fight was pertaining to the airlines and certainly must
>have been a time of close clustering for those involved at the time.
>THere was a local fight in Minnesota pertaining to a theme park which
>would not let Blind people ride on theme park rides.
>THere was another fight in Minnesota pertaining to the need for
>BLindness Training that was responsive to the real needs of blind
>people not an organization that was self serving.
>In all these movements people had to take sides. Lines were drawn.
>People needed to know who was committed to stand with them.

>I contrast those memories with recent experiences that may illustrate
>my point more directly.
>I attended a local state convention last year in which I had made a
>personal goal to begin to try and integrate myself into NFB because I
>too wanted to learn more about how I could be involved in helping to
>make a difference as part of a team.
>Since I had not been involved in the various struggles and roots of
>the local organization I was not let in and learned very quickly that
>although there was a public convention there was a private convention
>consisting of dinners informal meetings breakfasts&. which was where
>the real work and sharing occurred.

>I attended another local convention today and observed the very same
>thing happening. After the main convention a grip of people who are
>more senior in the organization choose to invite some people to group
>with them for after hours meetings a dinner and more intimate sharing.

> Although there may be an overall organization

> for NFB with a mission a culture a membership goal and the like the
>true work will always get done by those who are on deck for a certain
>activity. THen as the activities evolve those who were committed when
>things were tough will have a natural defensive mechanism which will
>create a tribe, group or cluster that resists letting new people in.

>Interestingly enough those new people who wish to integrate may end up
>starting there own splinter tribes chiefly because the existing tribes
>won't let them in.
> At the same time the existing tribes will be scratching there heads
>wondering how to mentor the new people and then really scratching
>there heads about why those new people are starting there own groups
>and having to learn all over again what it means to be part of NFB
>without the help of the experienced ones.
>-Kevin


>On 5/8/10, Harry Hogue <harryhogue at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Joe,
>> I so
>>  Completely agree with your post , particularly concerning making people
>> feel bad for not attending training centers (as if they are somehow
>> lacking).  I have noticed that it is more or less assumed, in some cases,
>> that if someone is blind and has not gone to a training center (NFB or not),
>> then they are necessarily less competent, etc.  I have always said that life
>> is what you make of it, and the most value you gain from any experience, be
>> that at a training center or through living life in its various stages, is a
>> different perspective.  It is said that there cannot possibly be any new
>> ideas, as all of the ideas have already been thought of by someone before
>> you.  In this case, a new idea is not what is needed (do this, don't do
>> that, and so forth), but a new perspective.  Change your perspective and you
>> will change your world.
>>
>> It may sound selfish to some, but I say if you first live for yourself and
>> then live to help others you will be on the right track, because you are no
>> good to anyone if you are not first comfortable within your own skin, and
>> first take care of your needs.  No organization should become your life,
>> whether that it religious, advocacy, or what have you.  You should have your
>> family, your profession (work) life, and then things about which you are
>> passionate (cancer groups, NFB, helping children, etc).  This should fall in
>> with this category.  If blindness is a characteristic, then I am going to
>> live my life to show this; it makes me very angry when people make out like
>> I am responsible to all blind people in the world to raise money, promote
>> this or that program, and so forth.  And, I have to freely admit that part
>> of this is the fact that I do not like anything which resembles
>> unquestioning obedience or fellowship -- that is to say, I take what I need
>> from such things and leave the rest.  I do not hold as closely to the church
>> of my childhood for this reason, but that is a discussion for another time.
>> The same is with the NFB.  We are never told where they get their
>> statistics, but are just expected to accept them unquestioningly as true and
>> accurate.  Once I got in college and began to question things around me, I
>> realized how ridiculous many things are in the world, and religion was one
>> (again, different discussion, as it has absolutely no relevance here), and
>> that led me to think about how so many people never question what they are
>> taught, and just accept it with no proof.  The other thing is this:
>> organizations love buzzwords.  They love to throw them around, and they
>> write their literature, deliver their speeches, and promote their programs
>> with the clear message that they, and they alone have the answer and are
>> right, and anyone who disagrees is stupid.  This is a common thread with
>> organizations/religious groups, if you notice.  The point I want to
>> emphasize is the "we have the answers," part.  My basic thing I like to
>> remember about people is this:  Everyone thinks they're right, everyone
>> knows best, everyone always has the answer, and no one can disagree or
>> you're stupid.  This goes for individuals as well as groups.  And, then
>> again, maybe I'm just scinical, bitter, and all the rest of it.  But these
>> are only my thoughts.
>>
>> Thanks for your time.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of Joe Orozco
>> Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 11:40 PM
>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list'
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Appreciating our roots. And, examining the tree and
>> the forest
>>
>> Dear Heather and all,
>>
>> A well-written, thought-provoking post as always.  Yet I have to confess it
>> was one of those messages where I heartily agreed with certain points and
>> completely disagreed with others.
>>
>> Your message says that what happens in our community is up to us regardless
>> of what the national office decides to build or how it decides to spend its
>> money.  Unfortunately, even in the Christian church example you provide,
>> local branches, or in our case local chapters, cannot exist as independent
>> operations with little regard for the customs, norms and influence promoted
>> by the central body.  People in the NFB are asked to give up their free time
>> to attend meetings, to volunteer between meetings, to make donations, and to
>> budget for expensive trips to conventions across the state and across the
>> country.  In a perfect world the warmth and camaraderie of one's own
>> community would be enough to satisfy one's need to know to what end their
>> time is being invested.  Yet local chapters review presidential releases.
>> Veteran members strongly encourage freshmen to attend conventions, and the
>> freshmen and the curious succumb to these activities because it is human
>> nature to want to learn and do more.  Modern technology makes it impossible
>> to settle for small-town satisfaction.
>>
>> This in of itself is not anything negative.  The national conventions are
>> large enough to accommodate individual interests.  The problem comes into
>> play when the national body leans on state affiliates to produce more than
>> what the state affiliates can produce.  What happens at the national level
>> very much impacts local communities, because ultimately it is up to the
>> general membership to help bring in the money to build what the national
>> office wants.  I do not buy into the belief that major decisions are
>> dictated by convention resolutions, many of which are not fulfilled, but the
>> level of tilted demand and fractured communication between the national
>> office and state affiliates are one reason we witness incidents like the New
>> Hampshire affiliate collapse.  New Hampshire is the rare exception, but how
>> many other New Hampshires are there in our midst?
>>
>> You make the excellent point that what the organization looks like in fifty
>> years will largely depend on what we as individuals choose to contribute.
>> That's an interesting proposal.  I came into the organization almost nine
>> years ago, made a lot of noise, discovered that the best way to be heard was
>> to do the hard work, did the hard work so that I could give my complaints a
>> foundation, and even after some of my better efforts discovered that
>> diligent service only carries you so far.  In my case, I could genuinely
>> care less if people like me as an individual so long as the ideas I propose
>> to help blind people as a whole are given a fair audience.  Hard work, it
>> seemed, was only appreciated so long as I followed the party line.
>> Conventions are the place to debate decisions, and any debate between
>> conventions is just unthinkable.  Well, when it came to deciding whether I
>> would spend my time developing my professional aspirations or devoting my
>> time to an organization that only showed conditional appreciation for my
>> talents, the choice wasn't that difficult.
>>
>> Since only 10 percent of the people actually carry out the work of the
>> organization, where does that leave those of us who want to help the NFB but
>> are not passionate enough about the blindness movement to devote the hours
>> necessary to make a real difference?  I, for instance, have other
>> aspirations.  I want to work with troubled youth and victims of human
>> trafficking, and I have to try to make time in a day to volunteer in those
>> areas after I finish my full-time job and run my communications company.
>> Does this somehow make my opinions less than worthy because I am not giving
>> the organization 100 percent of my devotion?  This logic, to me, suggests
>> that if you are blind, you would be wrong not to belong to the NFB and pull
>> your full weight.  Not all cancer survivors devote the balance of their
>> lives to finding a cure.  Moreover, what good is believing in the philosophy
>> if you do not exercise the philosophy in the areas that interest you most?
>>
>> I may very well be tuned into the wrong channel, but from where I'm sitting
>> and the conversations I'm tapping into, people trip over themselves to
>> complain about this or make fun of that, youth and adults alike, but hold
>> them accountable in a public forum and it's all about amen to the glory of
>> the NFB.  Give credit where credit is due, but we really will not survive if
>> we only know how to give unquestioning allegiance to the people in power.
>> The NFB has historically questioned authority and raised a call to action to
>> change that with which it did not agree.  I take it the same cannot be said
>> about internal calls for improvements?
>>
>> If only fully committed members are valued, then I guess I know where the
>> door is.  Maybe there really is no one patient enough to tame this weapon.
>> Yet there is still the matter of the people yet to be brought in.  These are
>> people who are unfortunately made to feel less than perfect if they do not
>> attend one of our training centers.  These are people who are made to feel
>> less loyal if they do not use one of our long canes.  These are people who
>> are not deemed "normal" if their personal habits, social skills and
>> philosophies do not mesh with our own.  As an example, one weekend I was at
>> a leadership seminar at the National Center.  A well-known student
>> accidentally dropped their plate in the dining room at dinner time.  The
>> student was mortified not because they had dropped their plate, but because
>> they had dropped their plate in the presence of other blind people in the
>> highly esteemed National Center.  I mean, so much for all this nonsense
>> about how the National Center is supposed to be our house.  I guarantee that
>> if anyone from this list ever set foot into my home, you would never be made
>> to feel as awkwardly uncomfortable as the National Center has the ability to
>> make people feel.  I felt so incredibly bad for the student in question but
>> could honestly not think of what to say to make them feel better.
>>
>> It's arrogance in almost its purest form.  I'm an arrogant guy and
>> appreciate the mentality, but the organization cannot afford to be so
>> condescending to the people who do not purchase the whole cow, not when the
>> organization chooses to isolate itself from other cross disability groups
>> and thinks its methods of doing things are better than even other blindness
>> organizations.  I think I could count the number of times the NFB has
>> partnered up with other groups to send a message.
>>
>> And so here we are.  I feel good about the service I provided to the NFB in
>> my more active years.  I fully intend to use my resources to try to help
>> divisions, affiliates and local chapters expand their operations as soon as
>> I can give the project proper attention, but to be honest, I do it because I
>> care about the people more than I care about the organization and its
>> doctrine.  Somewhere along the way banquet speeches weren't enough to
>> mobilize my efforts, and at the moment the only thing the NFB can offer me
>> is the opportunity to raise money for projects with no short-term benefits
>> to the people who genuinely need help getting educated and employed.  My
>> hard-earned dollars seem to be better spent on hungry families in Washington
>> DC by way of my church.
>>
>> I believe the NFB will fade away in due course not because there will no
>> longer be a need for proper advocacy on behalf of the blind.  Rather, it
>> will fade away because the up and coming generation will figure out that it
>> can accomplish what the NFB wants to achieve and then some, and be more
>> inclusive about it.  As Heather pointed out, this generation is not a
>> generation of joiners.  The ones who do make it their life's work to help
>> the blind need only come up with one good alternative to make both the NFB
>> and ACB irrelevant, only, one, alternative.
>>
>> Joe Orozco
>>
>> "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 H. Field
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2010 8:38 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Appreciating our roots. And,examining the
>> tree and the forest
>>
>> Hi all,
>> It is very easy to blame generalised groups. "The older generation",
>> "leadership", "fund-raising" and so on. However, the real truth about
>> the growth and education of this organisation, the NFB, is the same as
>> it is for all similar groups. To demonstrate what I'm referring to,
>> let me take a moment to share what we can learn from other similar
>> groups. One such similar group is the Christian church. I have read of
>> how some other religious groups, and some sporting groups and clubs
>> which function the same.  But, for the purposes of this post, I want
>> to use a group that most of us have had some experience with at some
>> time or other.
>>
>> Many studies have been done over the years about how various Christian
>> churches, grow and maintain, their membership and perform their work.
>> Without fail, the results of the studies show that churches gain and
>> keep new members wehn people are personally invited by a personal
>> friend or relative. People continue to stay at a particular church and
>> get involved in the work of their church because they are mentored,
>> discipled personally by other members of the church.
>>
>> This is the simple truth. People join a Christian church of choice,
>> get involved in church work, and promote that particular philosophical
>> interpretation of the Bible which their church adheres to because of
>> the personal factor.  All the studies show that personal invitation by
>> friend/family member, personal mentoring, and opportunity to serve are
>> the tree factors in the growth and maintenance of a church. Training
>> classes, media advertising, door knocking and "sales pitches" by
>> strangers, and other publicity events such as having a booth at a
>> local fair, will bring in a very small percentage of people of whom a
>> smaller percentage actually stay. so, if you want to know what works
>> there it is.
>>
>> I have been a chapter president and I know what it is like to try to
>> get the work of the organisation done. It is not as simple as saying
>> that the leadership or the older generation are letting young people
>> down. The nfb exists within a society and any meaningful assessment of
>> the organisation must be made in the social context in which it
>> operates. Some current social trends in first world countries are
>> worth considering.
>>
>> 1. Generations since the Baby-boomers are much less inclined to do
>> volunteer work.
>> 2. Post Baby-boomer generations are much less inclined to join, and
>> commit to groups such as service clubs, The Red Cross etc.
>> 3. The pressure for women to work outside of the home leaves less
>> leisure time for social group involvement.
>> 4. The number of disability groups vying for public attention is much
>> larger in this century than the last. Factors causing this include the
>> incredible advances in medical competence, the development of
>> technology to sustain life longer, and the success of the civil rights
>> movement which has put the disability community out of institutions
>> and into the public arena. This means more people to consume finite
>> resources such as jobs, government assistance programmes and volunteer
>> transportation assistance.
>> 5. A blindness specific social factor is the decentralisation of
>> education for blind students. Many more blind children are growing up
>> with minimal and marginal contact with formal groups of and/or for the
>> blind. This means that networking on a personal basis is more
>> difficult and, ironically, that attitudes against accepting the
>> respectability of blindness are harder to influence.
>> 6. The largest and fastest growing group of blind people in the
>> western world are adults over 65 years of age.
>>
>> The world in which the current NFB is functioning is vastly different
>> from the one that existed when it began, and even from the nineteen
>> nineties. Yes, many of the things Doctor Jernigan told us to strive
>> for in his speeches have not yet been achieved, but the reasons why
>> are much more complex than simply saying the organisation has focused
>> on fund-raising or centralising programmes. A far better approach is
>> to begin with one's self and look at what one has personally done to
>> increase the influence and effectiveness of the organisation. Whatever
>> the national leadership decide to spend or build, what happens in my
>> town is up to me and my blind and sighted friends who believe the NFB
>> philosophy and live it as best we can. Local chapters are the mouth
>> and arms and legs of the organisation. It is in local chapters that
>> new people receive words of welcome and empowerment, hugs of
>> encouragement and affirmation, friends and mentors to walk alongside
>> them and visit them at home and teach them skills and hope for a
>> better life. I ask myself how many new people I have brought to
>> meetings after reaching out and getting to know them. Do I attend all
>> my chapter meetings and events and make a difference by my physical
>> presence? What have I done to reach out to other blind people? It can
>> be a sobering experience if you are willing to sit down and ask
>> yourself the hard questions.
>>
>> I began with the observation that  reliable studies show that it is
>> person to person outreach and mentoring/discipling that brings new
>> members to social organisations. I will close by sharing another two,
>> scientifically varified facts about the successful functioning of
>> groups like the NFB.
>> 1. Between 9 and 12 percent of the membership are willing and able to
>> take on leadership positions.
>> 2. Roughly ten percent of the people do roughly 90 percent of the
>> work. Generally, the remaining membership attend sporadically, work
>> occasionally and talk.  and, I would assume in these days of
>> techological communication, e-mail, text and twitter.
>>
>> What people are prepared to actually, do. in their community will
>> determine what the NFB looks like and what it is doing in fifty years.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Heather Field
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Briley Pollard" <brileyp at gmail.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2010 9:05 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Appreciating our roots
>>
>>
>> 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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>-- 
>Kevin Fjelsted
>B Harris, Inc.
>http://www.bharrisinc.com
>kevin.fjelsted at bharrisinc.com
>http://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinfjelsted
>Phone:   612.424.7333 EX. 301
>Direct:  612.424.7332

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