[nabs-l] Security in ourselves, acceptance in others

[Jedi]

Federationists have received death threats in the past; i can recall from my studies that Rammi Rabby and Dr. Jernigan did.

Respectfully,
Jedi

Sent from my iPhone

On May 28, 2011, at 12:47 AM, "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com> wrote:

> Darian:
> 
> WE of NFB often compare ourselves to African-americans because we consider
> ourselves, like them, to be a minority group within the larger society.
> Certainly, no one would argue that blind people were attacked with
> fire-hoses or lynched while trying to exercise their rights. I do know of
> plenty of instances when blind persons were arrested for refusing to move
> from exit-row seating to which they were legitimately assigned on airplanes
> and I know of one incident wherein a blind person was severely beaten for
> being a NFB member.
> 
> I believe there's a bit about this comparison in Dr. Jernigan's 1976 banquet
> speech, "Of visions and Vultures".
> 
> I appreciate your question to clarify the comparison.
> 
> Mike
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Darian Smith
> Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 10:23 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Security in ourselves, acceptance in others
> 
> Mike:
> African-Americans/blacks (however one choosses to term
> themselves)would not have been too keen on the idea based upon how
> they were treated by whites  up to that time.
>  It is curious that how    african-americans were treated is always
> one of the first ways we as blind  people choose to make our
> comparisons in our struggle  for first-class citizanship.  I wonder,
> were blind people  beatin and hosed down when they peacefully protest
> the unjust ways they were treated? Were  they lybnched?  Can we safely
> make those  comparisons?  unless  I am missing something (I could be,
> and it wouldn't be the first or last time I have), we  have some
> similarities with regards to civil rights, but largely our histories
> were quite different and  the scars, deaths,risks were felt on largely
> different levels.