[Nfb-editors] Seeking diversity

[Mike Freeman]

Bridgit:

For starters, it seems to me that we already *are* reaching out as best we
can to gain a wider appreciation of our cause and to gain members.  That
more people aren't involved is, to some extent, a sign of the times.  Almost
every organization from the YMCA and YWCA to the NAACP to church groups to
political parties is reaching out for members and decries the fragmentation
of current society wherein people are doing their own thing on the Internet
or via Facebook and Twitter and find less and less time to join with others
in common endeavors.  WE are not unique.

Having said this, I consider it inevitable that trying actively to gain
members from other groups within society will inevitably mean a dilution of
our message, our goals and our principles.  Why should others join us unless
they expect to influence us?

In this connection, you ask what other groups of the disabled have heard of
us?  Have you not participated in councils dealing with specialized
transportation or dealt with other disability groups in conferences designed
to get everyone together or to ascertain what "people with disabilities
want" -- as if we have a common set of wants and needs.  For instance, I
have encountered envy and even hatred among groups of mobility-impaired
persons and groups of developmentally-disabled persons when we of NFB
refused to make it our policies to work toward the goals these other groups
espoused.  They just could not understand why we stuck to blindness issues.
Frankly, they wanted our expertise and advocacy skills to work for them.
When we offered to help them advocate for themselves, it wasn't good enough;
they wanted us to actively work on their issues.

I maintain that Dr. martin Luther King JR. began to lose effectiveness just
after the Selma March when he began to speak out against the Vietnam War and
against economic privation.  Both of these were worthy causes but they
diluted the punch of his civil rights movement.

Same thing with the national Organization for Women (NOW).  It was within
two states of adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment when it began to take
on causes such as women's reproductive rights and in so doing, they lost
ground so that I doubt the ERA will be adopted in this century.

We of NFB cannot afford such mistakes.  You say you're not advocating
changes in our goals or philosophy.  But if we are to remain democratic,
these cannot help but change when we bring in anybody and everybody.

I'm not advocating exclusivity; I merely say that diversity for diversity's
sake makes no sense.

Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 12:56 PM
To: nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfb-editors] Seeking diversity

Mike,

When I say I want to make the world better for everyone, I am not
suggesting we add non-blind related issues to our agenda.  I am not
asking us to become partisan toward any issue.  My comments are directed
specifically towards the Federation.

And you say our single-mindnesses is what makes us effective, and is
similar to other civil rights groups, but don't many of these civil
rights groups include a diverse group of people?  Not all, but many.
That is the point I am making.

I am not sure where you got the impression I am suggesting we focus on
issues and causes outside our own.  I never said this.  I simply am
calling us to seek a wide audience.  When was the last time a person
unaffiliated with the Federation approach you about becoming involved?
In my experience, very few non-blind people, or those not associated
with us, want any involvement.  They find aspects of our group
interesting, but they believe the organization as a whole holds no
interest for them in terms of involvement.

And you say we are the envy of many, but who?  Very people actually know
who the NFB is.  I work on campus with a wide variety of disabled people
and organizations, and most do not know who the NFB is.  Again, I am not
asking us to be promoting goals and concerns beyond our established
ones-- I just want a more diverse membership, period.  A broader
audience means a broader knowledge of who we are and what we do.

Again, I don't know where the idea came from that I want us to extend
our goals beyond Federation-specific goals.  I have said a diverse
membership, but I never said a diverse message-- in terms of non-blind
related issues.  These are two different things, and I never even
mentioned this.

And our primary goal to seek the complete intergration of the blind into
society on a basis of equality with the sighted, is what I am reaching
for here.

Broadening our audience, membership-- not our message-- will help
society to understand the capabilities of the blind.

As has been seen with legislation for disabled groups and other civil
rights groups, laws don't necessarily change mindsets, but incorporating
more of society into our organization allows our message to seep into
thinking which changes perceptions.

We certainly need to continue to draft and push legislative efforts, but
we also need to work on reaching out to the public-- not just the
blind-- and not just for educational purposes, but for membership
purposes too.

Again, I stress that I am not saying we don't "specialize" our message
and efforts, but you say it is better to stay in one corner of the
world-- I disagree.  Our message, our goals, yes, but we should be
marching out into our communities-- not just to inform, but reach out
and allow a wide group of people to be drawn into the organization.

I respect yours and Barbara's comments, but you have put words into my
mouth.  I never suggested, nor do I believe, we take on efforts and
goals not specific to the Federation.  I am not sure how seeking a
diverse membership translates into including goals and initiatives
unrelated to our own, or what we stand for.

Bridgit

Message: 4
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:31:59 -0700
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "'Correspondence Committee Mailing List'" <nfb-editors at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] [NFB-editors] Seeking diversity
Message-ID: <00ad01cbe514$a8e64140$fab2c3c0$@panix.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

I concur with Barbara.  One of the great strengths of the Federation is
its single-minded concentration on issues affecting the blind.  In this,
the Federation is unlike almost every other civil rights organization
and, in my view, it's one of the reasons why the Federation is so
effective and so often attains its legislative and other goals.  We are
the envy of many other organizations -- especially pan-disability
organizations.  They have a hard time grasping that our success is due
in good part to our stubborn, single-minded approach.

Another way to look at this is to realize that within NFB, there are
liberals and conservatives, Communists and tea-party activists.  The one
thing which unites us all is that we care about the blind and agree by
dint of resolutions on blindness issues on which we want to work.  Thus,
we have not taken a position on healthcare reform, tax code reform,
stimulus packages versus spending limits and a whole host of other
issues that affect all of us but that are not specific to blindness.
Any attempt to address any of these issues would result in acrimony and
divisiveness and would adversely affect our ability to make life better
for the blind.

Bridgit, you say you want not just to make life better for the blind but
to make life better for everyone.  In a word, go to it!  There's nothing
stopping you from participating in organizations dealing with other
issues dear to your heart.  In fact, I would maintain that participating
in other such organizations is the essence of Federationism since one of
the Federation's primary goals is the complete integration of the blind
into society on a basis of equality with the sighted.

Moreover, it has been the experience of the Federation over the years
that unless we are vigilant, when we work on causes with other
organizations or let others affect our decisions, we, the blind, get
lost in the shuffle since we are such a small minority.

Bridgit, I commend your idealism.  You want a better world.  So do we
all. But there are enough things in society to improve that if any one
organization tries to tackle them all, the result will be that nothing
improves.  Far better to specialize and make a difference in one's small
corner of the universe.

Mike Freeman


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