[NFBF-Tampa] NBBF History Project

[danjhicks at gmail.com]

NFBF HISTORY PROJECT

 

Greetings fellow Federation members, 

 

The National Federation of the Blind was founded almost 80 years ago. If you
have been a member of the NFB for any length of time at all, you know that
the organization has has a long and eventful history, and that the
organization celebrates that history. 

 

We members of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida share that
history, of course, but we also have a truly fascinating and engaging
history of our own. We want to preserve that history for the years and
decades to come. But, to do that, this history must first be captured and
recorded and displayed for all to see. This is a project to which we can all
contribute.

 

The National Federation of the Blind of Florida was founded in 1970. Tlhat
means, when we all attend the 2020 NFBF State Convention, the affiliate will
be 50 years old. Think of it - fifty years of the National Federation of the
Blind of Florida. A lot of people have been involved with our organization
through all of those years. Some of them have passed on. But many of us are
still here and we all have stories to tell. 

 

NFBF President Denise Valkema has tasked me with creating a presentation of
or NFBF history for our 50th annual convention in 2020. This is an exciting
project, but I cannot do it alone. I will need your help. 

 

I believe that the model that best suits the preservation of our story is
the oral history. Our project will mostly be in written form, but the model
still describes what we hope to accomplish.   

 

What I wish you to contribute are your memories, your stories, and your
accounts of the NFBF. Think back to your experiences with the organization.
Try to put a date on it and then write it up, short or long, in your own
style. 

 

You can send them directly to me at:  <mailto:history at nfbflorida.org>
history at nfbflorida.org or  <mailto:danjhicks at gmail.com> danjhicks at gmail.com
or you can post them to:  <mailto:NFBF-L at nfbnet.org> NFBF-L at nfbnet.org or
reply to this post. Whichever addresses you use, please put the word
"history" (without the quotes, of course) in the subject line to make sure I
see it. Try to give your memory a date, either precise or approximate, so we
know about when it took place. If you are not sure, we can probably figure
it out. 

 

I don't want to limit your ideas or submissions, but start thinking about
writing paragraphs on such topics as:

 

"I first heard of the NFB (or the NFBF) when.."

 

"The first time I met [person] was [where] and [when]..."

 

"My first chapter meeting was."

 

"I thought, These NFBF people must be crazy until."

 

"The first time the NFBF helped me achieve a goal was."

 

"The first time I was able to help another blind person do something was."

 

"My first NFB (or NFBF) convention was in [year] and / or [city] and these
were my first impressions."

 

"The first NFB (or NFBF) banquet speech that really got to me was."

 

"I knew the NFBF was my kind of organization when..."

 

Again, you don't have to start with any of these, or you can use several of
them. It is up to you. We just need you to share your memories. 

 

If you have pictures, videos, or sound files, please attach them or send a
link also. (If attaching a file, it is best to send your memory to
<mailto:history at nfbflorida.org> history at nfbflorida.org or
<mailto:danjhicks at gmail.com> danjhicks at gmail.com, as I think the email list
may scrub them.)

 

Once your memories start coming in, we will put them in some kind of order
and post them to a blog so that everyone can see what everyone else has
done. This should trigger even more memories from more and more people,
including accounts of individual events that differ in perspective. 

 

If you have any questions, please address them to one of the email addresses
listed above, and, again, include "History" in the subject line.  

 

I look forward to your submissions and your memories. 

 

Dan Hicks

NFBF History Project Chairperson

 

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