[nfbmi-talk] Why Be a Part of the NFB?

Larry D Keeler lkeeler at comcast.net
Tue Jan 20 22:32:13 UTC 2015


Well Elizabeth I for one can give only my humble oppinion. I became part of 
the NFB to improve the status of blind people. My agenda is to fight for 
respect, jobs and the acceptance of guide dogs. NFB is made up of many 
people with different oppinions of how things should be. I have met many 
people who I don't entirely aggree with. But, I have also met a lot who I 
really respect. For example, you! I respect the fact that you are always 
willing to give your oppinion even though it may be not so popular. I 
experience many of the same frustrations that you do. I look forward to the 
few board meetings and conventions I have attended to help improve our 
condition and also to personally meet new people and forming bonds with 
them. I'm a firm believer in working with others and also learning about 
them. What other organization is working so hard for blind people? The only 
thing we can do is keepping on fighting for change! We need younge folks 
with new ideas and the energy to impliment them! i have a lot of things I'd 
like to change but, i certainly won't do it overnight! The best I can do is 
try and show what I want by setting an example myself.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Elizabeth Mohnke via nfbmi-talk" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2015 4:09 PM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Why Be a Part of the NFB?


> Hello List,
>
> Perhaps I should not be posting this in such a public forum, but I have so
> many questions about the NFB that I can never really seem to answer. 
> Trying
> to find the answers to these questions has only led to more frustration 
> and
> confusion. So I am just wondering, what the heck is the point of being a
> part of the NFB? Why should someone try to become a part of the NFB? And
> what good comes out of trying to be a part of the NFB?
>
> My overall experience with the NFB has been less than positive. I have 
> been
> trying to become a part of the NFB for about fifteen years now, and I have
> always felt as though I am somehow always on the outside looking in 
> wishing
> I could truly be a part of things but never really being a part of things.
> During these years I have worked really hard to be a part of the NFB, but 
> I
> feel as though all of my hard work was all for nothing given the way I am
> constantly being treated by people within the NFB. For the most part, the
> only real thing I have receive from the NFB is a lot of criticism 
> rejection,
> and negativity..
>
> When I first tried to join the NFB, I was told that the NFB was a great
> source of hope, encouragement, and inspiration for people like me who were
> losing their eyesight. I was also told that there were so many great role
> models within the NFB who could serve as mentors who would be willing to
> help support and guide people like me along their path in life. However, 
> the
> NFB has never really been any of these things for me, and I feel as though 
> I
> was led to believe in something that really does not exist.
>
> So what exactly is the NFB all about? Is it about all the bickering that
> goes on to see who can throw the worse insults at each other? Is it about
> forming special cliques that only keep others out? Is it about rejecting
> people from serving on a project because they have yet to become the 
> perfect
> blind person? Is it about tearing each other down with harsh words of
> criticism and insults? Is it about being the biggest man or woman in the
> room which justifiably gives you some reason to treat everyone else as if
> they are somehow less than you?
>
> This is what the NFB is to me. I think this is rather sad because I do not
> believe this is what the NFB is supposed to be. If you believe the NFB
> should not be this way either then I would encourage you to take a good 
> hard
> look at the way the NFB treats all of its members. I have been deeply hurt
> by all of the criticism and rejection I have received by the NFB, but as
> someone who has been shunned and ostracized from this organization, I am 
> not
> quite sure what more I can do to change the way NFB treats some of its
> members. The NFB should be willing to accept anyone who wants to be a part
> of it, and maybe by posting this message, someday this might actually 
> become
> a reality.
>
> Warm regards,
> Elizabeth
>
> _______________________________________________
> nfbmi-talk mailing list
> nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nfbmi-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/lkeeler%40comcast.net 





More information about the NFBMI-Talk mailing list