[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1540

[David Houck]

February 17, 2016

Memo To:  Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents &
Others

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1540


Greetings Fellow Federationists:

 

              On Friday evening, February 12, Shelley and I had a wonderful
time attending the first annual Sweetheart Dance sponsored by the NFB of SC.
Approximately 56 individuals were in attendance and it was very apparent
everyone enjoyed all the festivities of the evening.  The Federation Center
was beautifully decorated with pink table cloths as well as cut out
Valentine hearts and a balloon bouquet on each table.  Individuals enjoyed a
delicious dinner after which time people appeared to be having fun listening
to the music, dancing or just talking with each other.  Door prizes were
handed out which greatly added to the festivities of the evening.  I would
like to thank Cliffton Reeves, a former NFB of SC scholarship recipient who
provided the music for the evening.  I would also like to thank Corey
Gibbons, Debra Canty’s son and his fiancé, Tanisha Woodson, for volunteering
their time to decorate the Federation Center.  Ms. Woodson also presented a
check to Debra Canty in the amount of $200 which greatly helped the NFB of
SC raise $1,100 in total proceeds from the dance.  A very special thanks
goes to Debra Canty, our Fundraising Chairperson and her committee for
putting together this event.  Many kudos for a job well done!  

              There continues to be a few chapters who have not submitted
their state dues for 2016.  Please send in your state dues as soon as
possible since the deadline for accepting dues was January 31.  When you
submit your state dues, please provide current contact information such as,
address, phone number and email address if you have one.  These things do
change and if we do not have updated information, we cannot keep you up to
date on what’s going on.  

              Jamie Allison, President of our Cherokee County Chapter and
State Board member has the following announcement: “The Randolph's Readers
Annual Braille Reading Contest was established at the School for the Blind
in 2013, at the discretion of the principal and through a committee of staff
members, reading specialists, and volunteers. The contest is held in memory
of the late Mrs. Terrie Randolph, who was the long-time Braille instructor
at the School for the Blind.  During the contest, all students and adults
who reside or work in the School for the Blind are invited to participate.
The objective is to read as many pages of Braille between the start and end
dates. Trophies and medals are awarded to the student readers with the
higher page totals. In the past, we have also been able to award a t-shirt
to all student readers. This year, the committee needs your help! The
student council has requested to raise funds through the Walker Foundation,
but the monies would not be available to use for this year's contest due to
the timing of the fundraiser. We would still like to offer t-shirts, medals,
and trophies to each and every deserving student. If you or your chapter
would be willing to make a small donation to this cause or to sponsor a
shirt for a student, the committee and the students will be eternally
grateful! The contest has become a point of pride and a positive motivator
for many of the students. It also puts the spotlight on Braille literacy and
the students who have learned to read Braille fluently. Thank you so much
for your time and attention to this matter!”  Shelley and I feel very
strongly in the importance of Braille literacy and we will be financially
assisting Jamie and her group with this worthwhile project.  If you or your
chapter wish to do the same, you can contact Jamie at (864) 489-3858.  

              The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is
not the characteristic that defines you or your future.  Every day, we raise
the expectations of blind people because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams.  You can live the life you want:
blindness is not what holds you back.  Joining me for comments in this
Positive Note is the President Emeritus of the NFB of SC.  Here is Dr.
Capps.  

              Virtually no one relishes jury duty but at the same time we
know it is a civic responsibility and no one wishes to be automatically
excluded and illegally denied a chance to serve.  In the early 1980’s I
received a call from a lady in our Charleston Chapter, the late Tootsie
Gatlin, who had been denied jury duty solely because of her blindness.  Mrs.
Gatlin had business experience and was quite capable of serving on a jury.
She reported that she received notice to serve on a jury but when she
arrived in the courtroom with her white cane, the judge told her that she
was being dismissed because of her blindness as he had observed her white
cane.  She pleaded her situation but the judge stood by his decision and she
had no choice but to leave the courtroom experiencing embarassment.  We
promptly took steps to assist Mrs. Gatlin and proceeded to secure the jury
law and amend it whereas the presiding judge could not deny jury duty solely
based upon blindness.  We did not actually feel we would be in a fight
concerning jury duty by the blind but it took four years to correct this
injustice.  Every year the jury bill would be passed by the Senate only to
have the House narrowly vote to kill the bill.  We learned that the Speaker
of the House, Bob Sheheen of Camden would get just enough of the House vote
to kill the legislation.  Opposition came from sources which were
surprising.  An African-American House member opposed the bill, and it did
no good to remind him his people had been denied jury duty in the past.  We
asked an Upstate Senator who happened to be blind to discuss this issue with
a House member who was opposing the bill.  It didn’t matter to the House
member that the Senator, although blind, served capably in the Senate and
practiced law well.  When he asked the House member if he would deny jury
duty to him, he replied, “Yes,” and the Senator called him a, “Damned fool.”
A blind lady in Camden attended an organizing meeting of the blind and was
stunned when I explained that the House Speaker Mr. Sheheen had been
opposing the jury bill for several years.  She gladly agreed to meet with
the Speaker as she knew him well, having taught him in School.  At the
appointed time we visited in the Camden office of the Speaker and after
explaining the bill we were displeased because of his opposition of the
bill.  The teacher asked him if I was correct and he replied, “Yes,” but he
responded he would no longer oppose the legislation.  When it came up for
another vote in the House, the bill passed; because of his elderly blind
teacher, Speaker Sheheen did not oppose the bill.  This one elderly blind
lady had rendered a great service to the blind, signaling the fact that a
blind person in a given situation can make all the difference.  Thus, let us
continue to serve our fellow blind, whether it be on an individual basis or
as part of a group.

 

Final Thought:  “Won't it be wonderful when black history and native
American history and Jewish history and all of U.S. history is taught from
one book. Just U.S. history.” - Maya Angelou

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbofsc_nfbnet.org/attachments/20160217/dd20e7ae/attachment.html>