[NFBSF] I want to pay my dues via Venmo! Hi, everyone: I would like to pay my dues via Venmo, but I have lost Sarah‘s Venmo name. Sarah, would you please send it to me or could someone else help me? By the way, the NFB endorsed black lives matter. Why isn’t it endorsing Medicare for all and universal basic income? Why isn’t the NFB demanding substantive relief for both individuals and small businesses? Aren’t those the greater priorities for this entry right now, which affect everyone including blind and visually impaired Americans? The majority of Americans want Medicare for all, both Democrats and Republicans. Our healthcare system is a failure. We have received absolute crumbs when it comes to any kind of relief, well corporations have been bailed out to the tunes of trillions of dollars! How can we in the NFB just sit here and not say anything? I think that we need to talk about this as a chapter, as a state, and Nationally! The American Council of the blind is equall

[Daveed Mandell]

I am saying that people are hypocrites if they claim to support black lives matter, but do not support other very serious economic and public health priorities. It is not enough just to support black life matters. All of our lives matter right now. Black lives matter should continue to be supported and American descendants of slavery should receive reparations. But right now, due to depression depression that we are facing in this country. We need a multi racial, multi ethnic, multi faceted campaign involving people of color and white people and people with disabilities in seniors and gays in straits and trans and everybody else we are all human beings and humanity counts. We all live in this country and we must make it work for everyone! Bye many Latinos and Asians have expressed anger that they are being valued in this country and that they are not being excepted because a black lives matters predominant during the recent protests. It’s time for all of us to come together and make this country whole again for everyone!

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 3, 2021, at 10:45 AM, Laura Millar <laurammillar at gmail.com> wrote:


Hello Daveed,

While your quandary about NFB’s priorities is valid, I am concerned that your response is pitting #blacklivesmatter against other movements and agendas. It feels as though you are invalidating the priorities of Black Lives Matter in order to spotlight your agenda about Medicare for all. I agree with your concerns about Medicare, however I take offense to you positioning it against #blacklivesmatter and do not think that it benefits the blindness movement in any way.

While I have often wondered how the NFB chooses the policies to advocate for and the ones to steer clear of, I feel like a lot of companies participated in performative allyship around Black Lives Matter and the killing of George Floyd.  I think the NFB’s commitment to diversity and inclusion will be a significant  strength moving forward, not a downfall.

 I take particular offense to your wording, “Aren’t those the greater priorities for this entry right now, which affect everyone including blind and visually impaired Americans?”  as it feels like it discounts the very important conversation we as an organization need to have around racism, diversity and inclusion. While you are not saying the words it feels very reminiscent of #alllivesmatter which is deeply problematic. 

 Here is a YouTube clip by black folk talking about why it is so important to not minimize
Black Lives Matter. 
https://youtu.be/OanvG2clRcA 
If you would like to discuss any of this further with me I would be happy to connect.

Regarding dues please contact Sara Hadsell her email is SaraHadsell at gmail.com

Thank you for listening, 
Laura Millar

On Sun, Jan 3, 2021 at 8:44 AM Daveed Mandell via NFBSF <nfbsf at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
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-- 
Laura Millar MPH, M.A., MCHES (Pronouns: She/Her)
Sexuality Educator, Consultant, Coach & Community Organizer 
Contact # (925) 321-8804