[NFBSF] Urging Support for Resolution 2024-18: Addressing the Harmful Legacy of the Perkins School for the Blind

[Monica Wegner]

To the California Affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind:

I write here because I am not physically at the convention and would like to strongly urge the California delegate to support Resolution 18, addressing the harmful namesake of the Perkins School for the Blind.

The resolution addresses the following key points:

  *   The Perkins School for the Blind was named after Thomas Handasyd Perkins, a known slave trader and opium smuggler.
  *   Continuing to honor Perkins perpetuates intergenerational trauma for people of all colors.
  *   The school itself has acknowledged the financial benefits derived from these immoral activities and the problems caused by them, especially to Black and Chinese communities.
Given these considerations, the resolution calls for the NFB to applaud the school's acknowledgment of its problematic history<https://www.perkins.org/thomas-h-perkins/> and to urge the Perkins School for the Blind to change its name to remove all references to Thomas Handasyd Perkins.

Several arguments were raised against this resolution during the resolutions committee meeting, and I would like to address them directly to clarify why it is crucial for us to support this resolution. I am naming those committee members and their objections because I feel that individual accountability is important here.

Ronza Othman argued that the NFB lacks the authority to tell the Perkins School what to call itself, suggesting that we would not respond well if someone tried to dictate our organization's name. It is uncontested that we do not possess the unilateral power to rename the Perkins School. However, what we can and should do is call out injustice when we see it. Calling out the school's problematic namesake and urging them to change it is within our right as advocates for justice. This is not about exerting authority but about using our voice to promote ethical accountability. Just as we can publicly criticize a company for its actions, we can and should call upon institutions to reflect on their historical legacies and make amends.

Corbb O'Connor objected to the resolution based on a specific "whereas" clause that acknowledges the Perkins School as an important provider of services to the blind. His objection is not about the substance of the resolution but rather a technicality regarding the school's performance. Rejecting this resolution based on such a technicality undermines the broader issue. The resolution's core is about confronting and rectifying historical injustices, not evaluating the current services of the school. If we, as an organization, are prepared to reject this resolution, we must be willing to stand behind that objection and what it stands for, which, to be clear, is a failure to address and condemn historical racism and exploitation.

An argument raised outside the resolutions committee meeting suggests that although Perkins made much of his fortune from the slave trade, he later became an abolitionist. While it may be commendable that Perkins had a change of heart later in life, this does not absolve him of the harm he inflicted earlier. Acknowledging his later actions does not negate the need to address the impact of his earlier actions and harm. The ongoing honoring of his name continues to cause harm and perpetuate the legacy of his exploitation. We hold historical figures accountable for the entirety of their actions, especially when their early actions contributed significantly to systemic injustices. Changing the name of the Perkins School for the Blind is a step toward healing, recognizing that the school’s positive contributions today can be celebrated without endorsing the harmful legacy of its namesake.

For me as a white woman, the most powerful argument in favor of this resolution is that black folks and people of color are saying that they continue to be harmed by the naming of the Perkins School. I heard their voices during the drafting of this resolution. I heard their voices at the resolutions committee meeting. And I am hearing their voices now.

With every action this organization takes, it shows the world who it is. Supporting Resolution 18 is not just about addressing the Perkins School's legacy. It is about asserting the values of the NFB and our commitment to justice and equity. By voting in favor of this resolution, we send a message that we stand against the perpetuation of historical injustices and for the promotion of a more inclusive and equitable future. I urge the affiliate to consider these points, reflect on the voices of those who continue to be affected by this legacy, and vote in favor of Resolution 18.

Sincerely,
Monica

The resolution text can be found here<https://nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/2024-resolutions%2318> and below. Here is the Perkins school’s statement on the issue<https://www.perkins.org/thomas-h-perkins/>.

RESOLUTION 2024-18: Regarding the Harmful Namesake of the Perkins School for the Blind
WHEREAS, the New England Asylum for the Blind was incorporated in 1829 and opened its doors in August 1832 in Boston, Massachusetts; and

WHEREAS, in 1839, the Asylum was renamed after Thomas Handasyd Perkins after he donated to it, and, after further name changes, that entity is known today as the Perkins School for the Blind; and

WHEREAS, the Perkins School for the Blind, as a collective institution including its library and products, remains an important provider of blindness-related services today; and

WHEREAS, born in 1764, T. H. Perkins used money from his wealthy family to start an international trading business, where he traded slaves and the goods produced by their labor, including cotton, sugar, and rum in the Caribbean until the Haitian Revolution in 1791; and

WHEREAS, T. H. Perkins later expanded his fortune by illegally smuggling opium into China; and

WHEREAS, pairing valuable products, services, and educational experiences with the name of a known opium smuggler and slave trader teaches students and community members of all backgrounds that these immoral acts are not disqualifiers for being publicly honored; and

WHEREAS, continuing to honor a known slave trader and opium smuggler perpetuates intergenerational trauma for people of all colors; and

WHEREAS, on its website, the Perkins School for the Blind acknowledges that it has financially benefitted from both the slave trade and opium smuggling, and acknowledges the problems caused by this, particularly to those in Black and Chinese communities: Now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this seventh day of July, 2024, in the City of Orlando, Florida, that this organization assert that the enslavement of human beings and illegal smuggling of opium are unequivocally immoral; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization applaud the Perkins School for the Blind for courageously acknowledging how it has benefited from these historical wrongs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization urge the Perkins School for the Blind to advance its efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion by changing its name to remove all references to Thomas Handasyd Perkins.