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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hey NFB Family and Friends,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Black History Month continues with another member of the Black Empowerment Committee. Read on and enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Day 9 of Black History Month<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I would like to start my first day by highlighting one of our own. Freddie Peaco, who worked at the Library of Congress, National Library Service (NLS) for 42 years. She went completely blind from glaucoma at the age of 13 but was determined not to let her blindness hold her back. She helped establish the Metropolitan Washington Ear which brought printed news and magazines to the Washington, Maryland and Northern Virginia blind and vision impaired audience much like our own Virginia Voice.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>She was born in the 1940 in North Carolina and once a visual impairment was discovered at an early age she attended The Governor Moorehead School for the Blind in Raleigh. She attended Howard University where she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree and received her Masters from American University.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>She was very adamant that African American history should be made accessible to any and all who had a desire to access it. She was instrumental in establishing the Described and Captioned Media Program which is the largest free loan library of described educational media. In her own words, “This is the kind of accessible information that will inspire student’s confidence, enhance their self esteem and improve their attitude.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>She retired from the Library of Congress in 2009 and while she was there, along with her guide dog, Zelda, she was involve in numerous organizations. Some of them are: the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired, (AER) National Braille Association, (NBA) and the Board of Directors, Lighthouse Inc.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Submitted by Earl Everet<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'><br>Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Jacki Bruce<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Corresponding Secretary, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia<br><a href="mailto:jackibruce6@gmail.com" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>mailto:jackibruce6@gmail.com</span></a></span><span style='color:black'><br></span><span style='color:#222222'><a href="tel:(757)291-1789" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>tel:(757)291-1789</span></a></span><span style='color:black'><br></span><span style='color:#222222'><a href="http://www.nfb.org/" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>www.nfb.org</span></a></span><span style='color:black'><br></span><span style='color:#222222'><a href="http://www.nfbv.org/" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>www.nfbv.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Follow us on Twitter @NFBVirginia<br>Find us on Facebook @NationalFederationoftheBlindofVirginia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Live the life you want.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'>The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>