Transforming Everyone's Dreams into Reality

EVERYONE IS WELCOME: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion in the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado.

The other day, I read the banquet address delivered by President Mark Riccobono at the 2019 NFB National Convention in Las Vegas; Choice, Exploration, and Resistance: The Road to Freedom for the Blind. Early in his remarks he said, “… If we measure our freedom by comparing where we have been to where we are today, our current choices appear excellent. However, if our comparison uses where we want to be as our benchmark, our current choices are inadequate. If we believe equality is not yet ours, then we must make a conscious choice to continue our march to freedom. …” That is what he said, and I recommend this speech to you.

Preparing for the upcoming NFBCO state convention, I was doing a bit of research on the city of Fort Collins. I love history. I guess that is why I really enjoy our own Blind History Lady, Peggy Chong.

When researching Fort Collins, I saw that Hattie McDaniel lived in Fort Collins as a child prior to her family moving to Denver. Being a film buff, Hattie is someone I have always admired. She was the first African American actor to win an Academy Award. Her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Gone with the Wind was in 1939. One year later, 1940, the NFB was organized. In 1955, the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado was established. In 1989 our Colorado Center for the Blind was founded.

This weekend we will attend the 65^th NFBCO State Convention. This is 80 years after Hattie McDaniel’s award-winning performance as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. Gone with the Wind is a movie loved by so many. It was a triumph in it’s time. It is also a movie that makes many uncomfortable due to its depiction of African Americans. If a movie had been made in 1939 about people who are blind, I am confident that the stereotypes portrayed would make us cringe. And yet, we know that’s the way it was. And frankly, for many people of color, disability, religious practice, gender or sexual orientation the struggle for true acceptance continues.

This weekend, we will gather to plan the work we must do on the road to real integration. I am inspired when our Federation family is able to model not just tolerance but authentic acceptance. I believe that all, ALL, are truly welcome in the NFB family. I also know that not all may feel like they are welcome. Seeking to understand and empathize with each and every human being is the approach we, people who are blind, wish from folks who are not. Striving for equality is more than resolutions and reports. It is more than a country dance on Thursday night. It is more than fundraising. It is more than legislation or registering outrage online, or demanding change on the picket line. It must begin and end in the heart. It is not always easy. All of us bring our own life experiences. It can sometimes seem as though every person on the bus, the radio talker, blogger, tweeter, Lyft driver, and coworker are caught up in a dangerous dance of judgement, anger, snarkiness, and outrage.

But think about this. We can lead the way through our actions. We can be models of true civil rights. I pledge to participate actively. To listen more closely. To seek to understand before trying to make others understand me. I must be more empathetic. It is more important that I find joy in others with different cultures and different backgrounds than I. We can take the time to treat others the way we as blind people wish to be treated. Maya Angelou said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” My fondest hope is that we in the NFB will take up cane or dog harness and walk with graciousness, acceptance, and joy enough for all. In the NFB we often say that, “with love, hope, and determination we transform dreams into reality.” We mean the dreams for all blind people, whether or not they look like me or talk like me or have a creed or lifestyle like me.

One of the breakout seminars being held this weekend is EVERYONE IS WELCOME: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion in the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado. I look forward to hearing the remarks of members Melissa Green, ReNae Anderson, Darian Smith, JJ Aragon, Scott LaBarre, and Norma Crosby. While there is no model Federationist, we in the NFB can be models of how society can do better, accepting everyone on terms of equality. As we in the NFB live the life we want as blind people our actions and spirit will speak more loudly and have greater impact than all of the policy statements, pickets, and legal actions combined. We can change the world and do it on terms of equality. Note. I am mindful that Hattie McDaniel was often criticized by many African Americans for not being active enough in the civil rights movement. As well as for taking on rolls that perpetuated stereotypes. Reading her story and the story of Margaret Mitchell may be a worthwhile endeavor for some.

Not Without Question: The Difference of the Federation Philosophy in our Lives by Jean Brown is a striking piece in the Braille Monitor from the wife of our National First Vice President. Jean Brown is an entrepreneur and a leader in her own right. She shares a story worth your read.

Intersectionality ·noun ·The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.