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Assessing Black Deaf History: 1980S to the Present

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Assessing Black Deaf History: 1980S to the Present GLENN B. ANDERSON AND LINDSAY M. DUNN Assessing Black Deaf History: 1980s to the Present Abstract One of the challenges of gaining a broader appreciation of Deaf history is the need to examine the contributions of Deaf people of color. This article summarizes the contributions of black Deaf individuals to the scholarly and public history of the period from the 1980s to the present. We begin with the 1980s since that was the era when the landmark book by Ernest Hairston and Linwood Smith, Black and Deaf in America:Are We That Diferent? was published and the National Black Deaf Advocates organization was founded. We then progress through the 1990s and 2000s, noting historical developments such as the advancement of black Deaf individuals to key leadership positions, expanded collaborative eforts between Gallaudet University and the black Deaf community, and the growth of black Deaf history scholarship, which addresses a broad spectrum of topics. We conclude that these historical developments, among others, during these three and a half decades gave impetus to the emergence of a dynamic collective of black Deaf scholars, leaders, and artists to further contribute to our understanding and apprecia- tion of Deaf history. As the American Deaf community becomes increas- ingly multicultural, one of the challenges of gaining a broader and deeper appreciation of Deaf history is the need to examine the schol- arly and public history contributions of diverse groups of Deaf people Glenn B. Anderson is associate professor in the interpreter education program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Lindsay M. Dunn is a lecturer in the Department of ASL and Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University,Washington, DC. Both Anderson and Dunn served on the Board of National Black Deaf Advocates from 2011 to 2015. 71 Sign Language Studies Vol. 17 No. 1 Fall 2016 72 | Sign Language Studies of color.We have chosen to assess and summarize the contributions of black Deaf individuals to the scholarly and public history of the period from the 1980s to the present. We believe these three and a half decades gave impetus to the emergence of a dynamic collective of black Deaf scholars, leaders, and artists who encompass diverse professional disciplines. The 1980s The 1980s witnessed the beginning of the “black Deaf renaissance.” In 1983, Ernest Hairston and Linwood Smith published their book, Black and Deaf in America: Are We That Diferent? A key contribution of the book was that it was the frst such publication to usher into the public sphere from largely private social circles what many in both the black and the white Deaf communities had talked about anecdotally as a “Black way of signing used by Black deaf people within their own cultural milieu.”1 This eventually provided a source of inspiration for the groundbreaking work documented in The Hid­ den Treasure of Black ASL: Its History and Structure, which helped pave the way for a deeper understanding and appreciation of “the Black way of signing.” Another reason we consider the 1980s the beginning of the black Deaf renaissance is the establishment of National Black Deaf Ad- vocates (NBDA).This organization had its beginnings in the spring of 1980, when a group of black Deaf residents of Washington, DC, began meeting with the board of directors of Deafpride, Inc.Those attending the meeting were concerned about how best to address is- sues that were preventing black Deaf people from achieving their full potential in education, employment, and public service.There were also concerns about why there were so few black Deaf leaders and role models throughout the nation to advocate on behalf of the black Deaf community within both the larger American Deaf community and the larger hearing community. A suggested call for action was a proposal to convene a conference to bring together people with ideas, experiences, and talents to address these issues.2 One year later, in 1981, the “Black Deaf Experience” conference was held at Howard University in Washington, DC.The conference attracted more than one hundred people and stimulated a desire for Assessing Black Deaf History | 73 a second conference, which was held in 1982 in Cleveland and drew more than three hundred attendees. It was at the Cleveland conference that participants began discussing the idea of forming a national or- ganization, subsequently resulting in the ofcial formation of NBDA, which currently has more than twenty-fve active chapters. Over the past three and a half decades, the NBDA has served as a springboard for the emergence of numerous black Deaf leaders, scholars, artists, and entrepreneurs.3 The 1990s During the 1990s the black Deaf renaissance evolved outward from the black Deaf community to the mainstream of Deaf America, and we have noted several historical developments.The 1990s represented the beginning of advancement opportunities for black Deaf individu- als to key leadership positions, and Gallaudet University was a prime example. In 1994 Glenn Anderson became the frst black Deaf indi- vidual to be elected chairperson of the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees; Lindsay Dunn was the frst to be appointed as special assistant to the president for diversity and community relations, and in 1997 Reginald Redding was the frst to be appointed as dean of the College of Continuing Education. A notable historical development from the 1990s to the present has been the advancement of black Deaf individuals to a wider variety of leadership positions both within and beyond Gallaudet University.At Gallaudet, examples of these leadership advancements include chair of the 2014–2015 Gallaudet presidential search committee; dean of the School of Business, Education, and Human Services; chair of the faculty senate; and chair of the staf council. Beyond Gallaudet, examples include special assistant to the director, U.S. Department of Labor, Ofce of Federal Contract Compliance Programs; super- intendent of the Missouri School for the Deaf; executive director, E. H. Gentry Education and Rehabilitation Facility (Alabama); as- sistant dean and advisor to black students, Ofce of Pluralism and Leadership, Dartmouth College; chief, Community Integration and Supports, North Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation; and director, Quality Assurance and Technical Audits,Washington, DC, Ofce of the Inspector General. 74 | Sign Language Studies As NBDA continued to grow in the 1990s, expanded collaboration between Gallaudet University and the black Deaf community was fostered, and one outcome was that the Gallaudet University Archives agreed to become a repository for NBDA historical documents.This ensured that scholars who were interested in research on NBDA his- tory and advocacy would have access to its historical records and documents on a permanent basis. Another historically signifcant collaboration between Gallaudet and the black Deaf community occurred following completion of the new Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Hotel (GUKCH) in 1994. Prior to building the conference hotel, Gallaudet maintained an annex building that housed faculty ofces and student services programs on the site. It was not widely known on campus that the GUKCH had been built on what was formerly the location of the Division II School, a separate facility for black Deaf students. The school was built in the early 1950s following a successful lawsuit (Miller v. Board of Education of District of Columbia).4 The Miller family had challenged the Kendall School’s refusal to provide education for black Deaf students residing in the District of Columbia. As a result, these students were forced to commute to either the Maryland School for Colored Deaf and Blind at Overlea (Baltimore) or the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Philadelphia.The Miller family won their case, and the university was required to provide education for black Deaf students on its campus. Miller v. Board of Education is a signifcant his- torical milestone since the ruling was handed down in 1952, two years prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. To recognize that part of Gallaudet’s history, a plaque was unveiled near the front entrance of GUKCH acknowledging the site’s location as a segregated school for black Deaf students. In 2002 the District of Columbia celebrated the fftieth anniversary of the Miller v. Board of Education.5 The 2000s As we progress through the 2000s, we believe that the culmination of historical developments in the 1980s and 1990s has also spurred a re- markable rise in the number of scholarly studies of black Deaf history. We believe that such research in the twenty-frst century addresses a Assessing Black Deaf History | 75 broader spectrum of topics than did studies in past decades and also refects the emergence of a dynamic collective of black Deaf scholars and leaders representing diverse professional disciplines.A sampling of publications refecting this broad spectrum of topics includes a com- pilation of memories and stories of those who attended segregated schools for deaf children in the South,6 historical research on the involuntary institutionalization of black Deaf persons in the South at the turn of the twentieth century,7 an analysis of racism and audism and their implications for Deaf people of color,8 a linguistic analysis of Black ASL,9 a memoir of the experiences of a hearing daughter grow- ing up with two black Deaf parents in the Washington, DC, area,10 a review of the pioneering eforts of Gallaudet University alumni in advancing education and services for deaf individuals in developing countries in Africa,11 and an online resource for the history, culture, and contributions of black Deaf individuals.12 Each of these topics, among many others, is important to the fur- thering of black Deaf history scholarship.We note, however, that there is particular urgency with regard to scholarship on language variation (Black ASL) and the educational experiences of black Deaf students in segregated schools, especially those in the South.
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