Assessing Black Deaf History: 1980s to the Present

Abstract

AS THE AMERICAN DEAF community becomes increasingly multicultural, one of challenges of gaining a broader and deeper appreciation of Deaf history is need to examine scholarly and public history contributions of diverse groups of Deaf people of color. We have chosen to assess and summarize contributions of Deaf individuals to scholarly and public history of period from 1980s to present. We believe these three and a half decades gave impetus to emergence of a dynamic collective of Deaf scholars, leaders, and artists who encompass diverse professional disciplines.The 1980sThe 1980s witnessed beginning of black Deaf renaissance. In 1983, Ernest Hairston and Linwood Smith published their book, and Deaf in America: Are We That Different? A key contribution of book was that it was first such publication to usher into public sphere from largely private social circles what many in both and white Deaf communities had talked about anecdotally as a Black way of signing used by deaf people within their own cultural milieu.1 This eventually provided a source of inspiration for groundbreaking work documented in The Hidden Treasure of ASL: Its History and Structure, which helped pave way for a deeper understanding and appreciation of the way of signing.Another reason we consider 1980s beginning of Deaf renaissance is establishment of National Deaf Advocates (NBDA). This organization had its beginnings in spring of 1980, when a group of Deaf residents of Washington, DC, began meeting with board of directors of Deafpride, Inc. Those attending meeting were concerned about how best to address issues that were preventing Deaf people from achieving their full potential in education, employment, and public service. There were also concerns about why there were so few Deaf leaders and role models throughout nation to advocate on behalf of Deaf community within both larger American Deaf community and 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.2One year later, in 1981, 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 a second conference, which was held in 1982 in Cleveland and drew more than three hundred attendees. It was at Cleveland conference that participants began discussing idea of forming a national organization, subsequently resulting in official formation of NBDA, which currently has more than twenty-five active chapters. Over past three and a half decades, NBDA has served as a springboard for emergence of numerous Deaf leaders, scholars, artists, and entrepreneurs.3The 1990sDuring 1990s Deaf renaissance evolved outward from Deaf community to mainstream of Deaf America, and we have noted several historical developments. The 1990s represented beginning of advancement opportunities for Deaf individuals to key leadership positions, and Gallaudet University was a prime example. In 1994 Glenn Anderson became first Deaf individual to be elected chairperson of Gallaudet University Board of Trustees; Lindsay Dunn was first to be appointed as special assistant to president for diversity and community relations, and in 1997 Reginald Redding was first to be appointed as dean of College of Continuing Education.A notable historical development from 1990s to present has been advancement of 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 2014-2015 Gallaudet presidential search committee; dean of School of Business, Education, and Human Services; chair of faculty senate; and chair of staff council. …