Successful Black Deaf Advocates

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Successful Black Deaf Advocates
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A Short History of National Black Deaf Advocates

• The story begins in 1980 when a small group
  of locals in DC met with the board of Deaf Pride.
  They were concerned about the identity of Black
  Deaf people, barriers to achieving their
  potential, and the lack of leadership. They
  focused on shared experiences, ideas, hopes,
  talents, and abilities, and dealing with
  isolation. The group developed goals to encourage
  individuals skills that are usually ignored.
• In July of 1980, NAD held its convention in Ohio.
  A Black Caucus was developed that included
  several members of the DC group. However, this
  was not a part of the BDA movement, but separate.
• In August of 1980, Charles (Chuck) Williams came
  to DC to file a class action suit against the
  National Democratic Convention seeking to force
  the convention to televise the meetings including
  a sign language interpreter so that proceedings
  were accessible to D/deaf people.
• Chuck was invited to work with the local BDA
  planners and the "The Black Experience" was
  formulated as a conference theme.
• A mini conference was planned for November. The
  chairperson of the conference was Ms. Lottie
  Crook, Vice Chairman, Lindwood Smith, and
  Interpreter Coordinator, Ms. Shirley Johnson, and
  Mr. Robert Howard as the trainer and consultant.

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• On June 25 - 26th of 1981 the conference became a
  reality. The conference brought together nearly
  100 Black people from the D/deaf community, who
  met at Howard University.
• In August of 1982, a conference was held in
  Cleveland, attracting nearly 300 people from
  across the United States. Topics included
  Section 504, Mental Health, Substance Abuse,
  Social Services, and Hearing Parents with deaf
  children.
• A debate was held as to whether a national
  organization should be formed. The idea was
  accepted. The national executive secretary, Mr.
  Albert Couthen was elected to coordinate the
  efforts to form a national office. The next
  conference was in Philadelphia, PA with Ms.
  Elizabeth Moore-Aviles as host and president of
  that chapter.
• The second conference in August 1983, was held in
  PA with nearly equal attendance as the previous
  year. The conference focused on leadership and
  education. The first beauty pageant was held, and
  Ms. Ronnie Mae Tyson was chosen as the reigning
  Miss Black Deaf America. New York was recognized
  as Chapter 4 and chosen as host of the 1984
  conference. Ms. Patricia Johnson was president of
  the NY chapter.

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• Sheryl Guest-Emery was elected as the new
  national executive secretary. She developed a set
  of national by-laws, procedures for their
  implementation, and legally incorporated the
  organization. Dr. Seth Tetteh-Ocloo was appointed
  as acting treasurer and assisted in development
  of the bylaws and incorporation. Ms. Pamela
  Reichelle Anderson of Detroit Michigan obtained
  the 501 (C)3 tax exempt status for NBDA.
• During the conference of 1983-1984, Atlanta
  joined as Chapter 5, Detroit became Chapter 6
  and Chicago was 7.
• In 1986 Nashville, TN became Chapter 8, and
  Memphis became chapter 9 in 1987. Tennessee was
  the first state to hold two chapters.

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Deaf Black Success Stories

• 1. Alesia Howard
• 2. Angela McCaskill
• 3. Donald A. Tinsley
• 4. Fred Beam
• 5. Glenn B. Anderson
• 6. Isaac Agboola
• 7. Joanel Lopez

• 8. Marvin Timothy Albert
• 9. Michelle Banks
• 10. Nathie Marbury
• 11. Thomas Samuels
• 12. Toronja Williams
• 13. Tyese Wright

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Alesia Howard

• Graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree
• in Psychology from Rochester Institute of
  Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY.
• She's performed in theater productions at RIT's
  National Technical Institute for the Deaf, was a
  member of the Gospel Ensemble, worked as a
  resident advisor, and worked on different
  committees that fostered a sense of community and
  promoted cultural diversity. But her favorite
  extra-curricular activity was being a member of
  Ebony Club, and she served as President for one
  year.
• Her advice to others? There is so much support
  out there these days, that there is no excuse you
  cannot do it, Alesia affirms. Yes, it's hard.
  But you can do it, and never give up.
• More on Alesia

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Angela McCaskill

• Received her Ph.D May 14, 2004 at Gallaudet
  University in Special Education Administration.
• Worked as Coordinator of Residence Education at
  the Model Secondary School for the Deaf and
  Gallaudet University and Assistant Principal at
  the Model Secondary for the Deaf.
• The road to success is not straight. There is a
  curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion,
  speed bumps called Friends, red lights called
  Enemies, caution lights called Family, and you
  will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a
  spare called Determination, an engine called
  Perseverance, insurance called Faith, and a
  driver called Jesus, you can make it to a place
  called Success.
• More on Angela

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Donald A. Tinsley

• Former National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA)
• Treasurer and Board member, Mr. Donald Tinsley,
• made history at the Indiana Association of the
  Deaf
• (IAD) biennial conference in April 2003 where he
  was
• elected IAD first Black president. IAD has only
  once
• before had a Black officerJoe Kindred, who was
• elected IAD Secretary in 1963.
• Donald is the Program Director of Deaf and Hard
  of
• Hearing Services (DHHS) at Indiana Government
  Center in
• Indianapolis, Indiana.
• He graduated from the Indiana School for the Deaf
  in 1969
• and attended the National Technical Institute for
  the
• Deaf (NTID), in Rochester, NY. He also earned an
• associate degree in Electrical Engineering
  Technology
• from Indiana UniversityPurdue University at
• Indianapolis (IUPUI).

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Fred Beam

• Fred was the first ever to have a Deaf African
  American
• leading role in the history of hearing theater.
  He was also
• the first Deaf African American actor to have a
  leading role in
• Equity Theater in Chicago, and possibly in the
  nation.
• Beam is a dedicated member of the National Black
  Deaf
• Advocates he is a former President of DC Area
  Black
• Deaf Advocates (DCABDA), former DCABDA Board
  member
• and has chaired numerous DCABDA committees.
• Beam is the founder of Invisible Hands Inc.,
  which is made
• up of a number of different companies including
  The Wild
• Zappers, an all male deaf dance company which has
  toured
• nationally and internationally National Deaf
  Dance Theatre,
• a mainstream dance company for both deaf and
  hearing
• communities and I Didnt Hear That Color, a deaf
  African
• American touring theater troupe.
• More on Fred

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Glenn B. Anderson

• The U.S. Senate confirmed six of President
  Bushs
• nominees to the National Council on Disability
• (NCD) on September 26, 2002. Among those
  confirmed
• was Glenn B. Anderson, Ph.D., of Little Rock,
  Arkansas.
• Dr. Anderson is director of training at the
  University of
• Arkansas Rehabilitation and Training Center for
  Persons
• who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
• He is a professor in the Department of
  Rehabilitation,
• Human Resources, and Communications Disorders and
  
• he also serves as chair of the Board of Trustees
  at
• Gallaudet University.
• More on Glenn

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Isaac Agboola
Was appointed chair of the Department of
Business at Gallaudet University effective May
2003. He is the first deaf African American
chair of an academic department at Gallaudet
University. Was the secretary of the District
of Columbia Black Deaf Advocates and Workshops
Chair for the 2003 NBDA Conference. He is
involved in numerous community activities
including serving on the Maryland Governor's
Advisory Board for Telecommunications Relay
(GABTR), Treasurer of the Gallaudet University
Alumni Association, and advisor to the Zeta Sigma
Psi fraternity, a new fraternity established
by black male students at Gallaudet University.
More on Isaac
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Joanel Lopez

• Lopez is a Lexington School for the Deaf
  graduating senior
• who has his mind set on enrolling at Howard
  University
• in the fall. Only once before in the 140 year
  history of
• Lexington has a graduating senior applied, got
  accepted,
• and elected to enroll into Howard University, a
  historically
• Black college.
• He participated on the Lexington soccer,
  softball,
• and wrestling teams. He also served as his class
• representative to the schools student
  government.
• His goal is to study politics and science in the
  hopes to
• protect the environment.
• More on Joanel

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Marvin Timothy Albert

• He become the first Deaf president of a hearing
• organization, overseeing all of RITs black Greek
  and non-Greek
• organizations. Also, he pledged Alpha Phi Alpha
  Fraternity,
• Inc., an international black Greek fraternity.
• While juggling school, Tim served on several
  local and national
• NBDA committees. He received two national awards
  from NBDA
• and also holds the distinction as being the
  NBDAs first and only
• King. Today, he is the President of District of
  Columbia Area BDA
• (DCABDA) and on his ninth year as NBDA Youth
  Empowerment
• Summit (Y.E.S.) Director. He also serves as the
  only man on the
• Board of Directors for Deaf Abused Women Network
  (D.A.W.N.).
• He is graduating with a Masters of Social Work
  degree, and is
• talking about getting a Ph.D in the future.
• More on Timothy

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Michelle Banks

• Michelle Banks is the founder and artistic
  director of Onyx
• Theatre, Inc. Her films credits include Malcolm X
  and
• Compensation.
• Played in her first television role last fall in
  a popular Black
• television series called "Soul Food."
• Serves as the Cultural Director for LABDA.
• She attended Kendall Demonstration Elementary
• School (KDES), the Model Secondary School
• for the Deaf (MSSD), and Gallaudet University.
• More on Michelle

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Nathie Marbury

• Her face is familiarit is on the cover of
  videotapes about sign language storytelling. Upon
  completion of her coursework for her PhD in
  Applied Linguistics at the University of
  California, Los Angeles, Nathie Marbury considers
  herself primarily a teacher. Marbury has taught
  deaf and hearing students throughout the United
  States. She is part owner of a sign language
  videotape company, Building Bridges, and teaches
  at Shoreline Community College in Seattle.
• More on Nathie

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Thomas Samuels
He was the first Chairperson of the National
Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA) Board of Directors
and also served as NBDA Vice-President for three
years. Also a Black Deaf history researcher,
Samuels has given numerous Black Deaf history
presentations/workshops locally and nationally
to Deaf and hearing organizations, Deaf Senior
Citizens, Schools, Colleges, Libraries,
and social groups. Thomas is a professional
videographer and photographer and is currently
working on developing Black Deaf related
literatures, videotapes, photos and CD of Black
Deaf history. More on Thomas
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Toronja Williams

• Was crowned Miss Black Deaf America (MBDA)
• 2003 during the 19th Annual NBDA Conference in
  Detroit.
• A graduate of the American School for the Deaf
  (ASD)
• in West Hartford, Connecticut, she currently
  attends a
• community college and hopes to transfer to
  University of
• Pennsylvania for her bachelor's degree in
  Political Science.
• You've got to have a positive self-esteem and
  believe
• that you can be anything you want to be!"
• http//www.nbda.org/missbdahistory.html
• More on Toronja

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Tyese Wright

• Graduated Valedictorian and received the Linwood
  Smith Award and the Kendall Cup which is
  Kendall's most prestigious award, for excellence
  in academics, leadership and extracurricular
  activities.
• She currently teaches kindergarten at Kendall
  Demonstration Elementary School (KDES).
• At the tender age of nine, she recited the Pledge
  of Allegiance in sign language for President
  Ronald Reagan at the bicentennial celebration of
  the United States Constitution in front of over
  two hundred thousand spectators.
• At age eleven, she served as a U.S. delegate in
  Paris, France for the Children's International
  Summer Village, a volunteer organization that
  promotes peace, leadership and long friendships
  and was featured in the 1995 issue of World
  Around Us Magazine, entitled "An American in
  Paris." She's also featured in the first book
  written on successful deaf women.
• More on Tyese

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References

• http//www.deafweb.org/bdahistory.htm
• NDBA website http//www.nbda.org/index.html
• http//clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/WorldAroundYou/no
  v-dec97/interview.html