An Important Message for Us to Ruminate

"Greetings everyone,

We all got caught up with Duggard infestation and got it cleaned up. The blogging, vlogging, Tweeting, Facebooking, and word of hand spreading around became viral. The action we partook in was not based on a localized community front, but rather a strong national front consisting of deaf people from all across the U.S, which for me is very rare.

To be a Social Justice Activist, we must be continuously aware of our privileges. ALWAYS. For instance, I am a Deaf, Blind, and Queer Woman of Color, yet I still have many privileges that other people do not have within our community. I ask you activist to please be mindful when you ask us, especially culturally conscious Deaf people of color (DPOC), to participate in Deaf causes. People often make the fatal mistake of associating culturally conscious DPOC with other DPOC who only want to only associate themselves with being just Deaf. No one within the Deaf community would like it if d/Deaf people, who do not believe in language rights, to collaborate with hearing people by telling them that we, Deaf people, are making to big of a deal about language oppression. We would be infuriated if people within our community would try to unhinge hundreds of years of constant work for the sake of ASL rights.

The most deliberative, harmful and destructive mistake that you could make is to ask us:

“As a Deaf person of color, this is why you should fight with us because it impacts you in many ways that you could never imagine.”

You just reconfirmed and signed a proclamation that you are way more privileged than we will ever be by saying that.

• Where were you when Deaf children of color, undocumented immigrant children, adopted children (internationally) and Deaf children of refugees were not getting language rights? Where were you when they were being bullied because they lacked ASL competency? When Special Ed specialists assigned ASL tutoring for EVERY inner city (black and latin@) Deaf children?

• Where were you when Deaf Queer youth and adults were constantly bullied and taunted in the Deaf community? We wrote them off as pranks. It is not those whom are LGBTQQI activist job to fight- it is yours as well, if you claim to be a social justice activist.

• Why are we not fighting for the Deaf Blind communities? We only joined when a Deaf Blind leader shakes up something.

• Why we are not holding our rapists and abusers accountable? Complicity equates violations; you knew about it and say it’s not your business as she/he continues to abuse this person or people. You make excuses for those rapist and abusers by saying that they could not have done so: because they are well known, and highly respected Deaf leaders. Having rapist, who hold highly respected positions within our community is indeed, terrifying.

• Why do we allow Rape Culture to be a part of the “Deaf /ASL experience”? Why do we make a mockery of survivors by making rape jokes, gestures in ASL? That should never be allowed- but we do not fight against them. It is not just the Deaf Domestic Violence Agencies’ job but yours too, if you claim to be a social justice activist.

• Where were you when the Deaf community practiced “colorblindness”? The concept of “We all are the same” is what is breaking up the communities within the Deaf community because privileged people continue to say “we are all the same” and not acknowledge DPOC’s injustice which in the same breath marginalizes and minimizes the oppression we face.

• Where were you when Deaf Leaders and Deaf elitists continued to minimize Deaf marginalized people? Something is wrong with this equation:

A= Deaf Person of Color B= Privileged White, Deaf person

a. I don’t mind fighting with you to protest against AGB. Will you fight with me to stop racism in Deaf schools?

b. “Racism in Deaf schools, never heard!” But audism is very big- sure I’ll fight with you!

a. Im not talking about audism. Im talking about racism, oppression based on the color of my skin.

b. We, Deaf people don’t do that, we all are the same- D E A F ! I think you need to reevaluate the issues. I don’t think its racism, but more so the establishment of cliques.

As a Social Justice Activist, I know my job. I know what is required of me, and being non-judgmental is one of them. To watch and listen fervently, to validate, to not minimize other people’s experiences are also very key components that I take responsibility in. Most importantly, I do it for ALL without questioning your cultural identity, language identity, and community identity. The only people/groups I will READILY challenge is the white, body abled, heterosexual man/men (both hearing and Deaf) and white people who claim to be Social Justice activist and ask me to stand with them because they need a person of color (tokenism).

I close in hopes that we have all learned something from the Duggard storm and that we really need to take the time to revisit what it means to be a “Social Justice Activist”. We should be having communities within the community dialogues- redevelop our approach; actively listening and participating.

Actively yours,

Stephanie D. Johnson"