Cousin Hattie’s Sister’s People:
The Ties Between Identity and Leadership Within the Black Deaf Community

Sheryl Guest-Emery

Michigan Rehabilitation Services

THERE IS A book recently published called All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things (Fulghum, 1989). When I first saw the title I laughed, but after opening the cover I stopped laughing—the basic philosophy behind the book was true! Wash your hands; when you drop something, pick it up; put away your toys when you are finished; treat people as you would have them treat you; and cookies, milk, and a nap in the afternoon are good for you—most of the basics we learn as young children.

My 3-year-old is fascinating to watch; I can see his personality and identity begin to bloom. At 3, he already has a good sense of who he is. He will tell you very clearly, “I am Jumoke’ Shelden Emery.” He knows that he is a boy; he knows that he is brown; and he knows that he is not deaf. Sometimes, he plays a game called “Follow the Leader,” so he is also beginning to understand that a leader is someone you look up to, perhaps want to be, or decide you want to follow. All of this by the age of 3.

Perhaps you are asking yourself why I am telling you this. Yes, I do like to boast about my son, but it also reflects on the subject for today. “Cousin Hattie’s Sister’s People” is about leadership and identity. My presentation today will focus on the following points:

1.An explanation of the title;

2.I am what I call myself;

3.Shaping the image;

4.Refining the image;

5.Taking a look at the leadership; and

6.Looking ahead.

1. What Does the Title Mean?

Most Black families with strong family ties have a “Cousin Hattie”—I don’t mean with the same name; I mean someone with a strong identity. This person is the leader in the family, and everyone else is identified by their relationship to them, not by their own merits or name, but as somebody’s cousin, sister, aunt, or grandchild.

In the Black deaf community, Black deaf people have become like Cousin Hattie’s sister’s people—they have little or no identity of their own. Identity is shaped by parents, religion, sibling interaction, peers, and authority figures; social class, geography, current events, and temperament also have strong influences. In many cases, the identities of Black deaf people have been suppressed by schools, churches, families, and others.

2. I Am What I Call Myself

We must also look at how Black deaf people perceive themselves. Throughout history, Black people have been called many things; some of them have been acceptable, others have not. James Brown would have us called Black and Proud, but Jesse Jackson would rather we were Afro-American. Most Black people currently prefer the term “Black,” but this may change as public sentiment moves toward Afro-American.

Within the Black deaf community, there is the added controversy about how Black deaf people identify themselves. Adventitiously deafened Black adults usually consider cultural identification before deafness: “I am a Black, deaf person.” By contrast, the person born deaf and raised around other deaf people usually considers himself to be deaf and Black, with stronger ties to the deaf community.

3. Shaping the Image

As noted previously, the image of the Black deaf person is usually suppressed or denied; in most cases, this is done unintentionally. The Black deaf community cannot fully identify with the Black community or with the deaf community, as it is an outsider in both. Community roles are already defined by seeing primarily white and hearing people in leadership positions; in deaf schools and institutions of higher education, less than 3% of the instructors are both Black and deaf; there is a lack of exposure to Black cultural events across the board; the deaf community has little contact with the Black community; family information and folklore are not passed on to the Black deaf family members; the church, which plays a strong role in the Black community, has been absent to Black deaf people; and the economics and decision-making power in the deaf community are strongly dominated by the image of the deaf white male. These factors combine in a way that warps Black deaf people’s images of themselves.

4. Refining the Image

What can we do as practitioners, parents, or concerned members of the community to improve what has thus far shaped and narrowed the identity and leadership potential of Black deaf individuals? To make our programs, family experiences, and training more effective, we are in need of the following:

R = Respect

Respect for the individual’s racial heritage as well as deaf culture.

Look beyond the individual’s formal training for wisdom and knowledge. Many older Black deaf adults have a wealth of experience that cannot be learned from books. There is a need for organizations to respect whomever Black deaf people have appointed to represent them instead of trying to select leaders and spokespersons for the Black deaf community.

R = Rapport

Get inside the person; forget about your personal agenda for a while. Even if the person is a child, find out who he or she is and what makes that individual tick—their interests, desires, accomplishments, fears, and opinions.

R = Recruitment

We must change our armchair mentality. The Black deaf community is not going to come to you until you reach out to it. Most programs are in the midst of the white community. Service providers will need to get out into the Black community and cultivate rapport. Many have said there are no deaf leaders in the Black community, but there are if you know where to find them, or at least where to begin looking. Black deaf people can be found at social gatherings, deaf sports events, Black Deaf Advocates (BDA) chapters, some religious activities, and through information-gathering techniques.

R = Retainment

Many programs fail to retain the Black deaf support that they do have because of administrative and staff turnover without thought to the replacement’s cultural savvy. Loyalty to an individual does not always transfer to the program.

Many of the Black deaf students entering Gallaudet and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) do not classify their experiences at these institutions as positive. Many do not stay until they graduate. The recruitment and retainment efforts, as well as support services for these students, are weak.

I = Inspire

Deaf people must be motivated and inspired to achieve their potential. There is a need to give continuous encouragement and positive feedback coupled with information and full involvement instead of sitting on the sidelines.

5. Taking a Look at Leadership

Good leaders are able to reflect on ideas, struggles, and problems of their time and be an inspiration to their followers. We have long confused frontrunners with leaders. To do something first paves the way for others; to be a leader, one must possess a very important element—followers. Without followers, there can be no leadership.

The Black deaf community has not sought the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) or the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) to represent its needs; very few Black deaf people even know the name of the current president of either group. These organizations and leaders have failed to inspire the people, to take a strong standpoint on defined issues, or to increase our power and economic stability. The only issue to inspire the deaf community recently was the Gallaudet revolt. Black and white deaf people should be rallying support for the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), but where is the battle cry?

Within the last eight years, the Black deaf community has just begun to take firm roots as a national community with shared interests, experiences, and goals. The network that links these experiences has been joined by an increased number of Black deaf organizations and by the establishment of the National Black Deaf Advocates. We are finding that there are more Black deaf leaders out there than ever expected—leaders whom the Black deaf community has appointed for itself. Now there is a new generation of leaders emerging—people who bear watching: Evon Black, Lindsay Dunn, Nathie Marbury, Jack Burns, Lordy Smith, John Reid, and others. We have established guards in Lottie Crook, Ernest Hairston, Shirley Allen, and many others. We have silent warriors whose praises may never be sung, but who are there for us.

One of the larger current issues is economic stability. Black people and deaf people need to be involved at all levels of policy-making, programming, and implementation. Currently, Black deaf people are not equally represented in the political, educational, or rehabilitative arenas; more focus must be put on technological literacy, since those without it will be left behind both socially and economically. The Black deaf community must also continue to become more visible, taking an active part in the publication of professional journals and public interest magazines. We must focus on community cohesiveness, including Black and white, hearing and deaf individuals.

Traditionally, Black Americans and deaf Americans have been heirs of second-class citizenship; the stigma is doubly so for Black deaf Americans. However, the stigma must be left behind. As Black deaf people further their search for identity, leadership, and personal success, all of the elements of empowerment will come together.

Black deaf people will no longer be at the foot of the class; they’ll be at the head of the boardroom.

Black deaf people will no longer be the afterthoughts of a program; they’ll be the thinkers.

Black deaf people will no longer be on the sidelines; they’ll be in the headlines.

About the Presenter

Sheryl Guest-Emery is a Black deaf social worker and rehabilitation counselor employed by the Department of Education, Michigan Rehabilitation Services. She obtained her B.A. at Gallaudet and her M.A. from New York University. From 1982 to 1986, she was the first executive director of the National Black Deaf Advocates, of which she is currently vice president.

References

Fulghum, R. (1989). All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten: Uncommon thoughts on common things. New York: Villard Books.