A Call For Action by Deaf Staff Protester Allison Aubrecht at HMB

I write to you at 4:50am from the hallows of Hall Memorial Building
(HMB) at Gallaudet University. Students continue to occupy the building
in peace and plan to stay for the duration.

These past two days have been some of the most emotional times of my
life– and while I feel deeply saddened by the events that have taken
place at this university, I also feel strangely liberated. I suspect a
lot of others do, too.

One of the most puzzling things about this whole situation– for many
of us– is not “Why don’t you want Dr. Fernandes to be the next
President?” It’s “Why DO you want her to be?” What is it about Dr.
Fernandes that is so vital to the future of this university that the
Board of Trustees would make ugly faces while one of our students
shares the terrifying tale of having a DPS officer forcefully grab her
arm and twist it, or that they would — in spite of such violence–
send a note thanking campus security for their actions?

You look at the tolerance and — at times, encouragement– of such
intimidating tactics and tell me why we shouldn’t protest. It is
exactly this type of oppression that we cannot abide.

I will never forget the nauseating wave of fear that rose through the
halls of this building yesterday morning when the DPS officer shoved
students– not pushed, but shoved with rage– against the wall. And you
know what his rationale was? “My boss told me to.”

That is not an acceptable statement. Each one of us has a choice in
every thing we do. I can agree to take part in oppressing a person, or
I can refuse to do so. I can make a conscious decision to explain
peacefully to students in the language that they understand– what I
need to do, or I can forgo any explanation and just get physical. I can
peacefully but determinedly march onward through the barricade or I can
twist arms and rip shirts. Every word, every action is important.

There are others who make choices too. One of the most important
bridges in our community lies in our interpreters, and many of us are
profoundly hurt by the fact that it is being made very difficult for
students to utilize interpreters (or that we need them to communicate
with anyone who works on campus in the first place). We have been asked
not to be angry with interpreters– after all, their bosses are giving
them very clear outlines of what they can and cannot do in their role
as a member of Gallaudet Interpreting Services. But, a job is just a
job. And the conscious choice to crumble the bridge of communication,
to turn your back on the community which makes possible your profession
in the first place– this is sickening. Interpreters have historically
been our allies. The fact that they are not participating– even after
work hours– is like a knife twisted through the heart.

Faculty, Staff, and Administrators make choices when they remain
neutral. They, too, perpetuate the lie.

I am here in spite of the fact that I work for Gallaudet University
because of what I see on daily basis. How can I sit in a room where a
student is being told that the fact that her high school teacher does
not sign well is just “a fact of life that you will have to live with.”
How can she learn to live with this so-called fact, how can she learn
to cope– if she isn’t even getting an education in the first place? In
my role, I am expected to maintain a demeanor of neutrality. But how
can I? How could any of us stand by and watch a woman be raped or a
child battered? How can I stand by and watch someone tell my student
that her education is secondary to a teacher’s insecurity regarding his
sign skills?

One of the things that I learned about myself during my experiences
with FSSA was that while I am not outwardly, consciously racist– I
have participated in things that are racist. I, for instance, wasn’t at
all outraged when I first found out that Dr. Anderson was not one of
the three finalists. Puzzled, yes. Surprised, yes– but not outraged.
And when people first told me about this, I responded in the manner of,
“Yes… but…”

And there is no “but.” It simply is outrageously wrong that he wasn’t a
finalist– or even, selected as President. So moving forward without
going back to fix the process is just another “but.” It is just another
“we’ll fix this later.”

Sometimes we need to come to a halt and fix things right here, right
now– before we can move forward.

Some of the Board of Trustees members have been heroes in our
community. They have set up huge agencies that contribute a lot of
money to our University and community. They have published books and
coined words that allow us to better identify what has happened to us.
They have sparked historical protests.

But heroes aren’t necessarily heroes forever. It is in time of crisis
that leaders emerge. It is in time of turmoil that our true colors come
forward. Some people make choices that bring them closer to unity and
healing. Some make choices that break our hearts and batter our souls–
widening that gap that we have to– at some point– bridge.

The Board of Trustees have a responsibility, a liability– to oversee
the university. I don’t personally know any of the board members and
have never had much of an opinion about the individuals that are seated
in the group. Their choice of President left me shocked, but I had
faith that once they learned more about what has been going on here at
Gallaudet over the last 6, 11 years– they would step in and clean
house.

How high our hopes rise, how far they fall.

If this Board of Trustees can’t even listen openly for 5 minutes
without developing a pre-determined press release… if this Board of
Trustees can’t even sit with our students and compassionately listen to
their concerns without making ugly, unprofessional faces…if this
Board of Trustees can’t explain why Jane Fernandes was the best
candidate even as they vehemently push for her to remain in office–

Then this Board of Trustees isn’t doing their job. It’s past time we
pushed for Congress to intervene.

What can you do? Call your congressperson. Call your senator. Inform
them of the crisis at Gallaudet University. Come here–  join us.
Drive, fly, bus out here. Bring your sleeping bags and tents.

Unity for Gallaudet!