Editorial: Gallaudet Supporters Stand Strong

From the newsroom of The Hilltop (Howard University), Washington, D.C., Tuesday, October 17, 2006 …..

Gallaudet Protestors Stand Strong

Editorials

Around the world, the complaints of the hearing-impaired students of Gallaudet University are being heard loud and clear. It is powerful to witness these students block the entrance of the school to fight the appointment of their new president and former provost Jane K. Fernandes.

With 2,000 students enrolled at the District university, Gallaudet is the only university in the nation for the hearing impaired.

For the past week, students have traded shifts to stay in tents at the campus’s entrance. They are shutting down the University in protest of Fernandes’ appointment as she is not fully-deaf and is not aligned with many of the protestors’ beliefs.

We have all seen these dedicated students on the news and, as students at what is supposed to be the most conscious and politically active university, we wonder if a protest as successful as Gallaudet’s would work here.

We, as students of color who attend a Black university, identify with their struggle and wanting to go to a school with people from the same demographic. One editor pointed out that the appointment of a non-deaf President to their university was like a white person being named president of Howard, but another staff member amended the statement by saying it would be more like if Howard picked a bi-racial president.

Though we might not fully understand why they’re protesting or even if it could be considered discrimination to want a completely deaf president, it is inspiring to witness the movement and dedication. We are left wondering if Howard could be so united. As students we are individualistic and talk a good game, but many staffers admitted they would be the one sneaking off to class or eating, referring to the few students who not only are protesting, but are on a hunger strike as well.

These students have mobilized not only themselves but also alumni and University employees who have joined with them. Their revolution is being heard and televised worldwide as others who identify with their fight join in the protests.

On Friday, 133 students were arrested, yet the protest raged on. The National Association of the Deaf has joined in and we at The Hilltop fully support the students in their fight for an administration and president that reflect their views. The arrest of students only electrified the protest as over 1,000 joined the protest on Saturday.

The Gallaudet movement reminds us of our own students protesting in 1989 over the appointment of the Chair of the Republican National Committee to our Board of Trustees. As students, we must use the dedication of those at Gallaudet to galvanize our own students to protest and find again those things we are willing to fight for.

© 2006 The Hilltop