Black Deaf community responds to Calvin Young’s blackface apology video
*Note: The correct term is “Black Deaf” not “Deaf Black". We’ve corrected the headline in the title of this post, but the headline in the video is incorrect.
In the time since Calvin Young of “Seek the World” issued a public apology and accountability video last week for wearing blackface in 2011, there have been many responses and discussion among individuals in the Black Deaf community.
Myself and Callie Frye, who is a reporter with “The Daily Moth,” have reached out to some members of the Black Deaf community to ask for their comments or to recap their vlogs. The purpose of this story is to recap the responses and have it be a teaching lesson for all of us, especially white and privileged individuals, like myself.
I will recap two vlogs by Sheryl Emery and a vlog by Antines “Nunu” Davis that were widely shared. “The Daily Moth” have received permission to recap what they said. I will include links below so you can watch the full video.
Emery posted two vlogs on May 23 and 24, last Friday and Saturday. She said we need to have an open and honest dialogue about racism in the Deaf community. She said major Deaf organizations have committed acts of racism, naming NAD, Sorenson, Purple/ZVRS, CSD, Convo, RID, and many other organizations. She said they are guilty of racism and still discriminate against Black Deaf individuals. She was making a point that Calvin Young should not be singled out for punishment by losing his sponsorships but that we should look at broad patterns of racist actions and history practiced by all of us. Emery said “as a Black Deaf female, Calvin’s words doesn’t matter. What is important is his actions. How will Calvin change? What is he going to do to make sure that other young white deaf people, especially men, will not imitate his wrongful actions? What will Calvin do to make sure that young black deaf men and women are given the same opportunity to repair the mistakes they made in their past?” Emery also made a point of criticizing white people who accepted Calvin’s apology and granted forgiveness because they were not harmed by his actions. She said some of us need to teach our children, check ourselves, and our schools and organizations. She challenged all of us to provide more support to Black Deaf individuals, businesses, and organizations.
Antines “Nunu” Davis’ vlog, which was posted on her friend Tricia Wenda Alleyne’s page on Tuesday, May 26, said things have never changed in hundreds of years. She said there are constant incidents of racism. She pointed out to recent high-profile killings of black individuals in the news as evidence that it’s not improving for the better. Davis said Calvin Young knew about black history but still painted his face. She said there were no excuses. She criticized the many white people who forgave him by saying, “how do you know? You are not black. How dare you?” She used a brown egg as an analogy of how black individuals have to be so careful around police because they could be killed very quickly. She said black individuals are stressed every day, 24/7. Davis said she didn’t feel ready to forgive Calvin Young, but encouraged him to speak out against other incidents of racism. Davis also said white people need to step up to show support for the black community.
[Sponsored Video from Convo: https://bit.ly/2RyMogR ]
The third person we were in touch with is Lindsay Dunn. He sent a detailed email to us that encouraged us to look at this situation broadly and deeply by going back in history as far as 1825, which is when the first black student who was taught by Laurent Clerc graduated from the American School for the Deaf. Dunn said there is racism that is present in Deaf history from slaves building deaf schools to the lack of Black students and graduates from Gallaudet College in its early history to segregated schools to the current disparity of leaders among deaf schools who are people of color. Dunn said we have a “deaf world that has deep roots in racism and we are very uncomfortable discussing this truth.” Dunn said that Calvin and myself (Alex) are in a privileged, exclusive world where we can count on sponsors and recover easily if we make mistakes. Dunn encouraged us to invest into documenting black and POC stories and history. He said we need to develop the courage to fix it rather than keep talking about it.
The fourth person we were in touch with is Ashlea Hayes. She said “Calvin's apology, while seemingly sincere, is difficult to receive. The action itself was wrong. The photo surfaced, and it was understandably embarrassing and he felt the need to apologize. However, he then, assumed to role of teacher, and proceeded to "teach" us about black history and why it was offensive. This is offensive. He isn't Black, nor does he understand what it is like to be black in America. He should have humbly gave up his platform and let someone from the Black community come in and explain and teach. He did not apologize humbly. He has the privilege to do, speak, act however, and whatever he wants. Black people are simply not afforded that same privilege.”
I reached out to Calvin Young with several questions to see if he would be able to provide responses. He said he is not ready to do an interview right now because he is driving his Seek the World van from Boston back home to Austin, is processing dialogues he’s had with leaders within the Black and POC communities, and because of the pain felt by many from today’s events (referring to the protests over George Floyd’s death). He said he would be willing to do an interview when he is settled back in Austin with a clear mind.
Thank you all for being willing to provide responses or for allowing me to recap your points. The main takeaway we can get from this is that we need to change things through actions, not only by words. That also applies to “The Daily Moth” and to any other organization in our Deaf community.