National Black Deaf Advocates writes open letter calling for Gallaudet President Bobbi Cordano to step down
On Tuesday night, the National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA) President Isidore Niyongabo and the NBDA Board wrote an open letter that called for the Gallaudet University Board of Trustees to remove Gallaudet President Roberta “Bobbi” Cordano from her position and immediately begin the search for an “Inclusive Deaf President.”
The NBDA said President Cordano deflected from addressing issues of systemic racism brought up by the Black Student Union (BSU) by suspending an on-campus fraternity and calling the fraternity the “face of systemic racism in our community.”
The BSU petition, titled “Black Lives Matter Movement Calls for Change at Gallaudet University,” called for additional training for the officers at the Department of Public Safety, for an increase in diversity in staff and faculty and the student body, and a zero tolerance policy to stop racism, among other concerns and demands.
The NBDA said “As Black Deaf individuals, we feel the knee of injustice and inequity from President Cordano’s deflection from our concerns about systemic racism at Gallaudet University.”
The link to the full letter and the petition is available in the transcript.
Gallaudet University posted on their Facebook page today that they “acknowledge the concerns shared with us at Gallaudet” and are “engaging in earnest dialogue to determine our next steps and our path forward.”
Full disclosure: Gallaudet University is a sponsor of “The Daily Moth.”
Gallaudet announced there will be a livestream tomorrow on Facebook of a sit-down with Gallaudet President Cordano and Dr. Laurene Simms to have a “candid conversation on systemic racism and creating a path forward.” The scheduled date is Thursday, June 18 at noon.
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A recent Gallaudet graduate, Jamal Garner, has been one of the most outspoken Black Deaf individuals calling for change on Gallaudet. He made a vlog last week criticizing President Cordano for focusing on suspending the Kappa Gamma fraternity and for not acting on multiple requests from him and other Black and students of color to address wider issues of systemic racism, discrimination, and racial profiling. His vlog made an impact.
On Monday, President Cordano acknowledged in a vlog that her announcement (about the fraternity suspension) shifted the focus from Black students’ concerns and away from Black Lives Matter and systemic racism. She said it was a mistake and that she would shift the focus back on issues of racism.
The NBDA letter was on Tuesday night. The NBDA said they gave the Gallaudet Board of Trustees 24 to 48 hours to provide a response on their action plan.
The Board of Trustees’ liaison Glenn Lockhart said in an email to “The Daily Moth” that the board is “giving the NBDA letter and all other communications they may receive from community stakeholders their swift and undivided attention.”
We can watch the livestream tomorrow noon on Gallaudet’s Facebook page to see the latest from President Cordano.
NBDA Letter: https://www.nbda.org/news/nbda-open-letter-to-gallaudet-university-board-of-trustees-june-2020
Facebook Livestream: https://www.facebook.com/events/563747687620553/
Jamal Garner: https://www.facebook.com/jamal.garner1/videos/3629696900391954/
President Cordano Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhsSX6m69cg&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0i_BW864YigtPwGkLqzrePbyNB91bVHc7mwysSvXO7ulfLU15ZshSn5Vs