September 7, 1880—has addressed the Deaf community worldwide—before I get into the urgent necessity of this post. Let’s start with some painful memories. Imagine the day after September 7th, let’s think about Deaf children’s skills to use sign language as human right, they would have been great leaders—to embark on journey through uncharted territory, and to change the image of Deaf people within painful energy into the world that sees before us.

It was not long though, before Deaf people were pounded with human threat, and deal with Oralism from every direction—slammed doors and angry looks wherever they use sign language. That’s hate crime, folks.

Today, the surge of Oralism, for example, listening and speaking, Cued Speech, and cochlear implants, Deaf children are forced to face with a world that feels extremely fragmented and hostile as much as possible. That is not the way of a human life that was supposed to be safe.

The challenges Deaf people face are far—the rise of bigotry and hate crimes, and the huge gap between the richest and poorest are just the tip of the iceberg and that is even scary part.

Do not be intimidated by power. Deaf community is in the making—and stop in the name of hate! We need to resist in the age of hate crime. Imagine how Deaf community felt the day after September 7th, 1880. It’s just mind-boggling. We, the Deaf people have the power to make a change—and start off by digging deep into our identity as the state of being of Deaf.

Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”

There are plenty of Deaf people who survived who dealt with Oralism ideology, they are also humans, who got the same number of hours each day as others on Earth—we must continue to resist against Alexander Graham Bell’s hate practices.

-JT

Copyright © 2018 Jason Tozier

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