#deafcommunityservices #racism #deafracism
Dear Board Members and Executive Team Members of Deaf Community Services (DCS) of San Diego: I am in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Deaf community with a full consequentialist approach, to support the concern of taking action against systemic racism.
In the land of the free, Audism and Racism has been the firestorm of controversy swirling around DCS; it is the subject of a language hegemony. For example, hearing privileges and white privileges. DCS should not allow Racism ideology, Audism ideology and explicitly excluded the BIPOC Deaf community.
The concerns are healing, self-actualization, and the raising of consciousness to warrant the human change for intersectionality. It is a healthy consciousness unpacking the white privileges, the identification of racism, and the ethical question: Is Whiteness a privilege?
Rooted in the language bigotry, Audism and Racism lead to human sufferings as matter of sub consciousness, though, the consciousness has been used in favor of power advantage, in a democracy of ignoring the systemic racism and avoid healing in favor of ordinary BIPOC Deaf community in a constitutionally dominated country.
Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr; 1967 quote:
“When a people are mired in oppression, they realize deliverance only when they have accumulated the power to enforce change.”
Racism exists and underestimated phenomena. Audism, too. Waves of patriotic emotions swept over North, South, West, and East. How there was a voice to be heard and seen in the deep-rooted systemic racism that would be easily silenced “white silence” and why this bias phenomenon continues to be invisible. That includes the fear of change. Strategies to minimize bias is not often discussed enough in the White Deaf community.
I believe extensive racial bias training is an important step to achieve with full integration and comprehensive access to be completed with the full understanding of racism, explicit and implicit.
DCS should be a safe place and must continue to ensure that the BIPOC Deaf community shall be hired without bias, and reject that unnecessary institutionalization and its systemic racism from the society.
In solidarity,
Jason “JT” Tozier
Hate Crime Researcher/Anti-Bias Trainer
...And the Truth Shall Set You Free. 