by Judy Wilkinson
Back in the day, every high school junior was forced to read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, a novel (in my opinion wasted on such young readers). Hester Prynne refused to name the father of Little Pearl, and the scarlet letter A informed all that she had committed Adultery.
For some of our CCB members, the shameful scarlet letter A has come to stand not for Adultery but for Agency.
We only have to look back to the excellent historical proceedings presented in the winter, 2014 BC to know why the word "Agency" is anathema to people who are blind. In 1934, a bunch of do-gooders brought what they thought would be docile obedient blind men and women together to form an organisation for the blind. But the sheep had other ideas. Led by the likes of the young Jacobus tenBroek, the majority of the new organization's positions came to be held by blind people themselves.
Flash forward to the 1960's when a number of well-meaning agencies formed the National Accreditation Council (NAC), to accredit (justify) like-minded agencies ostensibly serving the blind, but mostly providing services they (agency folk) thought were good for them (the clients, constituents, pick your term). Years followed when the blindness organizations (NFB more forcefully, and ACB some would say more diplomatically) fought this self-perpetuating service model. The battle went on for years but in the end NAC became a laughable impotent entity.
With such a history, no wonder the word Agency sets off alarm bells for some of our members.
But let's be honest here: many agencies can and do provide useful services and benefits; the issue is: who controls them?
During this past year when someone suggests CCB is adopting this scarlet letter, your Board members assiduously and repeatedly have reassured members that this organization will always reflect its grassroots, with the final authority resting with our convention. Seemingly we are flat out not believed. After all, we all know one supposed grassroots organization which provides services to its members. But if it walks like an agency and quacks like an agency, well you get the idea.
So it feels like despite all our protestations of still being your grassroots CCB, some still believe we're sliding down that slippery slope. The first danger sign was hiring a CEO (a sighted one at that) who, in a desperate attempt to keep the money from running out, has gone after funds which, yes, provide services! We have received a VISTA grant allowing us to bring on board 3 folks: one of whom will work to provide members with employment services; one will help with capacity-building community outreach and increase our volunteer base. We have a grant which will allow us to train some of our members to deliver trainings on financial literacy (come early to the convention on Wednesday afternoon March 21, 2018 to learn more.
Dear to my heart is a developing partnership with ontheMuV [That's not an error] through which we hope not only to provide an inexpensive mini under-desk treadmill, but better yet, jobs. The device is behind schedule and a prototype is still being developed, but we hope to tell you more soon.
So if attempting to provide our members more services, if directing callers to entities where they can receive services makes CCB an agency, then yes we are guilty.
Another scarlet letter Agency sign is that the CEO heads the business side of the organization, with employees reporting to, hired and fired by him. No matter how many times we assure our members that the CEO reports, to and is evaluated by me representing the Board, the worry seems to be that Paul Shane is running the show.
Third, our CEO, in order to assist us in turning our 80-year-old grassroots organization into a 21st century modern nonprofit, has asked us to provide certain information: volunteer hours and our fundraising reports on a more timely monthly basis.
Fourth, it seems the CEO and the Constitution and By laws committee are plotting to dump our sacred document to replace it with a business model. We are designing by laws, the modern approach, leaving us free to keep policies more fluid. That means for instance, we don't have to amend the Constitution in order to change the date things are due. The document will also reflect compliance with state and federal laws and regulations. Here is the Preamble your CANDB Committee is proposing. "We, the blind citizens of California, having established in 1934 the California Council of the blind as an organization dedicated to the equality and opportunity in society for blind and low-vision Californians and now seeking through provision of our governing document to our organization and our commitments in response to the demands of today's changing world, do hereby:
- Establish these by laws to reflect continuity with the values and principles that have historically defined our organization;
- Reiterate our commitment to a self-governing organization in which people who are blind and low-vision are the supreme authority in organization maintaining control over their own decisions and lives;
- Develop mechanisms for acquiring the necessary management, fund-raising, legal, financial and technological expertise to assure the viability and success of the organization and to maximize its ability to meet the challenges of the future;
and
- Devise administrative and accountability structures to ensure that delegated expertise is utilized in ways that maximize its effectiveness and that preserve membership authority and control."
Do you see signs of the hated scarlet letter in this statement?
Perish the thought that we should actually try to do things to help meet our members' needs! Negativity rises out of fear. Some fear that trying to meet members' needs will deprive them of autonomy or that providing services may deflect from our dedication to advocacy.
But such fears only lead to negativity which demoralizes your fellow members who are working so hard to make sure CCB doesn't have to close its doors.
When I speak directly to individuals members or visit with various chapters as I have recently with Solano, San Francisco and Redwood Empire, as I plan to join our Southern California chapters in late January for a regional meeting: I feel invigorated and revitalized. Both Paul and I have and will continue to schedule "office hours". My phone number is published in every Blind Californian. In short, if you have a complaint, problem or concern, don't just complain to each other, talk to me, to Paul, to any board member!
I look forward to the day when the letter A stands for Advancement: the kind of advancement we can accomplish when we communicate and converse, working together toward the common goal of promoting the interests of all Californians who are blind or visually-impaired.
