Deaf Consciousness

Why are we wasting our time  and energy educating the public with the Deaf Awareness gimmicks, it's not getting us anywhere. It's just a proclamation on worthless piece of paper, a few booths in an exhibition hall selling ILY t-shirts, displays of the latest telecommunication equipment, maybe a workshop on how to use an interpreter. The general public doesn't give a damn because we didn't raise social consciousness on the issues that affect our lives.

Black awareness? I think not, but they march on Washington, demanding equality in our society back in the civil rights era. Remember those scenes of a governor of a state blocking a black college student, the sit-in at the local drugstores, they were fighting segregation. It's their actions that raise social consciousness that causes us to realize that racism is dividing our nation and that we had to do something about it. The blacks don't sit around at a booth like we Deaf do, they took action.

The same with the women, they fought for their rights to vote. Like the blacks, they also raise social consciousness, winning the rights to have abortions, etc. The women don't sit around at a booth like we Deaf do, they took action. Nowadays, the gays are actively involved in achieving their rights to marry. Like the blacks and the women before them, they are raising social consciousness. The gays don't sit around at a booth like we Deaf do, they took action.

Once again, may I repeat; we are wasting our energy and time over the years trying to create Deaf awareness among ourselves, the public already knows we exists so what! Deaf Awareness doesn't achieve our goals, but I strongly believe that Deaf social consciousness is the way to go. If you had any doubts, look back at the Deaf President Now (DPN) movement at Gallaudet, it was a really a social consciousness event that got the world attention in one day that Deaf Awareness couldn't do in a hundreds or so years. We don't need a governor to proclaim Deaf Awareness week, but rather a governor that signs a bill that address the issues at hand.