Recap and updates on Gallaudet University since NBDA Open Letter
***CORRECTION: Pamela Lloyd-Ogoke did not submit an application for the Provost position. However, she did apply for the Dean of Student Affairs position.
I want to give a recap of the major developments in the three weeks since the National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA) sent an open letter to Gallaudet University. First, before I cover this, I want to acknowledge I have white skin and that this news story covers many aspects that have an impact on Black Deaf individuals. I’m going to do my best to recap what has happened to catch all of us up.
The first major development is that three Gallaudet University board members have resigned from their positions since the open letter. They are Claudia Gordon Esq., Duane Halliburton, and James F.X. Payne. The first two are Black and Deaf, while the third is a white hearing man.
The NBDA open letter was written on June 16 and has the signature of NBDA President Isidore Niyongabo. The letter had seven demands with the seventh for the BOT to remove Gallaudet President Roberta “Bobbi” Cordano and start a search for a new and inclusive deaf president. The letter criticized Cordano for deflecting from the concerns raised by Black members of the university by suspending an on-campus fraternity (referring to Kappa Gamma).
(Full disclosure — I was a Kappa Gamma member and Gallaudet University is one of “The Daily Moth’s sponsors.)
Back to the news. On June 18, Gallaudet President Cordano had a sit-down “Candid Conversation” that was broadcast live on social media with the university’s Chief Bilingual Officer Dr. Laurene Simms. Dr. Simms gave an impassioned plea for President Cordano to remain in her position as a female and queer president. She made a point that the previous two Gallaudet presidents who were pushed out were women. She talked about the machine of systemic racism and said it was big, old, and smart. In the middle of her statements, she said there was an “elephant in the room at the NBDA” in that there is tension between American-born Black individuals and international-born Black individuals. She said that some international-born Black individuals want to remove Cordano but asked them to support and honor American-born Black individuals’ process of opening up to their experiences of living in America’s systemic racism and their ingrained DNA that came from the trauma that enslaved Africans experienced when they arrived on American shores.
There were many people who praised the candid conversation and agreed with Dr. Simms’ points, but there were a number of Black Deaf individuals felt that Dr. Simms gave a xenophobic and divisive message, especially because the NBDA President was born in Burundi and immigrated to the U.S. It is worth noting here that Claudia Gordon was born in Jamaica and immigrated to the U.S. as well. So that’s the context.
After the conversation between Dr. Simms and President Cordano, Gallaudet University put out several action plans to address systemic racism on campus and to respond to a list of demands from the Black Student Union (BSU). The first is a website that outlines its anti-racism commitment and their action plan, and the second is a statement from the university Chief Operating Officer Dominic Lacy in which he made a commitment to transform the Department of Public Safety, the on-campus security service.
The Board of Trustees sent a response to the NBDA in which they said they would continue to support President Cordano but hold her accountable for her actions to dismantle systemic racism. Just yesterday the BOT put out a video statement saying they agree with President Cordano’s stand against organizations that promote racism and hate and her broader focus on diversity, equity, and racial justice.
[Sponsored Video by Convo]
Now, let’s go back to the resignations.
A copy of Claudia Gordon’s resignation letter to the BOT was posted on a Facebook group/page called “The Parallax Viewpoints” two weeks ago. I read it and Gordon said she felt the Board and the university’s leadership failed to take actions to achieve equity, diversity, and inclusion, and that she felt frustrated and ineffective, so she decided to channel her time elsewhere. She closed her letter by saying she sincerely hopes the Board will “successfully tackle the eradication of the pervasive and deep seated systemic racism which is sorely needed at Gallaudet University.”
I do not know the specific reasons why Duane Halliburton is stepping down, but the Gallaudet BOT said in a press release two weeks ago that in March, Halliburton informed them he wanted to step down to focus on new opportunities and family commitments. He was the chair of the 2015 Presidential Search Advisory Committee that selected President Cordano.
It is important to note that both individuals who resigned are Black Deaf individuals.
For the third BOT member that left, James F.X. Payne — who is a white hearing man with a background in business and government — a copy of his resignation letter was also posted on “The Parallax Viewpoints.” Payne said in the letter he was resigning in protest because he felt the BOT has lost its way and its moral compass, specifically criticizing anyone who would defend Kappa Gamma and pointed out that there were BOT members who were a part of the fraternity. Payne also criticized that a Black Deaf woman, Pamela Lloyd-Ogoke, who used to be a finalist for the university president position, was considered unqualified for the Provost position that was given to a white male.
The provost is Jeffrey Lewis — he is the interim provost. So these are the three resignations. There are letters for the first and third, but not the second.
I want to note here that Dr. Glenn Anderson, a Black Deaf man who is a former member of the BOT, posted a vlog on his personal YouTube page saying he supports the NBDA letter. The California Association of the Deaf (CAD) and Council de Manos also submitted letters of support for NBDA’s open letter.
So, that is a recap of the major things that have happened in the past three weeks. Clearly there is a lot of tension from multiple stakeholders in the Deaf world over issues about systemic racism and on what direction we should go from here.
Gallaudet’s Action Plans on Anti-racism: https://gallyshare.com/belonging-equity
Gallaudet COO’s Plan to Transform DPS: https://mailchi.mp/gallaudet.edu/creating-a-new-paradigm-for-public-safety-on-campus
BOT Announcing Departures: https://youtu.be/qMDLEffUhhs
Glenn Anderson: https://youtu.be/pInqZrPSVJw
Parallax Viewpoints: https://www.facebook.com/parralax.view/