22 minute read
President's Farewell Message
A Time to
Re-Orient Jonathan Webb PhD, CI and CT, NIC Advanced President For me, questions hold far more power than that of statements. Statements are limiting in and of themselves. They may be very important, but they offer a sort of finality. Questions, on the other hand, lead us to explore and embark on new forms of discovery. And make no mistake- the experience of the last two years has led me to develop lots of statements and I’ll share some of those. However, I have far more questions and we’ve even had the opportunity to explore some of those very questions over the last six weeks having gone through the sociopolitical upheaval our association has just experienced. We are RID. Our membership continues to struggle with not understanding that RID is simply a reflection of who we are. RID’s success is ultimately our collective success. Conversely, RID’s struggles and challenges belong to and come from us as well. There is little separation. RID did not appear out of the ether. RID was created, organized, and has been maintained by us- practitioners and stakeholders in the profession of sign language interpreting. It’s time we come to terms with this.
The irony is striking here, because we proudly proclaim that RID is member-driven. And when we do well we seem to have no problem taking pride in that. We also need to own the challenges and obstacles we experience too without projecting them onto something when that does nothing to actually address the issues. I’ve shared this message regularly as I’ve talked with us, but the time is now that we understand when we ask why RID? We are ultimately asking about our own efficacy and viability as sign language interpreters. We are practice professionals. There’s a lot to unpack with that designation, but one thing I’d like to highlight is our social responsibility as practice professionals within this field. It’s hard to argue that we haven’t discussed that we live in a society full of systems born from -isms meant to marginalize and disenfranchise certain peoples. As interpreters, we live in-between these two experiences- the systems that create the marginalization and the people who suffer from it. We must use this understanding to frame how we go about our practice. We cannot be passive participants, bystanders in the marginalization of Deaf people. One of the things I believe might help us better understand our duty and obligation as practice professionals in this field is our mission statement. Via our mission statement, which has evolved over the years, we clearly see that we work to facilitate communication between those who use signed and spoken languages and that we do such with a degree of excellence, in adherence to ethical and moral behavior, all while committing ourselves to continued professional growth.
Where are we going?
We are not completely unified within RID. We seem to have a strong group of individuals invested in and dedicated to RID’s and our collective growth and transformation. We sadly have another smaller group of individuals who seem invested in and dedicated to political game playing and theatrics. When you think back to ancient myths of two-headed beasts we see some of the metaphors around a house divided. It’s time for us to come together.
For a year and a half we have been deep in the discussion of transitioning RID into a professional certification organization. These discussions have happened in a variety of ways both large and small. Members have made their wishes known- we need and want to transition into a professional certification organization. This member, Deaf community, and stakeholder sentiment has been verified by a 3rd party consultant.
Our conference opening plenary, offered by Belinda McCleese, addressed change. Belinda talked about transitional change as being a process of relinquishing one thing in order to have something different. That’s exactly what we are
doing as we transition from a member-driven organization Audism to a professional certification organization. However, we must acknowledge that this hefty transition is taking place within a larger context of transformation within RID. Belinda shared that transformational change is about hope and faith in something now and moving towards that energy and hope without being able to clearly see the journey or even the form or shape of the destination. This type of change can be frightening. Dealing with the unknown often brings up feelings of trepidation and hesitancy. And, it is 2021. We technically started this journey in 2013. People need time for change, but it is time to engage in the conversation and then move forward. There is a very general timeline set out that would help set mile markers for this transitional process of our transformation. Ultimately, the membership holds the power in this process and decision. Now, I must digress for a moment. There have been multiple accusations that I have attempted to hoard power as the president. The reality however is far more fascinating- as a member I have considerablye more power when not wearing the mantle of President. Much of this has to do with power of voice. Interestingly, those who have claimed I have hoarded power are the same ones on social media who have decided to engage in a way that is becoming much more of government politicians than that of those belonging to a Professional Certification Organization. I don’t have that same luxury right now, as I am the President. However as of September 1, 2021, that will change. I intend to continue to show up and push this conversation. We will have those who resist change, naturally. It behooves us to recognize that phenomenon, band together, and collectively push this change to be realized. Many of you have probably seen our CASLI President, Dr. Miako Villanueva, talk about the CASLI experiment. This refers to the natural human process of coming up with a strong plan, executing that plan, and assessing our progress along the way making adjustments as needed. This follows the philosophy of continuous improvement. We engage in continuous improvement because we all understand, that is what you simply do in systems and and in life. Now, despite the adjustments to the experiment along the way, I think we can all agree that the CASLI experiment has been one of great success. I want to thank our past boards, our interim-director Anna Whitter-Merithew, Dr. Villanueva, and all the others who made difficult decisions to make CASLI happen. They created breathing room for CASLI and our tests. They created a structure whereby CASLI has a small group of caring and conscious people dedicated to providing stewardship over our tests.
We have an opportunity to replicate this success. A similar structure and approach could be utilized with the Certification Maintenance Program and our Professional Devel-
opment Committee. This could be done with our Ethical Practices System and our Ethics Committee. This model could be used with our Certification & Credentialing Department, and our Certification Committee. Following this approach then means that the RID Board of Directors could finally take on and devote time and attention to education, advocacy, legislative affairs, and then stronger coordination between the CMP, EPS, and Certification & Credentialing. Again, this model allows the RID Board to devote time and attention to communication, financial stability, and overall stability and growth.
Curiosity How do we get there?
This journey requires us to relinquish individual power within RID. This of course doesn’t preclude us from influencing these systems and programs. But it would mean providing that influence in the right way. This tendency of ours to submit last minute motions and then expect a brief discussion and vote is not healthy for our association. We don’t make huge life impacting decisions in a last minute way with little to no discussion in our personal financial affairs, so why would we do this for our national association? We owe doing this the right way to those we serve, namely our Deaf communities. They depend on us to be wise and strategic with what we do and how we do it. They expect us to make measured decisions that take multiple perspectives into consideration. We owe it to them to do this in the right way.
This journey requires us looking at the composition of the RID Board of Directors. Do we elect officers through our standing voting process? Do we instead create a pathway for Member Section leaders to sit on the Board of Directors, ensuring representation? We must determine effective ways to ensure there is diversity of identity and lived experience on the Board. And yet, representation isn’t enough. We need representation in tandem with qualification- possession of knowledge, skills, and abilities relative to the position being held. Great examples of this are Secretary Decker and Treasurer Nichols. They have both demonstrated what it means to come in with diverse identities and also be highly qualified to lead in the areas they steward. They have demonstrated success time and time again. This is what we need in all our officers for RID. When we start to recognize that RID is a business, a corporation with a hefty budget, it begs the question- why are we electing those whom we choose to fill these seats? Are our elections simply a popularity contest? Or, are we really seeking diverse candidates that have the qualifications for the positions?
We must consider the manner in which we advise the board as a membership. We have to figure out how we do that for the multiple smaller Boards of Managers meant to govern our systems such as EPS and CMP. We need to figure out how we also get advisement and insight from other stakeholder organizations. And make no mistake, this will be a challenge in certain circumstances. I’ve been asked countless times to work to repair longtime broken relationships with certain bodies. What we as a membership need to understand is that it takes both organizations to be interested in collaboration, in order for them to come together. Some of these organizations are not currently interested in working with RID. And that’s understandable. Look at our history. Look at our challenges. Look at our mistakes. We have a situation
where some organizations, and individuals, feel burned by RID and it will be some time before we demonstrate what is needed for them to come back into relationship with us. But that’s our work. We have the responsibility to show that our organization is stable enough, strong enough, and conscious enough for relationship and partnership. Until then, we can’t expect them to want what we want. And I have to emphasize again, we are RID. This isn’t about some external body out there that needs to change and mature. It is us.
Our voting process and how we utilize the power of our Affiliate Chapters is another way we get to where we are headed with transition and transformation. I’ve stated repeatedly that our Affiliate Chapters are one of our greatest untapped resources. As we recognize this critical piece we can’t help but acknowledge the important work that was done in 2017 during the national conference. An abundance of feedback, perspective, and insight was gathered- much of what could be used to help us in this transition. Headquarters staff, with Bill Millios spearheading the project, developed a draft proposal on what a delegate system might look like for RID. It seems that now is the time for us to move forward with this.
This journey requires us to relinquish individual power within RID. ...We owe doing this the right way to those we serve, namely our Deaf communities.
When do we get there?
I believe it is feasible to make this happen over the next three years. The question is- are we ready to do the work it takes to make it happen? It is possible, but only if we dig in and do it.
Why are we doing this?
We must stay true to our mission and our vision. This should
be our guide as to why we do what we do. And then after we have a clear understanding of what our mission and vision really mean, we have a duty and obligation to move forward. I understand that words like duty and obligation are complex for some. Some of my sense of duty and obligation come out of my personal community I come from, and quite a bit of it also probably comes from the family dynamics I was raised in and the fact that I am the eldest child- which probably isn’t a surprise to most of you. When we look at what we are doing and where we are headed in terms of a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis, we discover some prevalent themes. In terms of our strengths we have a contingency of volunteers around the nation who are eager, motivated, creative, and full of energy. This holds true for our HQ staff too. A prime example is how they handled the onerous switch from a 3rd party conference platform to our own Continuing Education Center. They utilized their talents and skills and worked overnight so that the membership would wake up to conference the next day with a different and enhanced user experience. We as RID members need to see this example and replicate it in the work we do. Like many other organizations, we rely heavily on volunteers. This means we are reliant on people to carry out our mission and vision, on top of their full-time jobs, family, personal life and pursuits, and so on. Distraction is one of our weaknesses because unlike the HQ staff who are paid to lead RID, our volunteer leadership has a finite amount of time dedicated to this work. Opportunities abound in RID, and I would claim that many of those opportunities exist within the membership itself. We have many highly talented people in our field. Sadly, we have not tapped many of these individuals and their talents, skills, expertise, and their relationships. I think about this
Discovery in terms of a cookout. You can bring everyone together and just have a couple folks provide a couple dishes. That’s deeply appreciated! But if everyone brings what they can offer to the cookout you inevitably have a feast! We need everyone to bring their skills and talents and connections to the RID cookout. Now, there’s the infamous T in the SWOT analysis- threats. Ironically, we don’t have to look very hard to identify the threats before us. In fact, the intensity of some of our primary threats have increased exponentially over the last few months. In fact, another T word that we could use relative to threats in RID is toxic. I don’t necessarily care for how the word is overused in society, but truly believe that it fits us here in RID. We live in a world that deals with these issues at the macro-level, and we see the same phenomenon playing out here in RID at the meso-level. The only rational thing I can think that we as members can do is firmly set boundaries and demand that toxic characters in our field stop the destructive behaviors. And then we must resist and turn away from those who are relentless, as we cannot allow ourselves to be infected. I understand that sounds harsh, given some of our social relationships in RID. In many ways we are a family. But I would urge us to consider that even in family, we may have toxic relatives. And sometimes the only way to handle those very problematic people is to set firm and unmoving boundaries. But again, I’m the oldest in my family so I certainly understand that colors my point of view when I consider the overall health and safety of our family (RID). We are RID. Not the board, not the building, not even the CEO. It is us; we are RID. We need to center ourselves in our mission and vision. This is the way. This is the path. Transformation, while beautiful, can at times feel like a harrowing journey. But on any journey, whether harrowing or tranquil, you must determine what you will bring along with you. You can’t take everything on a journey- it’s not helpful and it’s unnecessary. So what is it that we need to bring with us on this journey of RID’s transition and transformation? We need to bring our values. And I’m not referring to the
We must stay true to our mission and our vision. This should be our guide as to why we do what we do. And then after we have a clear understanding of what our mission and vision really means, we have a duty and obligation to move forward.
low ego-based values that we at times fall prey to, but our highest and most noble values. We need to bring our dialogic tools and use them to help us communicate in clear and effective ways. And then we need to bring our will to do the required work. And what do we leave behind on this journey? Pettiness, distraction, self-centeredness, selfishness, and political game-playing. In our history we’ve asked what the point of RID is or question what does RID do for me? I’d like us to take a moment and flip the question. Instead, let’s ask what it would look like if there never was an RID. We have an experience in RID where we have exceptionally arrogant colleagues, members, and stakeholders suggest that maybe RID should simply be dissolved and disbanded. To them I have one question- then what is your solution? What is the replacement? After you finish your destruction, what instead do you build? To suggest destruction without providing a vision to what we then build, is an example of worthless empty meaningless diatribe, at best. For those who seem to throw stones but have no meaningful solutions, I sincerely ask you to take a seat, do your inner work and identify where the problem lies, engage in a little humility as you realize this isn’t all about you, and then contribute to the work of us all making RID better. I extend this invitation to any and all of us who need it. We need to lead this thing together. And I know some of you are right there, eager and excited, ready to figure out where
Growth to jump in. I would encourage you to reach out to your Affiliate Chapter President. Again, our affiliate chapters are a tremendous untapped resource. It takes what feels like an inordinate amount of time to make change at the national level. But at the local level change happens at a much faster pace. The process of engaging in clear and effective dialogue, working towards consensus, and agreeing on direction can happen locally at a fraction of the amount of time it takes to do that at the national level. Please get involved with your AC. And something I have to add here when I talk about our involvement, work, and investment in RID is our dues and fees structure. Let me be clear- our dues and fees are directly tied to the operation of our certification program systems. It takes financial investment to run the CMP, EPS, and screen and process for credentialing. And in reality, what we pay in order to maintain the system of our professional organization is rather miniscule. I acknowledge, I say that from a seat of privilege. I remember when I was strapped to come up with dues. I remember those years well because frankly, it wasn’t all that long ago. And I also acknowledge that some of us are going above and beyond. I deeply appreciated some of our members who stepped up and offered to pay conference entry fees for marginalized and underrepresented interpreters. I truly believe if we all contribute in big and small ways, we are left with a thing of beauty. Now, I’d like to turn our attention away from the business of RID to the gratitude I have for those who make RID possible today. We have an incredible HQ team. To have people like CEO Star Grieser see the unnecessary theatrics within RID over the last little while and still be willing to stand at the helm of RID is inspiring. Directors like Ryan Butts who wears multiple large hats and engages her work with humility, is breathtaking. Marva was certainly my right-hand for the business meeting, but Ryan was my left hand. I won’t name everyone at RID but I would do a disservice if I didn’t talk a little bit about my brother, COO Elijah Sow. RID is indebted to him. On a very personal level, we’ve been through a lot the last couple of years, and that includes the spotlight on Black Lives Matter as we’ve witnessed Black men, women, and trans folks be murdered in broad daylight. When you come from a highly collectivist community and see these murders take place, you see the murders of your parents, your siblings, your aunts and uncles, and even the lynching of yourself. Elijah was one of those people who was there for me in all of this as I did my best to steer RID. That
Transition will never be forgotten. Our committees and task force workgroups have taken on very difficult initiatives with little fanfare yet contribute quite a bit to the fulfilling of our mission and vision. It’s especially difficult when we have people who complain, or even fellow leaders - like the president - complain. This work is not easy and I acknowledge they sacrifice a lot to be able to do it.
I want to thank our councils and advisors. Some of our advisors provide consultation outside of any official capacity, and I truly appreciate their investment as well.
I want to take a moment and applaud the work of our Affiliate Chapter leadership. I implore you, tell your AC President that you love them. Tell them they have your support. Then show it. Prove it.
Our Member Section leadership also must be thanked. We have a tendency to not give much attention to our MS and some of them only ever perk up when it’s conference time. The last two years however, they have been challenged by the board to do something more and different. Internally, we created some initial processes and systems to support them in their work. We see some evidence of this growth via our conference. We had the opportunity for some sections to take ownership of a conference session and simply lead. A great example of leadership is Matt Salerno. It was announced that VIMS was devoid of leadership and he simply volunteered. And sometimes it is that simple- a willingness to pitch in and help. Willingness and follow-through is what we saw, and I appreciate it.
And finally, I have to mention our esteemed conference presenters. A few years ago I had the thought that it would be transformational for RID to devote a conference to unpacking audism. Certainly all isms deserve our time and attention, but we have to acknowledge that due to who we are and what we do, RID has a special and unique relationship to the system of audism. Interpreters directly and monetarily benefit from the system of audism. This benefit then demands that we are exceptionally careful, conscious, and accountable for how we show up as practitioners within a system of audism. To show up in the way we need to requires authentic listening. Conference presenters, thank you for giving us the opportunity to listen.
As I close out this message, there is a final point I would like to make. When I made the very difficult decision to not fill the second term for which I was elected, I had no idea that the board in its entirety would also resign. For whatever reason, that possibility never entered my mind. And make no mistake, I trust and love these people and fully support their decision, as difficult as it is. I’m still grappling with the fallout of everything, and continue to process how this has all happened. But in all of this turmoil I need to make something abundantly clear to our membership, Deaf communities, and general stakeholders.
Many of you have seen the powerful testimony Treasurer Nichols shared on the racism that was utilized to engage in the attacks that have happened. Somehow, many have decided that the board resigned due to racism. Let me state, unequivocally, you are wrong. When Black and folks of color are confronted with racism it is not in our nature to run and hide. In fact, we typically lean in, dig in, and fight harder- with an aim to do nothing less but win. And you can be guaranteed, the fight we’ve engaged in, to win, does not conclude on 31 August 2021. You may recall earlier in this message me sharing that bearing the role of president means that there are certain things that simply cannot be said or done. In essence, certain aspects of your personal voice must be siloed. As of 01 September, that will change.
So let me be clear. I resigned because a narrative was concocted in an attempt to disparage me. Their solution was simple- we must have a Deaf president in RID, immediately. When this concocted narrative reached a crescendo, it became the dominant narrative. It posed a clear and present threat to our association and its mission. And ironically, it began to have an impact on our conference which was centered in actually unpacking audism within RID. This was nothing less that the dirt and muck that we find in the theatrics of politics.
There is no room for this behavior here. Yet, this de-
structive behavior and narrative permeated our communities and it caused some presenters to back out of their participation in the conference. So I ask, what would you do? Assert your power and authority and hold onto the thing you were legitimately voted into by the membership, or simply relinquish the power, and then find other ways to lead from outside of the system? For me, choosing to leave the system in this capacity meant that I was choosing the mission over self, and the conference agenda over self. For me, it was clearly more important that we have a successful conference that actually did what we set out to do- address audism and other isms. I share all of this because I want you all to under-
