Banquet Speeches

Delivered annually by our President at the national convention, the banquet speech often delves into groundbreaking philosophical thought and results in a rousing standing ovation.

We have included most of the National Federation of the Blind's banquet speeches below in addition to a few other speeches considered critical to our organization's history.

Mark A. Riccobono

• Dignity, Respect, and Determination:  The Momentum of the Blind People's Movement (Audio), Orlando, 2024
• Dignity, Respect, and Determination:  The Momentum of the Blind People's Movement, Orlando, 2024
• Belief, Courage, and Wisdom: Centering on the Blind People's Movement, Houston, Texas, 2023
• Belief, Courage, and Wisdom: Centering on the Blind People's Movement, Houston, Texas, 2023 (Audio)
• Spirit, Togetherness, and Service: The Signature of the Blind People's Movement, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2022
• Spirit, Togetherness, and Service: The Signature of the Blind People's Movement, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2022 (audio)
• Reflection, Revolution, and Race: A Growing Understanding Within the Organized Blind Movement, Virtual Convention, 2021
• Reflection, Revolution, and Race: A Growing Understanding Within the Organized Blind Movement, Virtual Convention, 2021 (audio)
• Language, Action, and Destiny: The Lived Experience of the Organized Blind Movement, Virtual Convention, 2020
• Language, Action, and Destiny: The Lived Experience of the Organized Blind Movement (Audio)
• Choice, Exploration, and Resistance: The Road to Freedom for the Blind, Las Vegas, 2019
• Choice, Exploration, and Resistance: The Road to Freedom for the Blind (Audio)
• Authenticity, Diversity, and the Synergy of the Organized Blind, Orlando, 2018
• Authenticity, Diversity, and the Synergy of the Organized Blind (Audio)
• Innovation, Blindness, and the Emerging Pattern of Thought, Orlando, 2017
• Innovation, Blindness, and the Emerging Pattern of Thought (Audio)
• The Understanding of Fear and the Power of Progress, Orlando, 2016
• The Understanding of Fear and the Power of Progress (Audio)
• The Federation at Seventy-Five: The Determination of Value and the Reflection of Hope, Orlando, 2015
• The Federation at Seventy-Five: The Determination of Value and the Reflection of Hope (Audio)

Dr. Marc Maurer

• The Challenge and the Limit, Orlando, 2014
• The Challenge and the Limit (Audio)
• The Power of Belonging, Orlando, 2013
• The Power of Belonging (Audio)
• The Intersection of Law and Love, Dallas, 2012
• The Intersection of Law and Love (Audio)
• Opportunity, Danger, and the Balance of Risk, Orlando, 2011
• Opportunity, Danger, and the Balance of Risk (Audio)
• The Advantage of Uncertainty, Dallas, 2010
• The Advantage of Uncertainty (Audio)
• The Value of Decision, Detroit, 2009
• The Value of Decision (Audio)
• The Value of Decision (Video)
• The Urgency of Optimism, Dallas, 2008
• The Urgency of Optimism (Audio)
• The Urgency of Optimism (Video)
• Expanding the Limits: The Uncertainty of Exploration, Atlanta, 2007
• Expanding the Limits: The Uncertainty of Exploration (Audio)
• Expanding the Limits: The Uncertainty of Exploration (Video)
• An Element of Justice, Dallas, 2006
• An Element of Justice (Audio)
• The Edge of Tomorrow, Louisville, 2005
• The Edge of Tomorrow (Audio)
• The Assimilation of Crisis, Atlanta, 2004
• The Assimilation of Crisis (Audio)
• The Rest of Reality, Louisville, 2003
• The Rest of Reality (Audio)
• Leadership and the Matrix of Power, Louisville, 2002
• Leadership and the Matrix of Power (Audio)
• Independence and the Necessity for Diplomacy, Philadelphia, 2001
• Independence and the Necessity for Diplomacy (Audio)
• The Personality of Freedom, Atlanta, 2000
• The Personality of Freedom (Audio)
• The Mental Discipline of the Movement, Atlanta, 1999
• The Mental Discipline of the Movement (Audio)
• The Search for Anonymity, Dallas, 1998
• The Search for Anonymity (Audio)
• The Essence of Maturity, Anaheim, 1996
• The Essence of Maturity (Audio)
• The Heritage of Conflict, Chicago, 1995
• The Heritage of Conflict (Audio)
• Let the Wing of the Butterfly Flap, Detroit, 1994
• Let the Wing of the Butterfly Flap (Audio)
• The Continuity of Leadership: Twin Requirements, Dallas, 1993
• The Continuity of Leadership: Twin Requirements (Audio)
• The Mysterious Ten Percent, Charlotte, 1992
• The Mysterious Ten Percent (Audio)
• Reflecting the Flame, New Orleans, 1991
• Reflecting the Flame (Audio)
• Language and the Future of the Blind, Denver, 1989
• Language and the Future of the Blind (Audio)
• Preparation and the Critical Nudge, Chicago, 1988
• Preparation and the Critical Nudge (Audio)
• Back to Notre Dame, Phoenix, 1987
• Back to Notre Dame (Audio)

Dr. Kenneth Jernigan

• The Day After Civil Rights, New Orleans, 1997
• The Day After Civil Rights (Audio)
• Of Braille and Honeybees, Detroit, 1994
• Of Braille and Honeybees (Audio)
• The Nature of Independence, Dallas, 1993
• The Nature of Independence (Audio)
• The Nature of Independence (Video)
• Shifting Balances in the Blindness Field, Charlotte, 1992
• Shifting Balances in the Blindness Field (Audio)
• The Federation at Fifty, Dallas, 1990
• The Federation at Fifty (Audio)
• Blindness: The Coming of the Third Generation, Kansas City, 1986
• Blindness: The Coming of the Third Generation (Audio)
• Blindness: The Pattern of Freedom, Louisville, 1985
• Blindness: The Pattern of Freedom (Audio)
• Blindness: The Circle of Sophistry, Phoenix, 1984
• Blindness: The Circle of Sophistry (Audio)
• Blindness: The Other Half of Inertia, Kansas City, 1983
• Blindness: The Other Half of Inertia (Audio)
• Blindness: Simplicity, Complexity, and the Public Mind, Minneapolis, 1982
• Blindness: Simplicity, Complexity, and the Public Mind (Audio)
• Blindness: The Corner of Time, Baltimore, 1981
• Blindness: The Corner of Time (Audio)
• Blindness: The Lessons of History, Minneapolis, 1980
• Blindness: The Lessons of History (Audio)
• Blindness: That's How It Is at the Top of the Stairs, Miami Beach, 1979
• Blindness: That's How It Is at the Top of the Stairs (Audio)
• To Everything There Is a Season, New Orleans, 1977
• To Everything There Is a Season (Audio)
• Blindness: Of Visions and Vultures, Los Angeles, 1976
• Blindness: Of Visions and Vultures (Audio)
• Blindness: Is the Public Against Us?, Chicago, 1975
• Blindness: Is the Public Against Us? (Audio)
• Blindness: Is Literature Against Us?, Chicago, 1974
• Blindness: Is Literature Against Us? (Audio)
• Blindness: Is Literature Against Us? (Video)
• Blindness: Is History Against Us?, New York City, 1973
• Blindness: Is History Against Us? (Audio)
• Blindness: A Left-Handed Dissertation, New York City, 1973
• Blindness: A Left-Handed Dissertation (Audio)
• Blindness: The New Generation, Chicago, 1972
• Blindness: The New Generation (Audio)
• To Man the Barricades, Houston, 1971
• To Man the Barricades (Audio)
• Blindness: The Myth and the Image, Minneapolis, 1970
• Blindness: The Myth and the Image (Audio)
• Blindness: New Insights on Old Outlooks, Columbia, 1969
• Blindness: New Insights on Old Outlooks (Audio)
• Blindness: Milestones and Millstones, Des Moines, 1968
• Blindness: Milestones and Millstones (Audio)
• Blindness: Concepts and Misconceptions, Washington, 1965
• Blindness: Concepts and Misconceptions (Audio)
• Blindness: Handicap or Characteristic?, Philadelphia, 1963
  • This speech was recorded twice, once at the 1963 convention, as "Blindness—A Dying or a Living?," and once in a studio, as "Blindness: Handicap or Characteristic?"
• Blindness: Handicap or Characteristic? (Audio) 
• Blindness—A Dying or a Living?
• Blindness—A Dying or a Living? (Audio)

Dr. Jacobus tenBroek

• Are We Equal to the Challenge?, Los Angeles, 1967
• Are We Equal to the Challenge? (Audio)
• The Future of the Federation, Louisville, 1966
• The Future of the Federation (Audio)
• The Federation at Twenty-Five: Postview and Preview, Washington, 1965
• The Federation at Twenty-Five: Postview and Preview (Audio)
• The Parliament of Man...The Federation of the World, Phoenix, 1964
• The Parliament of Man...The Federation of the World (Audio)
• The Individual's Role in a Democracy, San Pablo, CA, 1962
  • This was the last in a series of lectures delivered at a community college near Berkeley in late 1962. Because the recording system had not been turned on before Dr. tenBroek began speaking, the first few words of the lecture are missing. This talk has nothing to do with blindness, but rather demonstrates tenBroek’s deep commitment to equality for all.
• The Individual's Role in a Democracy (Audio)
• Welfare of the Blind: Perils and Prospects, Detroit, 1962
• Welfare of the Blind: Perils and Prospects (Audio)
• 1961 Convention Address, Kansas City, delivered by Perry Sundquist, NFB first vice president
• 1961 Convention Address (Audio)
• Newell Perry: Teacher of Youth and Leader of Men, Berkeley, 1961
• He Walks by a Faith Justified by Law, Miami, 1960
• Cross of Blindness, New Orleans, 1957
• Cross of Blindness (Audio)
• The Blind and the Right to Organize, New Orleans, 1957
• Within the Grace of God, San Francisco, 1956
• Within the Grace of God (Audio)
• Pros and Cons of Preferential Treatment for the Blind, Omaha, 1955
  • tenBroek apparently gave the same speech to the NFB National Convention and to the annual meeting of the American Association of Workers for the Blind. The only available text is the AAWB version.
• 1954 Banquet Address, Louisville, 1954
• 1954 Banquet Address (Audio) 
• The Role of the Blind in a Democratic Society, Nashville, 1952
  • This speech exists in three versions. In 2007, library staff found a typescript of the speech as we assume he intended to present it. This version was published for the first time in the Braille Monitor of July 2007. In 1952, though, radio station WSM Nashville broadcast the speech as he delivered it at the banquet on Sunday evening, July 13. This recording of the speech is shorter than the typed version and may reflect time limitations imposed by the radio broadcast. The third version of the speech was read by tenBroek in a national broadcast over the NBC radio network. Directed toward a broad cross-section of the general public, this version differs significantly from the other two.
• The Role of the Blind in a Democratic Society (Banquet Speech) (Audio)
• The Role of the Blind in a Democratic Society (National Radio Address)
• The Role of the Blind in a Democratic Society (National Radio Address) (Audio)
• The Neurotic Blind and the Neurotic Sighted: Twin Psychological Fallacies, Oklahoma City, 1951
• A Bill of Rights for the Blind, Baltimore, 1948
• Have Our Blind Social Security?, Wilkes-Barre, 1940

If you would like to order any of these items, please contact the Independence Market at [email protected] or 410-659-9314, extension 2216.