Mark Riccobono: Greetings, fellow Federationists. Today is Friday, November 22nd, 2024. And this is Presidential Release number 544. And we are entering the final month of the year. So this will be our final Presidential Release for 2024. It is a time of giving and sharing, a time when more of us focus on gratitude. And so I wanted to pick up on where I left off last month, talking about gratitude, to continue that conversation here on this release. I think the idea of gratitude is actually an important part of our active participation standard in the organized blind movement. And I want to talk about that.
Before I get there, let me take one moment to talk about another fundamental aspect of our movement that I find often gets overlooked, and I continue to encounter people who are surprised when I bring this idea up with them. The most important word in our name, National Federation of the Blind, is the word of. And a lot of people, when I share that with them, they're surprised by that. They hadn't thought about it. We're a membership organization of blind people. There are, I don't know, something like 500 various agencies for the blind in this country.
But our organization is run and directed by blind people. And we're represented by blind people, who are elected by blind people, to be the leaders of our organization. The staff of the National Federation of the Blind report directly to our elected president, who is required to be blind. And, therefore, there's a direct relationship and responsibility to the members of the organization on the part of our staff at our national office, whether they're blind or non-blind individuals. So the responsibilities, the priorities, are all set in our organization by blind people.
The important reality that we are a blind-centered and blind-led organization gives us great authority, authenticity, and effectiveness in the work that we do. And it is very different than, well, almost any other entity you find out there working with blind people. I would encourage our chapters to emphasize our role as an organization of blind people. And the important work that we have to do as an organization that is not an agency for the blind, but a movement of blind people working to change society on our terms and based on our direction. This is a great topic for us to discuss in our chapters. And, in fact, how we can more authentically represent that in our chapters.
One example of how we put our authenticity into action in the organized blind movement, I'll use, is how we run our meetings. When I am chairing a meeting, I ask people in the meeting who wish to be recognized to speak, to say their name. I'm okay if they raise their hand at the same time, but I want there to be equality for people who are blind and people who are not blind in the meeting. And so I ask them to say their name. And when people are called on, they can speak. This provides everybody in the meeting an opportunity to know the voice of the person who's calling for the floor associated with their name. And some people in our community have very recognizable voices. But you know what? If you're showing up for the first time, you may not know who they are. And some of us have more trouble than others recognizing voices.
Sometimes, we have presenters in our meetings. It's great for them to get to know our names, especially if they're from the outside. And we should help others know how to engage in a way that's fully accessible to all of us in that meeting. And so I would encourage us to use blind-centered techniques in our chapter meetings, and we should talk about how we do that. So that's one idea of something that our chapters could be talking about this month and going forward.
But I now want to return to the idea of gratitude for this month's release. We all get something truly wonderful from our community of blind people here in the National Federation of the Blind. Our movement works because so many people give of their heart, their personal experiences, their energy, their talents, their imagination, and so much more. Each of you make this movement what it is, makes it powerful. And I am truly grateful for all that you put into this community that we share. Sometimes, we get caught up in the many things that we still have to do, and how passionate we are about what needs to be achieved still, and our desire to make change in society, that we forget to take a step back and celebrate the tremendous success that we've had. And more importantly, to thank those around us in the National Federation of the Blind who have made our success possible. That can be at a small level, something that someone does at this month's chapter meeting, to the broader level, helping to get a law passed in Washington D.C., or something big like that.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for what you do on a daily basis. The choice that you make to participate actively in this movement, amongst so many other things that you could be doing. You make a choice to give to our community. And it makes a tremendous difference in the lives of so many people, including myself and my family. You have made a choice not just to be a receiver in society. That's really easy to do as a blind person because society pretty much expects us to be the receivers of charity, not to be active contributors to our society.
For those of you who are new to the National Federation of the Blind, you may be hearing this and thinking, "Yeah, but I'm pretty much just taking right now as I'm early on my journey trying to figure it out." I want to say, don't worry about that. We are glad that you are here, and we are confident that you will be a contributor to our movement very soon. One way you do that is by learning about who we are and what we do. And that's why we're glad that you're here at our chapter meeting to do that. We know that there are dozens of ways that you will be contributing to our movement soon enough, and we'll look forward to helping you find that place where your talents can contribute.
I think we all could spend a little time here reflecting at the end of the year about what we can do for our movement next year in 2025. We all can step up and do some things we haven't been doing this year, whether it's writing some articles for the Monitor, or doing greeting at the local chapter meeting, finding blind people in the community to talk to about the Federation, making calls about our legislation, helping organize the State Convention, drumming up door prizes, or doing fundraising. There are 100 things that need to be done. And I would encourage each and every one of us to think about what we want to do in 2025, where we want to contribute that we haven't been in 2024.
I would also really appreciate us taking time at this chapter meeting to share our reflections about the people and moments that each of us are thankful for in our organized blind movement. If you want, you could also add a philosophical conversation to that time of sharing and reflection of gratitude with one of what I think is one of the most powerful pieces that we have published in the Braille Monitor during 2024. You should consider listening to, sharing, and discussing an article by Marc Maurer called Blind Courtesy that was in the April 2024 issue of the Braille Monitor.
In these times, I sometimes feel like everyone is discussing where the problems are, what's wrong. And, sure, we have a lot of things that we need to work on in our society, and a lot of challenges in front of us. For me, I have a deep well of gratitude for the members of this organization who take time to show gratitude. And to do what they can do to work on making progress in society, focusing on the areas where we can work together to make good things happen.
When I am blessed with the opportunity to be out and talking to blind people, I really appreciate learning about the personal stories of blind people, and how the National Federation of the Blind has made a difference in their lives. It helps me remember that feeling and gratitude that I have for the true transformation that happened in my life after meeting the National Federation of the Blind. It's coming close on 30 years ago. And those stories also give me a lot of optimism for the future because it helps me stay focused on the fact that we, by working together, truly can transform lives, transform society, in the way that we have since 1940. We all need that reminder that we have a lot of work to do.
We also need the reminder that we have a whole family of people who have our back in the National Federation of the Blind, who are here to give us strength and determination. And as I approach the end of the year, I feel a tremendous amount of gratitude for all of you who are making that difference on a daily basis. It's made a difference in my life, for my family, and hundreds of people across the country who I'm blessed to hear from about the difference that the Federation is making in their lives on a daily basis.
So those are the thoughts and reflections that are on my mind as we come to the end of 2024, and look with excitement and imagination to what will come in 2025. As you reflect here at the end of the year, I hope that you feel the same sense of pride and gratitude for what we have done this year. It truly has been a spectacular year for the National Federation of the Blind.
2025 will be even more meaningful, especially if we determine to work together to make it more meaningful. And so I encourage us to charge into 2025 with energy and imagination so that we can make 2025, our 85th year in the organized blind movement, our best yet. That's what I'm planning to do. And as I reflect on the year that we've had, I am truly honored to have the opportunity to work alongside all of you in this movement. It gives me great hope for what is yet to come.
Before I close, I do want to give you just a couple of reminders about next year and things that are coming. Our next Presidential Release live will be be on January 7, 2025 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. It's a great opportunity for you to get updates, and announcements, and learn about the latest happenings. And we will be celebrating Braille because we will have just passed World Braille Day on January 4, so tune in for that. And as always, if you have ideas about topics we should cover on the live release, or on this chapter release, please send them to me.
Also, want to remind you that our Washington Seminar is coming up the week of February 3rd, 2025. It will kick off with the great gathering in, which starts at 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Monday, February 3rd. And it is not at all too early, as we hit the end of the year here, for us to start planning for our National Convention and annual Federation Family Reunion, which will happen from July 8 to July 13 in New Orleans, Louisiana next summer. So start thinking about it, start making your plans, start talking to your family about what you're going to be doing next July. Because we will want to have you there, and you will want to be there so that you can be part of the work that we're doing, and show gratitude to the thousands of others that have put their time and imagination into our organized blind movement.
I am hopeful that each and every one of you has a blessed holiday season, that you enjoy the richness and traditions that are part of your family's lives this season. I encourage you to show gratitude to others, and use that as a motivation to show gratitude throughout the entire year. Thank you for all that you've done. With love, hope, and determination, let's go build the National Federation of the Blind.
Speaker 2: The preceding message was brought to you by Mark Riccobono, President, National Federation of the Blind, (410) 659-9314. Office of the President at nfb.org. Follow President Riccobono on Mastodon. Just search for @president at nfb.social. Let's go build the National Federation of the Blind.