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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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Ready?

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I don't see the interpreter.

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What's the microphone for?

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I usually sign about right here.

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Yep, about right here.

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But I move a lot when I get emotional.

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I think it's probably better
if I use my glasses.

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Okay.

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I think I can be okay without them.

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Everybody ready?

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Yes! Finally!

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I have a story to tell.

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I was in my girlfriend's room.

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All of a sudden…

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the lights started flickering…

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and I could feel a vibration.

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Someone was kicking at the door…

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which means "Hurry up, hurry up!"

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So I went quickly to the door…

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and went downstairs
to the entrance of the campus.

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We're going live to Gallaudet University,

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where students are protesting

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because they want a say
in their school's future.

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A new president is about to be named

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and the students want
one of their own at the top.

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I was on my way back from KFC.

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Eating from the bag while driving.

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I was also signing with the other hand,

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but I was dating a hearing girl,
and she was freaking out.

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She was like, "Deaf driver, oh gosh!
Eyes on the road."

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I'm like, "Chill."

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When I got to campus…

35
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people were banging

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on the hood of my car.

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Students here have been
demonstrating and waiting all day

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outside the gates of Gallaudet University,

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while inside the board of trustees
have been meeting.

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Now, if students get their way,

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the university is going to have
its first Deaf president

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in 124 years.

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So I was walking down the hill,
and I saw tons of people.

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There was all this excitement in the air.

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00:05:03,929 --> 00:05:06,974
And I thought to myself,
"They're going to pick a Deaf person."

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Gallaudet is the only
university for the Deaf in the world,

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and has never had a non-hearing
president in its 124-year history.

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In 1864, Abraham Lincoln signed a law

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founding the first college
in the world for Deaf students.

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It's the right time. Come on.

51
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Someone had brought a box over.

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It was a bunch of flyers.

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Someone gave me a piece of paper.

54
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I saw the paper…

55
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picked it up, read it.

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See, I told you.

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Hearing people.

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00:06:11,496 --> 00:06:14,666
I looked around and all of a sudden…

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There's a firestorm
this evening at Gallaudet University.

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The school's board of trustees

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bypassed two Deaf candidates
for the school's presidency…

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in favor of a woman who can hear.

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I refuse to accept this.

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Among the finalists, two Deaf men,

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Harvey Corson and I. King Jordan,

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Dean of Gallaudet's College
of Arts and Sciences.

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The controversy centers
around the third candidate,

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a hearing woman, Elisabeth Zinser.

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It was impossible
that they chose hearing, not Deaf.

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00:07:04,258 --> 00:07:06,093
Oh, they were so angry.

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They felt insulted.

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They wanted violence.

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My first thought was, "control."

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They were totally out of control,
completely out of hand.

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I look at footage of you then,

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and you're pretty fucking cool.

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I was a lot thinner.

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00:07:47,134 --> 00:07:50,554
And so I stood up and I said,
"Hey everyone, sit down."

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And everyone did.

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I am as insulted as you all

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when they tell us that Deaf people

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are not qualified!

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I see an individual who is fired up…

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and ready to throw down.

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Were you born that way?

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00:08:35,599 --> 00:08:37,351
To other people,

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I was an innocent angel,
but my parents were like, "Uh, no."

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I was a little demon from hell.

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00:08:53,825 --> 00:08:56,286
Let me clarify, you're not an angel?

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00:08:57,621 --> 00:09:00,457
Well, I have a little bit of a halo,

91
00:09:00,541 --> 00:09:02,543
but it's tarnished a little.

92
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It's a little crooked.

93
00:09:10,175 --> 00:09:15,180
My father was
the best dental lab technician around.

94
00:09:16,515 --> 00:09:19,893
A lot of people went
there because of my dad,

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00:09:19,977 --> 00:09:22,980
but they had no idea that he was Deaf.

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The lab technicians would say,

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00:09:26,942 --> 00:09:31,196
"Oh, that's really embarrassing
to have this Deaf person work with us."

98
00:09:32,281 --> 00:09:34,575
so they put him in the basement.

99
00:09:35,993 --> 00:09:38,370
And that's where he would work every day.

100
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He was never allowed to sit upstairs.

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Was he bitter?

102
00:09:47,296 --> 00:09:49,506
Deaf people were used to that back then.

103
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They just took it.

104
00:09:54,636 --> 00:09:56,847
But I'm not going to accept that.

105
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How upset are you?

106
00:10:03,270 --> 00:10:04,688
How upset?

107
00:10:06,815 --> 00:10:08,025
Better.

108
00:10:08,692 --> 00:10:10,777
That's not gonna happen to me.

109
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The world can't stop us!

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00:10:19,494 --> 00:10:21,914
This controversy has shined a spotlight

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on a group of people who have been
used to doing their business

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00:10:24,917 --> 00:10:26,752
without the glare of publicity:

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00:10:26,835 --> 00:10:29,838
the board of trustees
at Gallaudet University.

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00:10:29,922 --> 00:10:33,509
I asked them
to send one person to explain to us,

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and they said, "We're busy."

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Bullshit!

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The board members,

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they didn't want to have
a public confrontation,

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which means we're nothing to them.

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That's their attitude.

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00:10:48,190 --> 00:10:51,443
So, we were like, "Where's the board?
Where is the board? Where?"

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We wanna know why!

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We want an explanation!

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But I know where
the board of trustees are.

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Angry students
marched to the Mayflower Hotel

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where some of the board of
trustees were scheduled to dine.

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I was in the front.

128
00:11:10,212 --> 00:11:11,630
I led everyone.

129
00:11:12,339 --> 00:11:14,299
I guess the students just chose me.

130
00:11:15,717 --> 00:11:17,511
I was the student body president,

131
00:11:17,594 --> 00:11:20,639
but I was inaugurated
just a few days before.

132
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We can't let that happen! We can't! Can't!

133
00:11:28,939 --> 00:11:33,819
So I was pushed into the water
without knowing how to swim.

134
00:11:34,361 --> 00:11:36,905
Feels like a slap in our face.

135
00:11:37,781 --> 00:11:40,200
A lot of people started coming up to me.

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00:11:41,994 --> 00:11:44,496
Like I'm responsible.

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00:11:44,580 --> 00:11:50,085
They're looking at me as the guide, like,
"Guide me. What's next?"

138
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Who was in charge?

139
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I was.

140
00:12:10,189 --> 00:12:12,524
The board is on the 3rd floor.

141
00:12:12,608 --> 00:12:14,443
You know what they are doing?

142
00:12:15,777 --> 00:12:18,363
They're sitting around
eating this nice meal,

143
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making fun of the students.

144
00:12:20,157 --> 00:12:23,619
Don't let the board leave
without addressing us.

145
00:12:29,458 --> 00:12:32,628
Students now have their eye
on the chairman of the board of trustees,

146
00:12:32,711 --> 00:12:34,213
Jane Bassett Spilman.

147
00:12:38,967 --> 00:12:39,927
That woman.

148
00:12:41,220 --> 00:12:44,515
There's a lot of anger,
and we still don't understand,

149
00:12:44,598 --> 00:12:48,060
and it seems to me
we should have chosen a Deaf president.

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00:12:48,519 --> 00:12:52,814
She was the epitome
of snobbery and wealth.

151
00:12:54,566 --> 00:12:57,402
Dressed in her Admiralty clothing.

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00:12:57,861 --> 00:13:01,114
You are representing the Deaf nation.

153
00:13:07,955 --> 00:13:10,040
It was chaotic.

154
00:13:10,916 --> 00:13:13,919
Everybody was signing at the same time.

155
00:13:16,463 --> 00:13:18,507
We needed crowd control.

156
00:13:32,646 --> 00:13:35,440
According to DC police,
you'll be arrested.

157
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It's your decision.

158
00:13:37,609 --> 00:13:40,779
So I decided to take over the stage.

159
00:13:43,031 --> 00:13:46,660
The police feel the crowd is too close.

160
00:13:51,623 --> 00:13:55,002
I need you to give us space.

161
00:14:00,090 --> 00:14:02,092
I hear nothing.

162
00:14:02,509 --> 00:14:04,136
I am totally deaf…

163
00:14:06,430 --> 00:14:09,433
but I have rhythm in me.

164
00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:13,228
I know how to follow a beat.

165
00:14:19,860 --> 00:14:23,655
You can move and follow music
because you can feel it.

166
00:14:30,954 --> 00:14:33,373
In high school, I was a cheerleader.

167
00:14:43,258 --> 00:14:45,385
We had a Pac-Man dance.

168
00:14:48,430 --> 00:14:50,849
There's a joke within our community.

169
00:14:50,933 --> 00:14:54,561
If you get in the car
and you turn on the radio

170
00:14:54,645 --> 00:14:56,480
and we're like, "Yeah, music, yeah…"

171
00:14:57,147 --> 00:14:58,690
and it's the news.

172
00:15:02,486 --> 00:15:04,238
Movement and rhythm…

173
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is everything.

174
00:15:09,910 --> 00:15:14,039
Spilman out! Spilman out!

175
00:15:14,122 --> 00:15:15,958
Spilman out!

176
00:15:16,041 --> 00:15:18,544
I realized what we needed was rhythm

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00:15:18,627 --> 00:15:21,463
to keep everyone on the same beat.

178
00:15:21,839 --> 00:15:23,215
Spilman out!

179
00:15:40,566 --> 00:15:42,359
You guys are successful.

180
00:15:42,442 --> 00:15:45,445
The board will listen to you now.

181
00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:50,784
So Spilman agreed to talk to the students.

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00:15:51,660 --> 00:15:54,538
And the police say they'll be around her,
they'll protect her.

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00:15:54,955 --> 00:15:58,542
I came to say, my name
is Jane Bassett Spilman.

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00:15:58,625 --> 00:16:00,752
I'm chairman of the board
of trustees at Gallaudet.

185
00:16:00,836 --> 00:16:02,379
Excuse me, Jane.

186
00:16:02,462 --> 00:16:04,464
Excuse me, we are not satisfied

187
00:16:04,548 --> 00:16:06,175
with the decision
that you've recently made.

188
00:16:10,345 --> 00:16:12,598
Now, you owe them an explanation…

189
00:16:13,140 --> 00:16:16,101
When I met with Spilman, I was angry.

190
00:16:16,727 --> 00:16:19,521
We had Deaf candidates.
We were ready for it.

191
00:16:19,605 --> 00:16:21,940
They were good candidates.

192
00:16:23,317 --> 00:16:24,735
Two to one.

193
00:16:24,818 --> 00:16:26,862
Two Deaf candidates to one hearing.

194
00:16:27,571 --> 00:16:31,241
And I think that they
should be owed an explanation by you.

195
00:16:31,325 --> 00:16:33,911
Now, Tim, what you wanted me to do

196
00:16:33,994 --> 00:16:36,955
was to come down here
and talk to these people.

197
00:16:37,039 --> 00:16:38,540
She was very prim and proper.

198
00:16:38,624 --> 00:16:40,459
You wanted me to talk to the students.

199
00:16:40,542 --> 00:16:43,921
Like a stereotypical lady from England.

200
00:16:44,004 --> 00:16:45,547
Like…

201
00:16:45,631 --> 00:16:48,634
if you're having a tea party.

202
00:16:50,219 --> 00:16:52,137
Let me do something.
Let's chat a minute first

203
00:16:52,221 --> 00:16:56,099
and then let's see if we can't talk
about that in a minute, okay?

204
00:16:57,184 --> 00:16:59,895
Now, I think it's about time

205
00:16:59,978 --> 00:17:02,814
for you all to maybe go back to Gallaudet,

206
00:17:02,898 --> 00:17:04,273
and let's have a quiet evening--

207
00:17:04,358 --> 00:17:05,733
Bullshit!

208
00:17:09,655 --> 00:17:12,241
Calm down.

209
00:17:12,324 --> 00:17:15,327
I have a question.

210
00:17:15,410 --> 00:17:17,329
Can you sign?

211
00:17:17,412 --> 00:17:18,497
No, I do not--

212
00:17:21,375 --> 00:17:23,417
She had no understanding

213
00:17:23,919 --> 00:17:26,672
of anything related to Deaf people.

214
00:17:26,755 --> 00:17:27,631
Nothing.

215
00:17:28,464 --> 00:17:29,508
All right.

216
00:17:29,591 --> 00:17:31,134
Jane, if I could just say something…

217
00:17:32,469 --> 00:17:35,514
So I asked, "Why?

218
00:17:36,849 --> 00:17:39,142
Why did you appoint Zinser?"

219
00:17:40,060 --> 00:17:41,645
And then she said,

220
00:17:42,229 --> 00:17:46,191
"Deaf people are not ready to function

221
00:17:46,275 --> 00:17:47,943
in a hearing world."

222
00:17:49,236 --> 00:17:50,445
What?

223
00:17:52,447 --> 00:17:54,491
Did she actually say that?

224
00:17:54,575 --> 00:17:55,868
She said that?

225
00:17:55,951 --> 00:17:59,371
And the interpreter said,
"You heard it right."

226
00:18:04,126 --> 00:18:07,004
We wanted to scream out.

227
00:18:10,799 --> 00:18:12,885
But how do you scream out…

228
00:18:14,678 --> 00:18:16,096
in our language?

229
00:18:17,931 --> 00:18:20,767
Their world may be silent,
but their anger tonight

230
00:18:20,851 --> 00:18:22,436
is loud and clear.

231
00:18:23,061 --> 00:18:25,439
I am so damn angry
that this makes me sick.

232
00:18:26,565 --> 00:18:29,818
We talk to Dr. Zinser
from her home in Greensboro.

233
00:18:31,028 --> 00:18:33,864
I would want them to know
that I am privileged

234
00:18:33,947 --> 00:18:36,450
to serve as president
of that great university.

235
00:18:37,576 --> 00:18:39,453
We've waited for 124 years.

236
00:18:39,536 --> 00:18:41,705
Why, why? Hearing, why?

237
00:18:42,289 --> 00:18:45,876
I just started burning inside.

238
00:18:45,959 --> 00:18:47,211
As you can see behind me,

239
00:18:47,294 --> 00:18:49,588
several hundred Gallaudet
students have started to gather

240
00:18:49,671 --> 00:18:52,007
inside the campus gym.

241
00:18:52,716 --> 00:18:55,260
Having said that,
I don't think that we can look

242
00:18:55,344 --> 00:18:57,513
at one characteristic of an individual,

243
00:18:57,596 --> 00:18:58,764
Deaf or hearing,

244
00:18:58,847 --> 00:19:02,392
as being, in and of itself,
a qualification for a position.

245
00:19:12,236 --> 00:19:13,737
We got together in a group,

246
00:19:14,446 --> 00:19:18,200
in a small circle, discussing,
"What do we do next?"

247
00:19:19,368 --> 00:19:20,786
Something must be done,

248
00:19:21,203 --> 00:19:22,538
but what?

249
00:19:23,205 --> 00:19:25,666
Should we have a rally tomorrow or not?

250
00:19:25,999 --> 00:19:28,502
Should we do this?
No, we shouldn't do that.

251
00:19:29,503 --> 00:19:31,171
So what did you do?

252
00:19:36,510 --> 00:19:38,554
We will make many people pissed off.

253
00:19:56,905 --> 00:19:58,574
Which store?

254
00:19:59,741 --> 00:20:02,619
Go to the one on Florida Street.

255
00:20:03,787 --> 00:20:06,999
It wasn't just about
getting a Deaf president.

256
00:20:08,041 --> 00:20:09,585
It was more than that.

257
00:20:11,044 --> 00:20:13,797
Hearing people always push us down.

258
00:20:16,550 --> 00:20:18,343
Students claim the board of trustees

259
00:20:18,427 --> 00:20:20,846
simply is prejudiced against Deaf people.

260
00:20:21,597 --> 00:20:23,223
Go now!

261
00:20:24,141 --> 00:20:27,728
The time was now to light a match.

262
00:20:30,147 --> 00:20:31,648
Lynda, a question before you go:

263
00:20:31,732 --> 00:20:33,650
Do the students have any chance at all

264
00:20:33,734 --> 00:20:35,360
of turning the decision around?

265
00:20:35,444 --> 00:20:36,987
According to board president Spilman

266
00:20:37,779 --> 00:20:40,908
this is a final decision.
They're not going to change their minds.

267
00:20:42,618 --> 00:20:45,037
The fire ignited.

268
00:20:46,038 --> 00:20:48,373
It's now or never. We want it now.

269
00:20:48,457 --> 00:20:50,626
We want a Deaf president now.

270
00:21:14,858 --> 00:21:16,735
My grandfather called me

271
00:21:16,818 --> 00:21:18,820
on the TTY.

272
00:21:18,904 --> 00:21:21,448
A machine that we use to make phone calls.

273
00:21:24,993 --> 00:21:27,120
GA means "go ahead,

274
00:21:27,996 --> 00:21:30,290
it's your turn to start typing."

275
00:21:31,124 --> 00:21:33,752
But he doesn't type very fast.

276
00:21:39,424 --> 00:21:41,343
My grandfather said…

277
00:21:50,853 --> 00:21:52,563
Oh, Lord.

278
00:21:53,063 --> 00:21:56,942
He didn't say it,
but I know what he was thinking.

279
00:21:57,860 --> 00:21:59,236
Just accept it.

280
00:21:59,736 --> 00:22:01,321
Keep your head down.

281
00:22:03,115 --> 00:22:06,201
My parents divorced
when I was six years old.

282
00:22:08,537 --> 00:22:11,498
My father figure, really,
was my grandfather.

283
00:22:14,835 --> 00:22:18,422
He went to Columbia University
in the 1930s.

284
00:22:18,922 --> 00:22:20,757
There was no interpreter.

285
00:22:21,091 --> 00:22:22,676
He had to lip-read,

286
00:22:22,759 --> 00:22:25,804
but he graduated
with three different degrees.

287
00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,808
So he had very high expectations of me.

288
00:22:31,643 --> 00:22:35,272
If we were signing out in public,
he didn't like it.

289
00:22:37,191 --> 00:22:38,317
He would always tell me,

290
00:22:38,901 --> 00:22:43,822
"Sign in, like, an 18-inch box.
Nothing bigger."

291
00:22:44,406 --> 00:22:47,326
And so I was like, "Okay, let me slowly,

292
00:22:47,409 --> 00:22:50,162
gradually sign bigger and bigger."

293
00:22:51,163 --> 00:22:53,123
That was like a death wish.

294
00:22:54,750 --> 00:23:00,547
He would say, "It's very important
that you fit in to the hearing world."

295
00:23:00,631 --> 00:23:02,382
I was thinking, "Why?

296
00:23:02,466 --> 00:23:04,801
I shouldn't have to fit in
to the hearing world.

297
00:23:04,885 --> 00:23:06,595
I have my own world."

298
00:23:27,199 --> 00:23:30,118
On an age sometimes driven by angry,

299
00:23:30,202 --> 00:23:31,620
noisy demonstrations…

300
00:23:33,580 --> 00:23:35,749
their protest, like their world,

301
00:23:36,208 --> 00:23:38,335
was largely one of eerie silence.

302
00:23:42,422 --> 00:23:46,760
The charge made by students
at Gallaudet University for the Deaf

303
00:23:46,844 --> 00:23:50,597
is that their school administration
refuses to listen.

304
00:23:51,849 --> 00:23:53,183
And so the students

305
00:23:53,976 --> 00:23:56,019
have closed the school down.

306
00:23:59,648 --> 00:24:01,483
We locked all the gates.

307
00:24:03,902 --> 00:24:06,113
And students used buses…

308
00:24:08,073 --> 00:24:10,534
to block any entrance to the campus.

309
00:24:13,412 --> 00:24:15,247
Who are you? Are you security?

310
00:24:15,330 --> 00:24:17,833
Do you work here? Are you staff?

311
00:24:17,916 --> 00:24:22,337
It's almost like in the military,
you have, like, full deployment.

312
00:24:22,421 --> 00:24:23,547
You set out your base.

313
00:24:24,464 --> 00:24:28,552
Are the students prepared
to continue blocking the entrance?

314
00:24:29,052 --> 00:24:31,555
That's for sure.

315
00:24:31,638 --> 00:24:35,517
We'd give up our soul
in order to get a Deaf president.

316
00:24:37,269 --> 00:24:39,897
We were the law of the land.

317
00:24:44,526 --> 00:24:46,653
Students are particularly incensed

318
00:24:46,737 --> 00:24:49,740
by the university trustees'
Chairman Jane Bassett Spilman…

319
00:24:51,867 --> 00:24:55,746
who defended the selection of a president
who doesn't know sign language, saying,

320
00:24:55,829 --> 00:24:58,332
"Deaf people are not ready to function

321
00:24:58,415 --> 00:25:00,167
in the hearing world."

322
00:25:00,250 --> 00:25:02,920
That erroneous statement, allegedly--

323
00:25:03,003 --> 00:25:05,797
"Deaf people cannot function
in the hearing world,"

324
00:25:05,881 --> 00:25:07,799
which is patently untrue.

325
00:25:07,883 --> 00:25:09,843
- You didn't say that?
- I did not say that.

326
00:25:09,927 --> 00:25:12,054
I was misinterpreted, misrepresented.

327
00:25:12,137 --> 00:25:13,597
What did you say?

328
00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,225
Well, I was working
through an interpreter, of course.

329
00:25:16,308 --> 00:25:21,188
And it was… very unique circumstances

330
00:25:21,271 --> 00:25:23,524
with the helicopters overhead

331
00:25:23,607 --> 00:25:26,568
and the thousand students
outside of the window

332
00:25:26,652 --> 00:25:27,986
screaming and yelling.

333
00:25:28,070 --> 00:25:29,988
It was a wild time.

334
00:25:30,072 --> 00:25:31,740
And so, what I said,

335
00:25:31,823 --> 00:25:35,452
I cannot tell you what I said,
because I don't remember with all of that.

336
00:25:35,536 --> 00:25:38,747
- You have a home in Bassett, Virginia.
- Three.

337
00:25:38,830 --> 00:25:40,749
Well, you had
three homes to run to,

338
00:25:40,832 --> 00:25:41,917
to hide from all this.

339
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:42,835
Right.

340
00:25:42,918 --> 00:25:45,629
Did you ever think,
"Let me get out of here"?

341
00:25:45,712 --> 00:25:46,713
Not one time.

342
00:25:47,589 --> 00:25:50,092
I'm the kind of person that believes…

343
00:25:51,885 --> 00:25:55,305
that you set your course
of what you think is right…

344
00:25:56,598 --> 00:25:59,768
and come hell or high water,
you stick by that course.

345
00:26:01,061 --> 00:26:03,605
We want a Deaf president now!

346
00:26:03,689 --> 00:26:06,859
We want a Deaf president now!

347
00:26:06,942 --> 00:26:09,778
We want a Deaf president now!

348
00:26:10,487 --> 00:26:14,241
The board is very pleased to meet with you

349
00:26:14,324 --> 00:26:18,203
with one consideration, that's all,

350
00:26:19,162 --> 00:26:21,874
that you open the campus.

351
00:26:21,957 --> 00:26:23,834
No!

352
00:26:24,334 --> 00:26:27,254
Deaf president first,
then we will open the campus.

353
00:26:28,046 --> 00:26:29,965
So the board says they won't meet

354
00:26:30,048 --> 00:26:31,842
unless you open the campus.

355
00:26:33,594 --> 00:26:35,679
Yeah, that's what they said.

356
00:26:36,513 --> 00:26:38,390
Can I finish?

357
00:26:38,473 --> 00:26:39,308
No.

358
00:26:39,391 --> 00:26:41,894
Then I guess
there's no discussion. Bye.

359
00:26:42,728 --> 00:26:45,480
If you don't wanna negotiate…

360
00:26:45,564 --> 00:26:47,232
So what did you say?

361
00:26:49,484 --> 00:26:52,863
All they're asking
is that you open the campus

362
00:26:52,946 --> 00:26:54,364
during that meeting.

363
00:26:55,824 --> 00:26:58,952
The students rejected
a trustee's offer to meet with them

364
00:26:59,036 --> 00:27:02,247
if students allowed Gallaudet to reopen.

365
00:27:02,331 --> 00:27:04,166
Many buildings were empty.

366
00:27:04,249 --> 00:27:07,127
The chalkboards in one classroom
told the story.

367
00:27:07,211 --> 00:27:09,046
"No classes today," it said,

368
00:27:09,129 --> 00:27:11,798
calling anyone who attended a traitor.

369
00:27:14,134 --> 00:27:15,427
But on that Monday,

370
00:27:16,345 --> 00:27:19,014
a lot of students, they were resistant.

371
00:27:20,182 --> 00:27:22,184
They didn't want to get in trouble.

372
00:27:24,478 --> 00:27:27,814
They were scared
it was gonna hurt their grades.

373
00:27:28,398 --> 00:27:32,694
And some students didn't believe
a Deaf person could do it.

374
00:27:32,778 --> 00:27:36,990
I'd be like explaining to them, you know,
"We need to convince them."

375
00:27:37,074 --> 00:27:42,371
And they said, "No, I don't think
we can have a Deaf president.

376
00:27:42,454 --> 00:27:44,122
We can't do that."

377
00:27:45,791 --> 00:27:49,127
That was in the back of my mind.

378
00:27:50,337 --> 00:27:51,672
I was worried sick.

379
00:27:52,631 --> 00:27:55,425
I didn't show it,
but I felt it in my stomach.

380
00:27:56,301 --> 00:27:57,970
Were you scared?

381
00:28:00,305 --> 00:28:01,139
No.

382
00:28:04,893 --> 00:28:07,729
Who is the man in charge of the keys?

383
00:28:09,857 --> 00:28:12,484
If there's a student spokesperson,

384
00:28:12,568 --> 00:28:14,194
they'll listen more to that.

385
00:28:14,278 --> 00:28:16,488
Who's the spokesperson?

386
00:28:18,657 --> 00:28:21,326
And that's when
we decided that we needed

387
00:28:21,410 --> 00:28:22,995
to pick a leader.

388
00:28:23,579 --> 00:28:29,293
Okay. Now, it's time
for us here to pick a Deaf president…

389
00:28:29,376 --> 00:28:30,836
Describe Tim.

390
00:28:31,795 --> 00:28:34,131
Very enthusiastic, energetic.

391
00:28:34,965 --> 00:28:38,343
We would like Spilman
removed as the chair of the board.

392
00:28:38,427 --> 00:28:40,345
It was all men.

393
00:28:40,762 --> 00:28:43,682
And I kept forcing myself to jump in
because I had to.

394
00:28:45,684 --> 00:28:48,187
Spilman maybe has finances…

395
00:28:48,770 --> 00:28:50,230
How would you describe Bridgetta?

396
00:28:50,314 --> 00:28:52,900
…but she doesn't
really have a heart for Deaf people.

397
00:28:54,193 --> 00:28:55,027
Strong.

398
00:28:58,155 --> 00:29:00,073
A woman's liberal.

399
00:29:00,782 --> 00:29:04,703
Bridgetta would always
assert her "women's issues."

400
00:29:06,205 --> 00:29:08,457
Jerry and the other people
in the class, they were like,

401
00:29:08,540 --> 00:29:11,168
"Oh, Bridgetta's always bringing up
women's rights, women's rights."

402
00:29:11,585 --> 00:29:15,088
I support women, I'm a feminist.

403
00:29:15,672 --> 00:29:20,636
Somebody said, "If there's one lifeboat
that's full of Deaf men,

404
00:29:20,719 --> 00:29:23,388
or one lifeboat full of hearing women,

405
00:29:23,472 --> 00:29:25,974
which one would you jump into?"

406
00:29:26,058 --> 00:29:28,852
I support a female president

407
00:29:28,936 --> 00:29:30,562
but Deaf comes first.

408
00:29:30,979 --> 00:29:32,981
Describe Jerry.

409
00:29:37,486 --> 00:29:40,030
The time is now.
Enough with the oppression!

410
00:29:40,906 --> 00:29:44,117
He was so emotional. Gets mad easily.

411
00:29:44,826 --> 00:29:47,120
Punching against the wall

412
00:29:47,204 --> 00:29:49,665
instead of finding the key
to open the door.

413
00:29:49,748 --> 00:29:51,708
Greg, on the other hand…

414
00:29:53,585 --> 00:29:55,629
was the extreme opposite.

415
00:29:55,712 --> 00:29:57,631
He was more rational.

416
00:29:59,091 --> 00:30:00,884
What kind of person is Greg?

417
00:30:01,802 --> 00:30:03,804
You really want to get into that?

418
00:30:04,555 --> 00:30:06,056
Yeah.

419
00:30:08,392 --> 00:30:10,727
Greg is very quiet.

420
00:30:11,353 --> 00:30:13,063
He just signs small.

421
00:30:14,064 --> 00:30:16,692
He doesn't show much emotion at all.

422
00:30:18,443 --> 00:30:21,446
He's not really outspoken like me.

423
00:30:22,197 --> 00:30:25,576
My energy flies from my hands
out to other people.

424
00:30:28,203 --> 00:30:30,956
I can rouse up an audience.

425
00:30:35,210 --> 00:30:37,004
And then we all agreed

426
00:30:37,629 --> 00:30:40,215
that Greg Hlibok would be the leader.

427
00:30:41,008 --> 00:30:44,178
We were all in agreement. No question.

428
00:30:46,722 --> 00:30:51,143
I felt that he was not the right person.

429
00:30:52,394 --> 00:30:55,022
Greg Hlibok was
an ordinary engineering student

430
00:30:55,105 --> 00:30:56,857
at Gallaudet University.

431
00:30:56,940 --> 00:30:59,860
He received the armband
that now symbolizes their cause.

432
00:30:59,943 --> 00:31:01,945
He is the leader of a movement.

433
00:31:03,864 --> 00:31:06,200
…live with this until we get…

434
00:31:07,159 --> 00:31:08,493
until we get it.

435
00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:14,416
I felt it was given to someone
who really didn't know the difference

436
00:31:14,499 --> 00:31:17,419
between a hole in the floor
and their asshole.

437
00:31:25,552 --> 00:31:29,598
But we knew we would lose without a plan.

438
00:31:30,307 --> 00:31:31,975
I'm not the one making decisions,

439
00:31:32,059 --> 00:31:34,436
I'm only controlling the meeting,
and that's it.

440
00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:36,939
Meaning I will decide who speaks.

441
00:31:37,397 --> 00:31:41,818
So we met with a lot of faculty,
staff, alumni

442
00:31:42,444 --> 00:31:45,864
who had tried for years
to get a Deaf president.

443
00:31:47,032 --> 00:31:49,952
And so they were there
to advise the students.

444
00:31:50,410 --> 00:31:52,287
So, what's next?

445
00:31:52,371 --> 00:31:54,373
What do you students plan to do?

446
00:31:54,748 --> 00:31:57,417
And so we came up with four demands. Four.

447
00:31:57,501 --> 00:31:59,962
Number one… a Deaf president.

448
00:32:00,045 --> 00:32:02,840
We'll do nothing until
we have a Deaf president.

449
00:32:03,966 --> 00:32:07,177
Two… Spilman resigns from the board.

450
00:32:08,011 --> 00:32:11,265
Three… fifty-one percent of the board
must be Deaf.

451
00:32:12,516 --> 00:32:16,019
And they strongly suggested
adding a fourth demand:

452
00:32:16,103 --> 00:32:18,021
no reprisals.

453
00:32:19,690 --> 00:32:22,484
So the students felt safer to be involved.

454
00:32:22,943 --> 00:32:26,196
We will continue to push through

455
00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,282
until the demands are met.

456
00:32:28,365 --> 00:32:30,784
That's what the students want, right?

457
00:32:31,743 --> 00:32:34,788
But most important, we can't be divided.

458
00:32:34,872 --> 00:32:38,667
We have to stay together,
stick together, stay strong.

459
00:32:38,750 --> 00:32:42,004
Open up this gate here.
There'll be no problem.

460
00:32:42,087 --> 00:32:44,089
Just open up this gate.
We want this gate open.

461
00:32:44,715 --> 00:32:46,717
Why should we?

462
00:32:48,927 --> 00:32:53,348
But then they tried to look
for another way to get into the campus.

463
00:32:58,395 --> 00:33:00,731
They secretly cut the fence…

464
00:33:02,858 --> 00:33:04,443
and they got through.

465
00:33:05,110 --> 00:33:08,197
And I can assume they were like,
"Oh, we got in."

466
00:33:08,864 --> 00:33:09,907
Then they realized

467
00:33:11,033 --> 00:33:13,577
we had locked those offices as well.

468
00:33:16,580 --> 00:33:18,332
Can you stop that please?

469
00:33:18,415 --> 00:33:19,833
No. Keep rolling.

470
00:33:19,917 --> 00:33:22,252
I'm trying to negotiate.
Can we just talk for a second?

471
00:33:23,253 --> 00:33:24,963
But then we were informed

472
00:33:25,714 --> 00:33:27,341
that Spilman and the board

473
00:33:28,425 --> 00:33:30,511
would be willing to talk with us.

474
00:33:47,486 --> 00:33:49,196
There's no texting.

475
00:33:53,033 --> 00:33:55,410
So how we get all the students together…

476
00:33:57,246 --> 00:33:58,872
we pull all the fire alarms.

477
00:34:00,958 --> 00:34:02,417
And everyone would know

478
00:34:03,377 --> 00:34:04,837
to go outside.

479
00:34:14,137 --> 00:34:16,431
I remember looking out the window,

480
00:34:16,514 --> 00:34:20,060
and I could just see the sea of people.

481
00:34:23,938 --> 00:34:27,900
I mean hundreds, all over the fields,

482
00:34:27,985 --> 00:34:29,987
waiting for Spilman.

483
00:34:37,995 --> 00:34:42,206
In that moment,
what did Gallaudet mean to you?

484
00:34:53,927 --> 00:34:56,179
That's real interesting.

485
00:34:58,974 --> 00:35:00,809
I feel like crying.

486
00:35:12,946 --> 00:35:15,240
Think about it here.

487
00:35:17,326 --> 00:35:18,785
I'm an alien here.

488
00:35:20,621 --> 00:35:22,789
You're all hearing.

489
00:35:30,589 --> 00:35:32,799
But when I came into Gallaudet…

490
00:35:37,804 --> 00:35:41,892
it's home. It's my world.

491
00:35:51,401 --> 00:35:53,862
When I went to Gallaudet as a freshman,

492
00:35:54,738 --> 00:35:56,073
it was a mecca.

493
00:35:58,075 --> 00:36:02,162
There's students from all walks of life
who come to Gallaudet,

494
00:36:02,246 --> 00:36:04,665
and they find each other.

495
00:36:09,169 --> 00:36:13,715
International students come
from across the world to come here.

496
00:36:14,591 --> 00:36:18,011
Because there's only one
place like this in the world.

497
00:36:20,222 --> 00:36:22,975
Where Deaf people can be Deaf.

498
00:36:27,312 --> 00:36:31,441
When I got there, I felt so moved.

499
00:36:34,444 --> 00:36:36,572
It's like going to another country,

500
00:36:38,907 --> 00:36:41,493
and everyone's speaking
a different language.

501
00:36:44,997 --> 00:36:47,916
How can you describe feeling comfortable,

502
00:36:48,834 --> 00:36:50,502
safe,

503
00:36:51,295 --> 00:36:53,630
like you're with your family?

504
00:37:04,016 --> 00:37:06,435
The light of the Deaf community…

505
00:37:08,061 --> 00:37:09,313
is Gallaudet.

506
00:37:14,484 --> 00:37:16,695
So we couldn't accept a leader

507
00:37:17,821 --> 00:37:20,157
who didn't understand our world.

508
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,128
We were waiting for Spilman
to come into the room…

509
00:37:36,131 --> 00:37:38,467
to see what she was going to say.

510
00:37:39,718 --> 00:37:41,595
When she says her first line, you listen.

511
00:37:47,184 --> 00:37:49,895
If she's not going to change the decision

512
00:37:50,437 --> 00:37:52,272
then we walk out.

513
00:38:21,176 --> 00:38:23,470
Good afternoon, everybody.

514
00:38:25,514 --> 00:38:28,767
Yesterday, the board of trustees
of Gallaudet

515
00:38:28,851 --> 00:38:30,894
selected a new president.

516
00:38:31,937 --> 00:38:35,983
In the judgment of the majority
of the board of trustees,

517
00:38:36,692 --> 00:38:41,613
Dr. Elisabeth Zinser fitted these criteria

518
00:38:41,697 --> 00:38:42,906
with the exception,

519
00:38:42,990 --> 00:38:45,868
and I will admit it is
an important exception,

520
00:38:45,951 --> 00:38:47,411
but with the exception

521
00:38:47,494 --> 00:38:52,833
of an understanding and
wide knowledge of Deafness,

522
00:38:52,916 --> 00:38:55,627
she fitted this criteria.

523
00:38:55,711 --> 00:38:57,254
However…

524
00:38:59,089 --> 00:39:04,011
this woman is deeply committed
to being a part of this institution.

525
00:39:04,094 --> 00:39:07,514
She is deeply committed to serving you

526
00:39:07,598 --> 00:39:11,393
as a fine, successful president.

527
00:39:12,853 --> 00:39:15,439
How would you sign
what Spilman was doing?

528
00:39:15,522 --> 00:39:18,525
This hand is the underdog.

529
00:39:19,651 --> 00:39:22,404
And this is the power.

530
00:39:23,572 --> 00:39:28,702
She is deeply committed
to working with you

531
00:39:28,785 --> 00:39:33,916
and being a strong advocate
for Deaf people everywhere.

532
00:39:35,584 --> 00:39:37,586
I just had a meeting with the board.

533
00:39:38,378 --> 00:39:42,049
They refused to meet with our demands.

534
00:39:48,972 --> 00:39:53,018
Hearing people think
that they are superior.

535
00:40:00,817 --> 00:40:03,737
We actually have a word for this:

536
00:40:03,820 --> 00:40:05,322
audist.

537
00:40:10,285 --> 00:40:14,331
Sometimes they're not aware
that they're being audist,

538
00:40:15,707 --> 00:40:18,085
but sometimes they are.

539
00:40:29,471 --> 00:40:32,140
And then, somebody pulled the fire alarms.

540
00:40:56,832 --> 00:41:02,671
It's awfully difficult to talk
above this loud noise.

541
00:41:14,308 --> 00:41:16,018
124 years.

542
00:41:16,476 --> 00:41:17,561
Enough!

543
00:41:27,154 --> 00:41:29,031
Time is now.

544
00:41:29,406 --> 00:41:31,158
No bullshit.

545
00:41:42,294 --> 00:41:44,296
Deaf President Now

546
00:41:50,135 --> 00:41:53,388
Not for me. Wasn't loud for me.

547
00:41:55,557 --> 00:41:59,811
If she was able to sign,
she wouldn't have had a problem.

548
00:42:02,356 --> 00:42:04,733
Silent night

549
00:42:04,816 --> 00:42:07,528
Holy night

550
00:42:08,278 --> 00:42:11,198
All is calm

551
00:42:11,281 --> 00:42:15,077
All is bright…

552
00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:18,372
So I grew up in a Deaf environment.

553
00:42:18,455 --> 00:42:20,749
A barrier-free environment.

554
00:42:20,832 --> 00:42:25,754
Holy infant so tender and mild…

555
00:42:26,171 --> 00:42:29,132
At that time, TV didn't have captions.

556
00:42:29,216 --> 00:42:31,343
So one of the best moments of my life

557
00:42:31,426 --> 00:42:35,848
was sitting around the kitchen table,
signing with each other.

558
00:42:35,931 --> 00:42:36,932
Hours on end.

559
00:42:38,100 --> 00:42:39,852
We'd bang on that table.

560
00:42:40,519 --> 00:42:42,604
Things have been spilled on that table,

561
00:42:42,688 --> 00:42:45,065
because when you're signing,
your hands hit things

562
00:42:45,148 --> 00:42:46,525
and spill stuff on the table.

563
00:42:48,777 --> 00:42:51,029
But growing up, my parents noticed

564
00:42:51,113 --> 00:42:53,365
I was able to hear a little bit.

565
00:42:54,157 --> 00:42:56,743
So I tried using hearing aids,

566
00:42:56,827 --> 00:42:59,371
that helped me to speak a little better.

567
00:42:59,872 --> 00:43:03,542
I could talk on the phone,
but really, I would only call my grandma.

568
00:43:06,837 --> 00:43:09,673
And somebody said, "Hello?"

569
00:43:10,716 --> 00:43:12,885
"Hello?" "Oh, I caught that."

570
00:43:12,968 --> 00:43:14,553
"How are you?" "Good."

571
00:43:14,636 --> 00:43:17,181
"How's your day? How's the weather?"

572
00:43:17,931 --> 00:43:20,225
I felt to myself like, "Oh!"

573
00:43:20,309 --> 00:43:24,146
It's kind of an ego boost, right?
"I can do this."

574
00:43:25,355 --> 00:43:28,817
And so my father said,
"You're going to a public school."

575
00:43:29,443 --> 00:43:31,945
He thought that Deaf school was less than.

576
00:43:32,029 --> 00:43:35,991
He graduated in engineering
without an interpreter.

577
00:43:36,074 --> 00:43:38,535
He just read everything by himself.

578
00:43:39,453 --> 00:43:42,039
He thought,
"It doesn't matter if you're Deaf."

579
00:43:42,122 --> 00:43:44,291
It was just, "Try to speak…

580
00:43:45,042 --> 00:43:46,627
try to lip-read…

581
00:43:47,586 --> 00:43:48,587
do your best."

582
00:44:03,644 --> 00:44:07,439
In the classroom,
the teacher would be speaking.

583
00:44:12,486 --> 00:44:17,741
I would just fake nod,
to pretend like I knew what was going on.

584
00:44:28,335 --> 00:44:31,880
I could catch a few words here or there.

585
00:44:31,964 --> 00:44:34,466
Rocket.

586
00:44:34,550 --> 00:44:37,177
But then if the teacher would turn away,

587
00:44:37,261 --> 00:44:39,930
look at the blackboard and be talking,

588
00:44:40,013 --> 00:44:41,723
I wouldn't know what's going on.

589
00:44:42,182 --> 00:44:45,352
So I was told to move to the front.

590
00:44:48,522 --> 00:44:50,065
The kids would say…

591
00:44:52,526 --> 00:44:54,903
"You have broken ears."

592
00:44:58,824 --> 00:45:02,077
And so, my world became really dark.

593
00:45:06,957 --> 00:45:08,792
This was the hearing world…

594
00:45:14,423 --> 00:45:16,425
and I wasn't one of them.

595
00:45:23,265 --> 00:45:25,017
Just after two o'clock this afternoon,

596
00:45:25,100 --> 00:45:28,395
the rumor spread that President Zinser
was coming to campus.

597
00:45:32,441 --> 00:45:34,401
So day three…

598
00:45:35,652 --> 00:45:39,072
Zinser says that she's
going to come to campus.

599
00:45:41,992 --> 00:45:44,161
How did you react to that?

600
00:45:47,831 --> 00:45:51,126
Hundreds of students
crowded the front gate with greetings.

601
00:45:52,461 --> 00:45:54,254
What do you say to your students

602
00:45:54,338 --> 00:45:56,590
who say, "We're not going to be
able to respect you"

603
00:45:56,673 --> 00:45:58,675
because you are not one of them?

604
00:45:58,759 --> 00:46:00,969
I believe that once we become acquainted,

605
00:46:01,053 --> 00:46:03,597
it will be a relationship
that will be a very warm one

606
00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:05,891
and a very productive one.

607
00:46:10,771 --> 00:46:13,440
Elisabeth Zinser's
background includes undergraduate

608
00:46:13,524 --> 00:46:15,025
and masters degrees in nursing.

609
00:46:15,526 --> 00:46:17,861
But no experience with Deaf people.

610
00:46:19,821 --> 00:46:21,615
Dr. Zinser, just so I understand,

611
00:46:21,698 --> 00:46:24,034
you're a trained nurse and you have a PhD.

612
00:46:24,618 --> 00:46:26,787
To us, she wasn't qualified.

613
00:46:26,870 --> 00:46:31,083
Qualifications means you understand
Deaf culture and you're Deaf.

614
00:46:31,959 --> 00:46:34,670
She's not invited.
She's not welcome at this university.

615
00:46:34,753 --> 00:46:36,171
It's not her university.

616
00:46:41,218 --> 00:46:46,473
The police want to open this one gate.

617
00:46:46,807 --> 00:46:49,101
Okay, now we gotta be more careful.

618
00:46:49,184 --> 00:46:51,603
How is she planning
to get into the campus?

619
00:46:52,437 --> 00:46:53,689
Can a cab get in?

620
00:46:54,439 --> 00:46:57,442
Okay, we need to see
who the people are inside the cabs,

621
00:46:57,526 --> 00:47:01,655
because the thing is, we don't want
Jane Bassett Spilman and Zinser coming in.

622
00:47:02,948 --> 00:47:06,493
It's come to this,
students peeking through squad cars

623
00:47:06,577 --> 00:47:10,414
to see if the newly-named president
is trying to sneak onto campus.

624
00:47:11,248 --> 00:47:12,875
Stop.

625
00:47:12,958 --> 00:47:14,626
Open the trunk.

626
00:47:15,294 --> 00:47:18,088
"No Zinser. Fine.
You can go on campus."

627
00:47:18,172 --> 00:47:20,215
And they were
not playing Finder Keeper.

628
00:47:20,299 --> 00:47:22,176
The words were "find her, dump her!"

629
00:47:23,093 --> 00:47:25,470
We were like a secret military base,

630
00:47:25,554 --> 00:47:29,391
where you have an army with a mirror
searching under cars.

631
00:47:30,475 --> 00:47:34,021
Only a few vehicles permitted
through student barricades.

632
00:47:35,522 --> 00:47:36,523
Stop.

633
00:47:39,985 --> 00:47:41,195
"No Zinser."

634
00:47:41,945 --> 00:47:44,031
All day, rumors swept the campus.

635
00:47:44,615 --> 00:47:46,575
Zinser was to be brought in
in a helicopter

636
00:47:46,658 --> 00:47:48,076
and left somewhere on campus.

637
00:47:49,077 --> 00:47:53,123
So I actually had students
run around watching the helicopter.

638
00:47:53,665 --> 00:47:57,002
If they saw it landing,
they were going to lay on the ground.

639
00:47:58,670 --> 00:48:02,925
We will block Zinser
from coming in, period,

640
00:48:03,008 --> 00:48:06,386
until we see a Deaf president out there.

641
00:48:06,470 --> 00:48:09,765
We will warmly welcome
that person to come in.

642
00:48:09,848 --> 00:48:12,726
That is for sure, no one else.

643
00:48:18,357 --> 00:48:22,110
King Jordan,
Dean of Arts and Science at Gallaudet

644
00:48:22,194 --> 00:48:24,613
and one of the candidates
rejected for president,

645
00:48:24,696 --> 00:48:27,741
joined the protesters
to offer his support.

646
00:48:27,824 --> 00:48:29,743
I applied for the position of president.

647
00:48:29,826 --> 00:48:33,330
I'm a Deaf man.
I think it's very clear that I would like

648
00:48:33,413 --> 00:48:36,375
to see Gallaudet University
have a Deaf president.

649
00:48:39,878 --> 00:48:42,130
When you showed up to the campus,

650
00:48:42,214 --> 00:48:44,424
honestly, honestly, honestly,

651
00:48:44,508 --> 00:48:47,010
did you believe
that the students would succeed?

652
00:48:49,847 --> 00:48:50,764
No.

653
00:48:52,224 --> 00:48:53,600
Okay.

654
00:48:57,312 --> 00:49:00,941
Hello, I'm I. King Jordan.

655
00:49:02,067 --> 00:49:05,863
I think a lot of us didn't believe
that the students would succeed.

656
00:49:05,946 --> 00:49:09,491
I'm very, very happy with the work
that's been going on

657
00:49:09,575 --> 00:49:12,411
in the last eight months.
But ready to…

658
00:49:15,497 --> 00:49:18,000
What kind of man was I. King Jordan?

659
00:49:18,876 --> 00:49:21,712
He seemed very nice, very polite.

660
00:49:23,213 --> 00:49:25,215
The smile and the warmth.

661
00:49:26,133 --> 00:49:28,510
I always try to make the same message.

662
00:49:29,469 --> 00:49:33,223
Stop focusing on the "dis-" in disability.

663
00:49:33,849 --> 00:49:36,351
Anyone who took a class under him said

664
00:49:37,436 --> 00:49:39,730
that he was a great professor.

665
00:49:41,940 --> 00:49:46,737
So what you do is use the formula

666
00:49:46,820 --> 00:49:49,907
for Z Y prime minus…

667
00:49:49,990 --> 00:49:52,117
- Y.
- Y prime, good.

668
00:49:52,576 --> 00:49:54,328
He was deaf…

669
00:49:56,079 --> 00:49:58,540
but not Deaf deaf.

670
00:49:59,416 --> 00:50:01,126
Now I can't hear anything.

671
00:50:01,210 --> 00:50:06,048
I mean nothing. I have no sound.

672
00:50:06,131 --> 00:50:10,469
If a jet plane was right there,
I wouldn't be able to hear it.

673
00:50:10,552 --> 00:50:12,179
- Nothing.
- Zero.

674
00:50:12,262 --> 00:50:14,515
Zero, zero.

675
00:50:18,393 --> 00:50:20,646
All my life, I'd been a hearing person,

676
00:50:22,022 --> 00:50:23,607
but I bought a motorcycle.

677
00:50:23,690 --> 00:50:26,235
And one night when I was riding home,

678
00:50:26,318 --> 00:50:28,862
I hit a car.

679
00:50:30,113 --> 00:50:34,034
When I woke up, there was no sound.

680
00:50:38,372 --> 00:50:42,876
I was told to go to Gallaudet
and that will help me.

681
00:50:44,002 --> 00:50:47,047
My first day, I was trying to sign,

682
00:50:47,130 --> 00:50:50,509
and some of the guys around
would make fun of me.

683
00:50:52,386 --> 00:50:57,516
In my first class,
I sat down and watched the professor…

684
00:50:59,643 --> 00:51:02,646
and he didn't even move his lips.

685
00:51:02,729 --> 00:51:04,189
He just--

686
00:51:06,275 --> 00:51:08,819
Oh, my God, how am I gonna do this?

687
00:51:14,283 --> 00:51:17,828
I was really the odd man out.

688
00:51:19,663 --> 00:51:24,501
We are a big family. A powerful family.
And I want…

689
00:51:24,585 --> 00:51:29,214
Students were very supportive
of me as president.

690
00:51:30,048 --> 00:51:35,554
But there are people in the Deaf community

691
00:51:35,637 --> 00:51:38,432
who say I'm not really Deaf.

692
00:51:38,515 --> 00:51:42,936
If you are willing to work with me,

693
00:51:43,020 --> 00:51:49,818
we can prove to the world
that Deaf people can do anything.

694
00:51:50,485 --> 00:51:51,486
Thank you.

695
00:51:53,322 --> 00:51:56,700
And there are people
in the hearing community

696
00:51:56,783 --> 00:52:01,163
who don't understand
what it's like for me to be Deaf.

697
00:52:01,246 --> 00:52:06,126
So I'm not sure I really
have one foot in each world.

698
00:52:06,210 --> 00:52:09,171
I'm… I'm teetering.

699
00:52:16,970 --> 00:52:19,681
Today is the day
in which I'm going to attempt

700
00:52:19,765 --> 00:52:23,185
to establish the communication
that is needed with the students

701
00:52:23,268 --> 00:52:26,230
and ask them to give me an opportunity

702
00:52:26,313 --> 00:52:28,607
to interact with them on a personal level.

703
00:52:29,650 --> 00:52:33,028
On Tuesday afternoon, I got a request

704
00:52:33,111 --> 00:52:35,489
from my immediate supervisor

705
00:52:35,572 --> 00:52:39,868
to help Zinser meet
with the student leaders.

706
00:52:42,454 --> 00:52:45,791
So I went to the students

707
00:52:46,583 --> 00:52:49,044
and I told them about the phone call.

708
00:52:49,837 --> 00:52:53,590
They asked to meet with us
on campus and we said, "No."

709
00:52:54,883 --> 00:52:56,844
And they asked,
"Well, what do you want to do?"

710
00:52:56,927 --> 00:52:59,513
I said, "We'll meet,
but on a neutral territory."

711
00:53:00,347 --> 00:53:03,058
Now, behind me,
the students are just getting the word

712
00:53:03,141 --> 00:53:05,394
that there is a meeting
between student leaders

713
00:53:05,477 --> 00:53:07,062
and Dr. Zinser.

714
00:53:07,396 --> 00:53:11,567
The students were like,
"Stay strong. Be stubborn. Fight!"

715
00:53:17,614 --> 00:53:21,577
Picture your typical cheap motel.

716
00:53:22,995 --> 00:53:24,955
Zinser came in.

717
00:53:25,539 --> 00:53:29,459
She had a power suit on.
Dressed for success.

718
00:53:29,543 --> 00:53:33,130
Very authoritative. This gusto about her.

719
00:53:33,213 --> 00:53:37,634
And the whole idea was for her
to show her strength.

720
00:53:38,468 --> 00:53:40,220
"I am in charge."

721
00:53:40,304 --> 00:53:42,723
But then she started to speak.

722
00:54:04,828 --> 00:54:09,291
And she kept saying,
"I will do a lot of good for you.

723
00:54:10,584 --> 00:54:11,919
Don't worry.

724
00:54:12,419 --> 00:54:14,338
I'm here to help."

725
00:54:22,763 --> 00:54:25,390
She comes from a medical background

726
00:54:25,474 --> 00:54:28,060
and so her lens

727
00:54:28,852 --> 00:54:30,604
on Deafness is…

728
00:54:31,897 --> 00:54:34,066
that there's something to fix.

729
00:54:40,489 --> 00:54:44,368
And it's the same old thing,
over and over…

730
00:54:45,244 --> 00:54:46,787
for years and years.

731
00:54:48,205 --> 00:54:50,165
"I need to help you.

732
00:54:51,208 --> 00:54:53,252
I need to do this for you."

733
00:54:54,461 --> 00:54:57,047
"Let's fix your broken ears."

734
00:54:59,800 --> 00:55:02,135
There is this philosophy…

735
00:55:04,596 --> 00:55:07,224
so that the Deaf may speak.

736
00:55:09,893 --> 00:55:13,272
It all started with Alexander Graham Bell.

737
00:55:16,191 --> 00:55:19,903
I thought he was
supposed to be some American hero?

738
00:55:22,823 --> 00:55:25,409
Once you know
the other side of who he was,

739
00:55:25,492 --> 00:55:27,870
you might have a different opinion of him.

740
00:55:29,329 --> 00:55:34,251
His wife was Deaf.
His mother was also Deaf.

741
00:55:34,334 --> 00:55:38,881
And his biggest issue was how
society looked down upon them.

742
00:55:40,007 --> 00:55:43,677
He viewed them as something to fix.

743
00:55:45,345 --> 00:55:49,808
So he tried to enforce
this shift in Deaf education.

744
00:55:50,517 --> 00:55:53,145
The world has been a silent place.

745
00:55:54,813 --> 00:55:57,191
There is no such thing as a sound.

746
00:55:57,274 --> 00:55:58,984
They don't even know what a word is.

747
00:55:59,067 --> 00:56:02,112
Without words, there can be no thoughts,

748
00:56:02,196 --> 00:56:05,449
only feelings, with nothing
to join them together.

749
00:56:05,866 --> 00:56:07,409
When I went to school,

750
00:56:07,492 --> 00:56:11,580
they required speech class
every single day.

751
00:56:12,664 --> 00:56:15,584
I would be in class,
and they would pull me out

752
00:56:16,376 --> 00:56:17,586
to go to speech.

753
00:56:18,378 --> 00:56:22,049
He will have 3,000 hours
of individual speech training,

754
00:56:22,132 --> 00:56:25,260
learning the mouth movements
of the words he cannot hear.

755
00:56:26,428 --> 00:56:29,181
I had to put my hand
on the teacher's nose.

756
00:56:29,264 --> 00:56:31,517
He is learning
to feel the breath stream

757
00:56:31,600 --> 00:56:36,063
made by different sounds, using a mirror
to recognize the lip movements.

758
00:56:36,688 --> 00:56:38,440
Pretty good. Make it tight.

759
00:56:39,441 --> 00:56:42,444
I was the poster child
for Speech Therapy Month.

760
00:56:44,363 --> 00:56:45,531
They advertised:

761
00:56:46,198 --> 00:56:49,701
"This is the girl who's going to learn
how to speak and hear."

762
00:56:50,369 --> 00:56:53,288
With a number of devices
developed by the Bell Telephone Labs,

763
00:56:53,372 --> 00:56:56,083
the children are tested
to find the exact degree

764
00:56:56,166 --> 00:56:57,376
of their hearing loss.

765
00:56:57,459 --> 00:57:00,045
Specially trained teachers work with them.

766
00:57:01,421 --> 00:57:04,758
I would pick up my headset
with my transmitter

767
00:57:04,842 --> 00:57:07,094
that I would wear on my chest.

768
00:57:08,262 --> 00:57:10,180
The microphone link
direct from the teacher

769
00:57:10,264 --> 00:57:11,640
to the children's hearing aids

770
00:57:11,723 --> 00:57:13,600
amplifies that sound they hear.

771
00:57:18,272 --> 00:57:21,400
We were forbidden
from using sign language,

772
00:57:21,483 --> 00:57:26,071
but when the teacher looked away
we would sign down low to each other

773
00:57:26,154 --> 00:57:27,823
until the teacher looked back.

774
00:57:27,906 --> 00:57:30,576
If we put a child
in a signing environment,

775
00:57:30,659 --> 00:57:32,286
he's gonna learn to sign.

776
00:57:32,369 --> 00:57:37,332
If we put a child in a talking
environment, he's going to have to talk.

777
00:57:37,749 --> 00:57:40,043
And it's not cruel to do that.

778
00:57:40,627 --> 00:57:44,173
If you signed, they would smack
your hands with a ruler.

779
00:57:46,133 --> 00:57:48,510
I was able to figure out the CH sound.

780
00:57:49,761 --> 00:57:51,138
The teachers were thrilled.

781
00:57:51,221 --> 00:57:53,390
"Oh, you can say 'ch' sound."

782
00:57:53,473 --> 00:57:55,267
Then the teacher would stop the class

783
00:57:55,350 --> 00:57:57,436
and call the other teachers
from other classrooms

784
00:57:57,519 --> 00:57:59,104
to come to the hallway

785
00:57:59,188 --> 00:58:03,066
and they were like, "Say it again.
Do you mind saying 'ch' again?"

786
00:58:03,984 --> 00:58:06,361
And everyone was like, "Wow!"

787
00:58:06,445 --> 00:58:08,822
I felt a boost of self-esteem from that.

788
00:58:12,534 --> 00:58:15,120
And then in the fifth grade,
I was in a play.

789
00:58:15,204 --> 00:58:16,663
A Christmas Carol.

790
00:58:17,414 --> 00:58:20,167
And there was no signing.

791
00:58:21,460 --> 00:58:23,462
It was only speech…

792
00:58:25,839 --> 00:58:27,466
and some hearing people came,

793
00:58:28,383 --> 00:58:30,636
and they were giving
us a round of applause,

794
00:58:30,719 --> 00:58:33,055
as if we did an awesome job.

795
00:58:33,138 --> 00:58:34,306
I felt so good.

796
00:58:36,725 --> 00:58:38,393
And so at the end of the play,

797
00:58:39,686 --> 00:58:42,397
we were like,
"Did you understand any of that?"

798
00:58:42,481 --> 00:58:44,274
And the hearing people had said…

799
00:58:53,325 --> 00:58:55,911
"We didn't understand any of it."

800
00:59:08,715 --> 00:59:13,595
They forced us to be hearing
and think like a hearing person.

801
00:59:13,971 --> 00:59:18,517
I mAy A CrISmAs CarD.

802
00:59:19,476 --> 00:59:20,727
I want you to pause.

803
00:59:20,811 --> 00:59:23,188
I mAy…

804
00:59:23,272 --> 00:59:25,524
Teachers had informed my parents,

805
00:59:25,607 --> 00:59:27,943
"Your daughter is not progressing well."

806
00:59:29,111 --> 00:59:32,781
It was almost like,
"You don't hear or speak?

807
00:59:32,865 --> 00:59:34,283
You're stupid."

808
00:59:34,366 --> 00:59:39,454
KrIstIn FeL a CoW wA--

809
00:59:39,538 --> 00:59:41,290
Okay, but you forgot part of it.

810
00:59:45,377 --> 00:59:48,422
Sign language is its own language.

811
00:59:50,007 --> 00:59:52,509
Signing is so important to me.

812
00:59:54,845 --> 00:59:56,471
It's who we are.

813
00:59:58,390 --> 01:00:01,643
They view Deaf people as something bad.

814
01:00:02,436 --> 01:00:04,062
As a defect,

815
01:00:04,730 --> 01:00:06,190
an error.

816
01:00:06,857 --> 01:00:08,984
As hearing impaired.

817
01:00:09,526 --> 01:00:12,696
We are not impaired.

818
01:00:23,874 --> 01:00:25,959
Zinser said,

819
01:00:26,043 --> 01:00:29,129
"I will get a teacher
to teach me sign language,

820
01:00:29,213 --> 01:00:30,672
I will learn how to sign.

821
01:00:30,756 --> 01:00:33,133
I'll be able to communicate
with you in a couple of months."

822
01:00:36,011 --> 01:00:37,846
You don't get it.

823
01:00:37,930 --> 01:00:41,058
It takes years to learn sign language.

824
01:00:42,142 --> 01:00:48,023
You have to live, sleep, eat and breathe
with Deaf people

825
01:00:48,941 --> 01:00:51,693
to understand the frustration,
and the oppression.

826
01:00:52,444 --> 01:00:56,073
Everything she said,
they said, "No, no, no.

827
01:00:56,156 --> 01:00:57,866
Not acceptable, not possible.

828
01:00:57,950 --> 01:01:01,870
You can't be president of Gallaudet ever."

829
01:01:04,665 --> 01:01:06,625
I was really amazed.

830
01:01:09,753 --> 01:01:11,755
So we left.

831
01:01:11,839 --> 01:01:15,050
What she was trying to do failed.

832
01:01:22,599 --> 01:01:25,060
So we got back to campus.

833
01:01:29,231 --> 01:01:30,899
And in that moment,

834
01:01:32,484 --> 01:01:36,572
there was such a deep sense of connection.

835
01:01:38,323 --> 01:01:41,827
This sense of empowerment emerged.

836
01:01:45,247 --> 01:01:47,374
We started to believe in ourselves.

837
01:01:48,333 --> 01:01:50,878
Like, we were gonna win.

838
01:01:51,879 --> 01:01:55,048
The team leaders,
these are our team leaders.

839
01:02:00,262 --> 01:02:02,139
We saw hope.

840
01:02:03,056 --> 01:02:06,143
Dr. Zinser is, I am told, en route…

841
01:02:07,728 --> 01:02:10,314
to the Press Club.

842
01:02:13,108 --> 01:02:15,736
And should be arriving shortly,

843
01:02:15,819 --> 01:02:18,655
but we didn't want
to delay you any longer,

844
01:02:18,739 --> 01:02:22,993
and Mrs. Spilman is present
to begin the proceedings.

845
01:02:26,371 --> 01:02:30,000
Zinser was in the front seat,
I sat in the back seat.

846
01:02:30,083 --> 01:02:35,130
I could see her holding her phone
and talking.

847
01:02:38,550 --> 01:02:41,595
And I didn't have an interpreter.

848
01:02:50,604 --> 01:02:52,648
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

849
01:02:54,399 --> 01:02:56,109
The purpose of this briefing

850
01:02:56,985 --> 01:03:01,698
is for the board of trustees
of Gallaudet University

851
01:03:01,782 --> 01:03:03,367
to make a statement.

852
01:03:04,910 --> 01:03:08,038
And I say,
"You can drop me off at Gallaudet."

853
01:03:09,498 --> 01:03:11,542
And she said, "No.

854
01:03:12,668 --> 01:03:15,462
We're going to the National Press Club."

855
01:03:16,964 --> 01:03:18,715
I was locked in the car.

856
01:03:20,092 --> 01:03:21,718
Together, we're united.

857
01:03:25,931 --> 01:03:27,307
Hello, Dr. Zinser.

858
01:03:27,933 --> 01:03:31,687
Much to my surprise,
my immediate supervisor

859
01:03:31,770 --> 01:03:35,315
grabbed me and said, "Okay,
now you need to go up

860
01:03:35,399 --> 01:03:37,568
and you need to support the board."

861
01:03:38,777 --> 01:03:41,446
And now I would like
to introduce to you…

862
01:03:42,322 --> 01:03:44,241
Dr. King Jordan.

863
01:03:46,076 --> 01:03:49,288
And, King, maybe you might have
a word or two

864
01:03:49,371 --> 01:03:51,415
you'd like to have with these people.

865
01:03:54,960 --> 01:03:59,673
I want you to know
that I must do what's in the best interest

866
01:03:59,756 --> 01:04:01,675
of Gallaudet University itself.

867
01:04:02,217 --> 01:04:04,928
Therefore,
it's my responsibility as a dean

868
01:04:05,012 --> 01:04:08,182
to give her any support
I can in that effort.

869
01:04:16,773 --> 01:04:20,027
Are you asking students
to stop protesting?

870
01:04:21,195 --> 01:04:23,947
This has been a very
difficult position for me,

871
01:04:24,031 --> 01:04:26,241
I want you to know.

872
01:04:26,325 --> 01:04:30,495
I regret very much
that I've become any kind of focus here.

873
01:04:31,622 --> 01:04:33,665
That was really hard for me.

874
01:04:34,291 --> 01:04:39,338
Remember, I was a dean,
so they could fire me in a minute.

875
01:04:39,421 --> 01:04:43,217
Do you think the time
has come for the protest to stop?

876
01:04:46,345 --> 01:04:48,764
Yes I do, yes I do.

877
01:04:58,232 --> 01:05:02,945
I think it's time to enter
into a meaningful dialogue

878
01:05:03,028 --> 01:05:05,614
with the new seventh
president of Gallaudet.

879
01:05:07,115 --> 01:05:08,116
Thank you.

880
01:05:11,537 --> 01:05:13,372
I was in a state of shock.

881
01:05:14,790 --> 01:05:17,292
We were trying to do a lot for him,

882
01:05:17,793 --> 01:05:20,462
and then in this moment you pull that crap

883
01:05:21,213 --> 01:05:22,548
and you switch sides?

884
01:05:24,216 --> 01:05:26,510
This has been a very
difficult position for me,

885
01:05:26,593 --> 01:05:28,220
I want you to know.

886
01:05:29,972 --> 01:05:34,184
You're weak, so weak, look at this!

887
01:05:35,978 --> 01:05:37,688
We're here to support you.

888
01:05:38,021 --> 01:05:41,400
It's my responsibility as a dean
to give her any support I can

889
01:05:41,483 --> 01:05:42,818
in that effort.

890
01:05:42,901 --> 01:05:44,528
I felt betrayed.

891
01:05:46,405 --> 01:05:47,573
I thought to myself,

892
01:05:48,532 --> 01:05:50,993
"He's not really Deaf."

893
01:05:52,160 --> 01:05:55,622
The values that were instilled
in him through his upbringing

894
01:05:55,706 --> 01:05:59,459
were based in a hearing world,
and that stuck with him.

895
01:05:59,543 --> 01:06:03,046
If he was born deaf, I don't think
he would've been a traitor.

896
01:06:03,547 --> 01:06:06,508
I was simply a candidate
for the position,

897
01:06:06,592 --> 01:06:08,260
and because I'm Deaf,

898
01:06:08,343 --> 01:06:13,015
then I've become more
of a focus than I should have become.

899
01:06:15,893 --> 01:06:17,853
On campus, students were kept apprised

900
01:06:17,936 --> 01:06:19,855
of what was being said
in the news conference.

901
01:06:22,524 --> 01:06:25,027
It was such a low point for us.

902
01:06:25,569 --> 01:06:28,947
I am expecting
the students to help to educate me

903
01:06:29,031 --> 01:06:33,368
about Deafness and about sign,
which I am beginning to do right now.

904
01:06:35,954 --> 01:06:37,706
They always win.

905
01:06:40,501 --> 01:06:46,006
For the students,
it amplified their anger.

906
01:06:48,634 --> 01:06:50,802
At this point,
things are a bit out of control,

907
01:06:50,886 --> 01:06:51,929
as you know.

908
01:06:53,305 --> 01:06:56,433
The governance system
on the campus has broken down.

909
01:07:02,856 --> 01:07:04,900
If it gets any further out of control,

910
01:07:04,983 --> 01:07:07,653
I will have to take action
in order to bring it under control.

911
01:07:10,155 --> 01:07:13,033
Our top story this evening,
members of the board of trustees

912
01:07:13,116 --> 01:07:14,910
spent the day in planning sessions

913
01:07:14,993 --> 01:07:18,539
aimed at a strategy to take control
of the Gallaudet campus.

914
01:07:19,331 --> 01:07:23,627
We kept saying, "No violence, no damage.

915
01:07:23,710 --> 01:07:26,630
No violence, no damage."

916
01:07:27,381 --> 01:07:30,133
Apparently, we're gonna have
to arrest a bunch of people.

917
01:07:37,099 --> 01:07:39,393
We already had that stereotype,

918
01:07:39,476 --> 01:07:41,812
"If they don't speak,
then they're stupid."

919
01:07:42,604 --> 01:07:46,733
And so, now, do we wanna add violence?

920
01:07:47,818 --> 01:07:49,653
Move from the sidewalk, sir.

921
01:07:53,031 --> 01:07:55,742
The media was there with their cameras.

922
01:07:56,410 --> 01:08:00,414
If we'd riot, then we've lost all support.

923
01:08:01,290 --> 01:08:04,168
We need outside support,
especially the media.

924
01:08:04,251 --> 01:08:06,461
There are a lot of cameras on us.

925
01:08:08,547 --> 01:08:12,342
The threats, intimidations,
demonstrations, disorders…

926
01:08:12,426 --> 01:08:15,012
All that I wanna know
is what's gonna happen exactly

927
01:08:15,095 --> 01:08:16,430
before you do anything.

928
01:08:16,513 --> 01:08:21,310
This is an editorial.
"The students don't seem to understand

929
01:08:21,393 --> 01:08:25,856
the damage that this venture
into activism may do

930
01:08:25,939 --> 01:08:27,941
to the school's reputation."

931
01:08:29,276 --> 01:08:32,988
So the police
struck a student in the face.

932
01:08:33,488 --> 01:08:34,573
Whoever wrote that…

933
01:08:36,408 --> 01:08:37,783
screw you.

934
01:08:40,245 --> 01:08:42,247
The American taxpayers, I understand,

935
01:08:42,872 --> 01:08:45,584
are paying 75 percent
of the cost of the school.

936
01:08:46,126 --> 01:08:49,087
What if Congress said,
"We're going to cut off federal funding

937
01:08:49,171 --> 01:08:51,548
unless you all get back to classes"?

938
01:08:53,634 --> 01:08:55,886
What if everything blows up…

939
01:09:00,474 --> 01:09:03,519
to the point where Congress
withdraws funding?

940
01:09:06,438 --> 01:09:08,232
Gallaudet will shut down.

941
01:09:21,828 --> 01:09:23,412
By Wednesday,

942
01:09:23,497 --> 01:09:26,124
we had lost three nights of sleep.

943
01:09:29,211 --> 01:09:31,129
We didn't eat a whole lot.

944
01:09:32,965 --> 01:09:36,510
And so, people were worn out.

945
01:09:38,595 --> 01:09:40,930
I'm sure you're feeling drained

946
01:09:41,014 --> 01:09:43,015
so I want to keep this meeting short--

947
01:09:45,477 --> 01:09:49,106
Someone informed us
that we had been offered an interview

948
01:09:49,189 --> 01:09:51,649
that evening on national TV.

949
01:09:53,193 --> 01:09:55,696
Possibly one million viewers.

950
01:09:56,864 --> 01:10:01,201
And so they asked me to go on air, live,

951
01:10:01,285 --> 01:10:02,828
with Zinser.

952
01:10:05,747 --> 01:10:07,666
Did you wish it was you?

953
01:10:23,724 --> 01:10:25,809
In the limo, I was very nervous.

954
01:10:26,935 --> 01:10:29,521
It was a huge responsibility for me.

955
01:10:30,063 --> 01:10:33,942
This was our last chance to be heard.

956
01:10:37,487 --> 01:10:39,531
So I put on my hearing aid.

957
01:10:50,375 --> 01:10:55,005
I like to hear because I like to have
that surrounding awareness.

958
01:10:58,342 --> 01:11:00,552
Okay, we're coming up
on one minute to air.

959
01:11:06,767 --> 01:11:09,311
- You let me know when you're ready?
- We're rolling.

960
01:11:29,206 --> 01:11:32,793
The charge made by students
at Gallaudet University for the Deaf

961
01:11:32,876 --> 01:11:37,130
is that their school administration
refuses to listen,

962
01:11:37,214 --> 01:11:40,008
and so the students have
closed the school down.

963
01:11:40,425 --> 01:11:43,512
I was with my friends in my dorm.

964
01:11:43,595 --> 01:11:47,140
Many students were
together in multiple rooms.

965
01:11:47,558 --> 01:11:50,310
She will be among our guests, and so too

966
01:11:50,394 --> 01:11:54,147
will be the president of the Gallaudet
student body, Greg Hlibok.

967
01:11:54,523 --> 01:11:57,818
Nine, eight, seven, six…

968
01:11:57,901 --> 01:12:02,656
…five, four, three, two, one.

969
01:12:04,533 --> 01:12:05,450
And into it.

970
01:12:08,370 --> 01:12:11,331
This is ABC News Nightline,

971
01:12:11,415 --> 01:12:14,626
reporting from Washington, Ted Koppel.

972
01:12:16,003 --> 01:12:18,547
You may find it momentarily distracting,

973
01:12:18,630 --> 01:12:20,507
but if ever the content of a program

974
01:12:20,591 --> 01:12:23,760
ought to be accessible
to the nation's hearing impaired,

975
01:12:23,844 --> 01:12:25,679
this one tonight is it.

976
01:12:25,762 --> 01:12:28,015
A great many Deaf
or hearing impaired people

977
01:12:28,098 --> 01:12:33,103
don't have access to a closed caption set,
so tonight you can all read along.

978
01:12:39,067 --> 01:12:40,819
We're live in 90 seconds.

979
01:12:41,570 --> 01:12:44,531
There were just so many
things to think about,

980
01:12:44,615 --> 01:12:47,159
all these thoughts were
flying around in my head.

981
01:12:48,118 --> 01:12:51,079
And then the media relations
were giving me feedback,

982
01:12:51,413 --> 01:12:54,041
and there was makeup,
and everyone's tapping me.

983
01:12:56,251 --> 01:12:59,838
And I was like,
"No, no, no, this is too much.

984
01:13:01,465 --> 01:13:02,799
I just need to focus."

985
01:13:06,845 --> 01:13:08,639
Then I told myself…

986
01:13:11,391 --> 01:13:13,143
"I'm Deaf.

987
01:13:14,645 --> 01:13:16,063
That's who I am.

988
01:13:16,897 --> 01:13:18,524
All that I can do…

989
01:13:20,359 --> 01:13:21,527
is be myself."

990
01:13:21,610 --> 01:13:25,447
Four, three, two, one.

991
01:13:55,978 --> 01:13:57,271
Dr. Zinser…

992
01:13:57,354 --> 01:13:59,606
doesn't there come
a point where you have to say

993
01:13:59,690 --> 01:14:02,109
the university has got
to be able to do its business,

994
01:14:02,192 --> 01:14:05,529
and if it can't do it with me, it's gonna
have to do it with someone else?

995
01:14:05,612 --> 01:14:07,322
I believe at the present time

996
01:14:07,406 --> 01:14:10,450
that a very strong sentiment
is being sent to me

997
01:14:10,534 --> 01:14:13,287
with regard to asking me to step down

998
01:14:13,370 --> 01:14:17,332
but I am not convinced at this
point that that is uniform.

999
01:14:17,416 --> 01:14:20,377
I've had many indications of support…

1000
01:14:20,460 --> 01:14:22,129
How did Zinser do?

1001
01:14:23,714 --> 01:14:25,424
She was very professional.

1002
01:14:25,507 --> 01:14:28,635
I have had indications
of support from King Jordan.

1003
01:14:28,719 --> 01:14:29,970
Very calm.

1004
01:14:30,053 --> 01:14:31,972
Now, Greg, let me ask you this.

1005
01:14:32,055 --> 01:14:33,432
Would you be prepared

1006
01:14:33,515 --> 01:14:36,143
to create some kind of a solution
that will be to everyone's benefit?

1007
01:14:36,226 --> 01:14:37,686
What's happening now is to no one's.

1008
01:14:38,478 --> 01:14:39,938
Okay, Ted…

1009
01:14:41,815 --> 01:14:43,901
my remarks now are addressed to Dr. Zinser

1010
01:14:43,984 --> 01:14:47,321
because I really feel it's important
to address what she said.

1011
01:14:47,404 --> 01:14:50,115
Well, let me ask you
to be a little more directly responsive

1012
01:14:50,199 --> 01:14:52,117
to the question that I asked you,
and that is,

1013
01:14:52,201 --> 01:14:54,286
since there's been
all this talk about dialogue,

1014
01:14:54,369 --> 01:14:57,539
would it be possible
for example tomorrow, for you…

1015
01:14:57,623 --> 01:14:59,124
How did Greg do?

1016
01:15:00,459 --> 01:15:01,543
It was almost like,

1017
01:15:01,627 --> 01:15:05,297
"You're talking about me,
and I'm on national TV…"

1018
01:15:05,964 --> 01:15:07,341
He was insecure.

1019
01:15:08,300 --> 01:15:10,594
…to sit down and
try and work something out.

1020
01:15:10,677 --> 01:15:12,804
We're coming to the end
of the school year,

1021
01:15:12,888 --> 01:15:15,516
I'm sure a lot of people's lives
are being disrupted here.

1022
01:15:15,599 --> 01:15:18,644
Cannot something be done
by dialogue, even at this point?

1023
01:15:19,895 --> 01:15:23,482
I was sitting, and I was thinking,
"This is really not good."

1024
01:15:24,525 --> 01:15:26,109
Maybe I was just scared.

1025
01:15:26,193 --> 01:15:28,820
So I'm committed
to assuming the responsibilities

1026
01:15:28,904 --> 01:15:31,573
that I agreed to assume last Sunday night,

1027
01:15:31,657 --> 01:15:37,120
until such time as the board of trustees
may elect to ask me to step aside…

1028
01:15:38,080 --> 01:15:39,623
He just took it.

1029
01:15:40,040 --> 01:15:44,002
…I've taken the position,
having been invited to serve as president…

1030
01:15:44,086 --> 01:15:48,257
His mentality was
the same as most Deaf people.

1031
01:15:50,092 --> 01:15:51,468
Just like my father.

1032
01:15:53,345 --> 01:15:56,390
"You're gonna put me in the basement?
Fine."

1033
01:15:58,725 --> 01:16:00,352
He just accepted it.

1034
01:16:03,647 --> 01:16:05,148
It's just habit.

1035
01:16:06,233 --> 01:16:08,944
They've just taken it so long,

1036
01:16:09,027 --> 01:16:11,488
and they have this strong belief,

1037
01:16:11,572 --> 01:16:14,741
Deaf people are not capable of anything.

1038
01:16:15,534 --> 01:16:17,494
Do what you're told.

1039
01:16:17,578 --> 01:16:18,912
Stay where you are.

1040
01:16:18,996 --> 01:16:22,291
They internalize being told
they can't their whole life.

1041
01:16:22,374 --> 01:16:24,793
And that's why that word, "can't"…

1042
01:16:26,420 --> 01:16:28,839
it's just stuck in their heads.

1043
01:16:35,053 --> 01:16:35,971
Dr. Zinser,

1044
01:16:36,054 --> 01:16:39,183
I know you can understand it,
because you're an empathetic person.

1045
01:16:39,266 --> 01:16:41,059
Can you understand it to the point

1046
01:16:41,143 --> 01:16:42,519
that you might even say,

1047
01:16:42,603 --> 01:16:44,021
"If it's that important

1048
01:16:44,104 --> 01:16:45,689
to all these people, I would step down"?

1049
01:16:45,772 --> 01:16:48,901
The board of trustees
has the authority to make a judgment

1050
01:16:48,984 --> 01:16:52,279
about who should be the next president.
I'm not in a position to do that.

1051
01:16:52,362 --> 01:16:53,864
Down to the last 30 seconds.

1052
01:16:53,947 --> 01:16:55,616
Thank you, Ted. I do believe

1053
01:16:55,699 --> 01:16:57,701
that Deaf individuals
have great capacities--

1054
01:16:57,784 --> 01:16:58,994
Then prove it!

1055
01:17:01,997 --> 01:17:04,208
May I finish my statement?

1056
01:17:07,878 --> 01:17:11,673
I truly believe-- I believe very strongly

1057
01:17:11,757 --> 01:17:13,300
that a Deaf individual one day--

1058
01:17:13,383 --> 01:17:16,136
No, that's old news.
I'm tired of that statement.

1059
01:17:16,220 --> 01:17:18,597
"One day," again and again.
"Someday, a Deaf person…"

1060
01:17:18,680 --> 01:17:20,015
We've gotta break this cycle.

1061
01:17:21,266 --> 01:17:23,685
We've been hearing this for 124 years.

1062
01:17:23,769 --> 01:17:25,562
We're getting tired
of hearing this statement.

1063
01:17:26,188 --> 01:17:28,023
And then he finally started to speak up.

1064
01:17:28,106 --> 01:17:29,233
This is just a cycle.

1065
01:17:29,316 --> 01:17:32,152
Every time a new president
comes in, they say, "Well, one day."

1066
01:17:32,236 --> 01:17:34,404
Past presidents have
always said that. "Someday…"

1067
01:17:34,488 --> 01:17:36,823
I'll tell you what, yeah,
we're gonna go over a little bit.

1068
01:17:36,907 --> 01:17:39,368
Dr. Zinser needs to have
a chance to respond to this.

1069
01:17:39,451 --> 01:17:42,996
Thank you, Ted. I want to indicate
that the university deserves

1070
01:17:43,080 --> 01:17:46,208
to have the continuing
strength into the future,

1071
01:17:46,291 --> 01:17:48,085
- whether--
- Excuse me.

1072
01:17:49,086 --> 01:17:53,173
Are you implying that a Deaf person
can't continue that for the future?

1073
01:17:53,257 --> 01:17:55,008
Not at all.

1074
01:17:55,968 --> 01:17:59,763
Greg, I apologize for making
a statement that aggravated you.

1075
01:18:00,430 --> 01:18:03,350
His signing got much more emotional.

1076
01:18:04,726 --> 01:18:06,979
So this shows that the past presidents

1077
01:18:07,062 --> 01:18:10,232
have failed then, if they haven't
provided any Deaf leaders.

1078
01:18:10,315 --> 01:18:11,775
He found his voice.

1079
01:18:11,859 --> 01:18:14,111
Okay, remember,
the board's got 17 hearing people.

1080
01:18:14,528 --> 01:18:16,655
Almost all of them cannot sign at all.

1081
01:18:16,738 --> 01:18:18,782
All of them don't know
anything about Deaf people.

1082
01:18:18,866 --> 01:18:22,703
They come in and meet, three times a year,
they vote on things, and then leave.

1083
01:18:22,786 --> 01:18:25,122
I want to be as Deaf as I can be.

1084
01:18:25,205 --> 01:18:27,040
They don't know anything about Deafness

1085
01:18:27,124 --> 01:18:29,543
so Dr. Zinser should not
follow the board of trustees.

1086
01:18:29,626 --> 01:18:33,463
They should follow what our demands
and desires are because we know.

1087
01:18:33,547 --> 01:18:35,424
All right, folks, I'm afraid we really do

1088
01:18:35,507 --> 01:18:37,467
have to bring this
to a conclusion right now.

1089
01:18:37,551 --> 01:18:39,469
That's our report for tonight,
I'm Ted Kop--

1090
01:19:40,864 --> 01:19:44,159
Students gain strength
as car horns they can't hear

1091
01:19:44,243 --> 01:19:45,911
blare support for their cause.

1092
01:19:48,330 --> 01:19:51,083
People were waving out their windows.

1093
01:19:56,713 --> 01:19:59,800
It was like-- Sorry about that.

1094
01:19:59,883 --> 01:20:00,717
Sorry.

1095
01:20:03,178 --> 01:20:05,430
It's a hearing thing, I know.

1096
01:20:07,516 --> 01:20:09,935
I opened up the newspaper, the front page.

1097
01:20:14,731 --> 01:20:16,316
I got chills.

1098
01:20:16,400 --> 01:20:17,776
What started as a student protest

1099
01:20:17,860 --> 01:20:20,904
at the nation's only liberal
arts college for the Deaf

1100
01:20:20,988 --> 01:20:22,823
is commanding national attention tonight.

1101
01:20:22,906 --> 01:20:24,616
I'm in sympathy with the students.

1102
01:20:24,700 --> 01:20:25,659
I think it's imperative.

1103
01:20:25,742 --> 01:20:27,369
I think it's a good idea.

1104
01:20:28,078 --> 01:20:30,539
It just exploded and it was strong.

1105
01:20:32,666 --> 01:20:34,877
And more calls came from across the nation

1106
01:20:34,960 --> 01:20:36,920
pledging support and dollars.

1107
01:20:37,588 --> 01:20:39,339
Financial contributions can be sent

1108
01:20:39,423 --> 01:20:43,719
to National Association of the Deaf,
care of the Deaf President Now campaign.

1109
01:20:44,970 --> 01:20:47,055
In fact, the students claim
to have already collected

1110
01:20:47,139 --> 01:20:50,267
in excess of $27,000 for their cause.

1111
01:20:50,350 --> 01:20:52,644
We are becoming stronger

1112
01:20:52,728 --> 01:20:54,980
and we are becoming bigger
and bigger as a group.

1113
01:20:56,148 --> 01:20:59,276
People were continuously
asking me for interviews.

1114
01:20:59,359 --> 01:21:00,360
Greg "Hle-bok".

1115
01:21:00,444 --> 01:21:01,695
Greg Hlibok.

1116
01:21:01,778 --> 01:21:03,322
He is Greg "Hill-bok."

1117
01:21:03,822 --> 01:21:05,824
Someone came over and
handed me a microphone

1118
01:21:05,908 --> 01:21:09,077
and I said, "Oh, no, I don't need that.
No, I'm good. Thank you."

1119
01:21:09,703 --> 01:21:11,747
Don't you think they had the best interest

1120
01:21:11,830 --> 01:21:13,081
of the university in mind?

1121
01:21:13,582 --> 01:21:14,458
No.

1122
01:21:16,668 --> 01:21:17,669
It's our understanding

1123
01:21:17,753 --> 01:21:21,089
that there are busloads of people
from all over the country

1124
01:21:21,173 --> 01:21:23,550
who are coming in here to participate.

1125
01:21:24,927 --> 01:21:27,137
We're not only receiving reports

1126
01:21:27,221 --> 01:21:29,014
from across the country,
but around the world.

1127
01:21:29,097 --> 01:21:30,682
In Sweden, Germany, Africa.

1128
01:21:31,683 --> 01:21:33,477
We got a fax from China.

1129
01:21:33,936 --> 01:21:36,605
I didn't understand the Chinese language,

1130
01:21:36,688 --> 01:21:39,399
but there was a picture
of this person cheering.

1131
01:21:44,571 --> 01:21:46,865
It's the beginning of our
civil rights movement.

1132
01:21:48,659 --> 01:21:50,285
When you say Gallaudet students

1133
01:21:50,369 --> 01:21:52,538
have been oppressed,
what do you mean by that?

1134
01:21:52,621 --> 01:21:55,916
Do white people speak
for Black people at the university?

1135
01:21:57,125 --> 01:21:59,086
There were a lot of African Americans

1136
01:21:59,169 --> 01:22:00,587
on the street cheering us on.

1137
01:22:01,797 --> 01:22:02,881
They understood.

1138
01:22:04,633 --> 01:22:08,428
For many years, the Deaf
have been a rather passive minority.

1139
01:22:10,722 --> 01:22:12,683
This week, they've been
a rather demanding one.

1140
01:22:16,436 --> 01:22:20,274
Hearing people
tell us what they can do for us.

1141
01:22:20,357 --> 01:22:22,568
They tend to say that, "We will help you,"

1142
01:22:22,651 --> 01:22:25,404
but what we're asking for…

1143
01:22:25,487 --> 01:22:27,489
- Is to do it yourselves?
- Yes.

1144
01:22:29,783 --> 01:22:31,702
We express our disappointment

1145
01:22:31,785 --> 01:22:34,830
in the action of the trustees.
The students of Gallaudet are right.

1146
01:22:34,913 --> 01:22:38,458
The time has come for the trustees
to admit that they made a mistake.

1147
01:22:39,042 --> 01:22:40,169
We're not gonna stop.

1148
01:22:40,252 --> 01:22:41,628
We are gonna continue to fight.

1149
01:22:41,712 --> 01:22:43,630
Before, we were in the dark…

1150
01:22:45,424 --> 01:22:47,759
so now the world could see us.

1151
01:22:47,843 --> 01:22:49,887
We're getting stronger and stronger

1152
01:22:49,970 --> 01:22:52,014
and we're really strong now.

1153
01:22:56,185 --> 01:23:00,522
Until that point,
I thought it was just a student protest.

1154
01:23:01,148 --> 01:23:03,066
And it took me a little time

1155
01:23:03,150 --> 01:23:07,196
to understand this is not just a protest.

1156
01:23:07,279 --> 01:23:09,239
This is a revolution.

1157
01:23:15,120 --> 01:23:17,122
And I sat there thinking,

1158
01:23:17,623 --> 01:23:19,583
"What have I done?

1159
01:23:19,666 --> 01:23:21,543
I'm dean now…

1160
01:23:22,544 --> 01:23:25,339
but I will be Deaf forever."

1161
01:23:26,715 --> 01:23:28,133
Yesterday,

1162
01:23:28,217 --> 01:23:33,805
I gave a statement recognizing
the legal authority of the board

1163
01:23:33,889 --> 01:23:36,725
to name the president
of Gallaudet University.

1164
01:23:37,643 --> 01:23:42,356
In fact, my personal reaction
to the board's decision

1165
01:23:42,439 --> 01:23:44,900
was and is anger.

1166
01:23:45,651 --> 01:23:50,155
I must now publicly affirm my support

1167
01:23:50,239 --> 01:23:54,368
for the point of view held
by the Gallaudet community.

1168
01:23:55,202 --> 01:23:59,331
Then King says, "I made a mistake,"

1169
01:23:59,831 --> 01:24:02,417
and we're like, "Oh."

1170
01:24:02,835 --> 01:24:05,712
We often say that the best teacher

1171
01:24:05,796 --> 01:24:07,589
is a good learner.

1172
01:24:07,673 --> 01:24:11,635
Gallaudet University has been learning
a great deal from its students.

1173
01:24:12,261 --> 01:24:15,931
They have become our teachers.

1174
01:24:16,014 --> 01:24:21,019
All Deaf people owe Gallaudet students
a debt of gratitude

1175
01:24:21,103 --> 01:24:25,065
for insisting that our time is now.

1176
01:24:28,151 --> 01:24:30,362
Joining me now live, here at Gallaudet

1177
01:24:30,445 --> 01:24:32,406
is one of the student
leaders, Bridget Bourne.

1178
01:24:32,489 --> 01:24:34,783
Can you give us some student reaction

1179
01:24:34,867 --> 01:24:37,286
to Dr. Jordan's change of heart?

1180
01:24:38,328 --> 01:24:40,372
He had this awakening.

1181
01:24:41,081 --> 01:24:43,083
It was like, "I get it."

1182
01:24:45,127 --> 01:24:48,589
He became a better, new Deaf person.

1183
01:24:49,381 --> 01:24:52,426
He realized that instead of,
"Oh, I've lost…"

1184
01:24:53,260 --> 01:24:54,303
No.

1185
01:24:56,221 --> 01:24:58,015
It's okay to be Deaf.

1186
01:25:01,894 --> 01:25:04,605
Yesterday you stood with President Zinser.

1187
01:25:04,688 --> 01:25:06,356
Tonight, if they're watching

1188
01:25:06,440 --> 01:25:08,984
or if you have a message for them,
what would it be?

1189
01:25:11,820 --> 01:25:14,239
I would ask Dr. Zinser
to look into her heart…

1190
01:25:16,700 --> 01:25:19,453
to look at what's
happening around the nation,

1191
01:25:19,536 --> 01:25:21,747
and really think very seriously

1192
01:25:21,830 --> 01:25:24,041
about what this means to the Deaf world.

1193
01:25:45,521 --> 01:25:48,023
I arrived at Gallaudet University

1194
01:25:49,274 --> 01:25:51,527
to find a growing crisis.

1195
01:25:58,742 --> 01:25:59,952
I woke up…

1196
01:26:01,745 --> 01:26:05,123
Apparently the night before,
when everyone was asleep,

1197
01:26:06,416 --> 01:26:08,669
there had been a press conference.

1198
01:26:10,629 --> 01:26:14,383
The symbol of this office
is so significant

1199
01:26:14,466 --> 01:26:17,928
that we must respond to that larger issue.

1200
01:26:18,929 --> 01:26:20,764
I concluded therefore

1201
01:26:20,848 --> 01:26:23,350
that the best way to restore order

1202
01:26:23,433 --> 01:26:24,852
was to tender my resignation.

1203
01:26:27,354 --> 01:26:29,857
Wow, she actually resigned!

1204
01:26:38,532 --> 01:26:41,326
And everyone said,
"The TTY, it's for you."

1205
01:26:45,706 --> 01:26:48,166
So I had to go across campus.

1206
01:27:03,473 --> 01:27:07,060
And when I got into the van
they stepped on it.

1207
01:27:07,644 --> 01:27:10,439
I didn't even have
a chance to close the door.

1208
01:27:17,654 --> 01:27:21,283
The TTY was in a glass cubicle.

1209
01:27:22,743 --> 01:27:26,705
Like a mini fishbowl,
and everyone's staring at me.

1210
01:27:33,670 --> 01:27:35,589
I was right next to Greg.

1211
01:27:36,173 --> 01:27:40,677
It was me, Tim, Bridgetta, the four of us.

1212
01:27:42,304 --> 01:27:43,931
We were really close.

1213
01:27:50,354 --> 01:27:52,731
And it said, "Who are your siblings?"

1214
01:27:53,649 --> 01:27:56,693
To verify I'm not some
imposter on the keyboard.

1215
01:28:02,574 --> 01:28:04,618
…Jane Bassett Spilman.

1216
01:28:05,285 --> 01:28:08,247
She does have a statement
to share with you.

1217
01:28:08,330 --> 01:28:09,581
Mrs. Spilman?

1218
01:28:11,500 --> 01:28:12,876
Good evening.

1219
01:28:14,628 --> 01:28:17,881
There was, as we have all
come to realize this week,

1220
01:28:17,965 --> 01:28:20,801
a serious gap in our understanding

1221
01:28:20,884 --> 01:28:24,346
of the complexity
of the problems we faced.

1222
01:28:24,429 --> 01:28:28,058
In the minds of some,
I have become an obstacle

1223
01:28:28,141 --> 01:28:30,310
to the future of the university.

1224
01:28:36,859 --> 01:28:40,612
And because I care very deeply
about Gallaudet's future,

1225
01:28:41,113 --> 01:28:43,323
I am removing that obstacle.

1226
01:28:44,449 --> 01:28:46,410
Today, I submitted my resignation.

1227
01:28:53,584 --> 01:28:56,170
The cubicle was just shaking.

1228
01:28:56,253 --> 01:29:00,549
The TTY just started to have random
characters running across it.

1229
01:29:07,347 --> 01:29:09,057
The board was not simply

1230
01:29:09,141 --> 01:29:12,144
called upon to select a president,

1231
01:29:12,227 --> 01:29:15,272
but to aid in the consummation of a dream.

1232
01:29:16,190 --> 01:29:18,442
The elevation of a Deaf person

1233
01:29:18,525 --> 01:29:20,068
to the presidency

1234
01:29:20,152 --> 01:29:22,946
of the greatest educational institution

1235
01:29:23,030 --> 01:29:25,407
of the Deaf and hearing impaired

1236
01:29:25,490 --> 01:29:26,491
in the world.

1237
01:29:34,875 --> 01:29:36,793
The students and their leaders:

1238
01:29:37,377 --> 01:29:38,504
Tim,

1239
01:29:39,296 --> 01:29:40,422
Bridgetta,

1240
01:29:40,506 --> 01:29:41,632
Greg,

1241
01:29:41,715 --> 01:29:43,091
Jerry.

1242
01:29:43,175 --> 01:29:45,093
You have found unity,

1243
01:29:45,177 --> 01:29:47,763
built strength and purpose,

1244
01:29:47,846 --> 01:29:49,389
shown courage,

1245
01:29:49,473 --> 01:29:51,099
and discovered power

1246
01:29:51,183 --> 01:29:53,602
to affect your own future.

1247
01:30:00,359 --> 01:30:02,361
Students at Gallaudet University tonight

1248
01:30:02,444 --> 01:30:05,697
are hailing what they are calling
the start of a brave new era.

1249
01:30:09,076 --> 01:30:11,495
There will be no reprisals
against the students

1250
01:30:11,578 --> 01:30:12,955
for their protest,

1251
01:30:13,038 --> 01:30:16,291
and a majority of Deaf people
will be put on the board.

1252
01:30:17,417 --> 01:30:20,587
King! King! King!

1253
01:30:22,840 --> 01:30:25,384
This week, we can truly say

1254
01:30:25,467 --> 01:30:28,679
that we, together and united,

1255
01:30:28,762 --> 01:30:32,683
have overcome our own reluctance
to stand for our rights.

1256
01:30:48,991 --> 01:30:49,908
Deaf Power!

1257
01:30:49,992 --> 01:30:51,785
Deaf Power! Deaf Power!

1258
01:30:51,869 --> 01:30:55,163
Deaf Power! Deaf Power! Deaf Power!

1259
01:31:06,925 --> 01:31:09,219
How do I feel?

1260
01:31:11,805 --> 01:31:14,766
Out of this world.

1261
01:31:14,850 --> 01:31:17,477
I can't explain it.

1262
01:31:18,020 --> 01:31:20,022
I just felt so proud.

1263
01:31:21,023 --> 01:31:22,774
I had never been so proud

1264
01:31:23,400 --> 01:31:24,651
to be Deaf.

1265
01:31:29,489 --> 01:31:31,617
We are one!

1266
01:31:33,327 --> 01:31:34,328
We just forgot

1267
01:31:34,411 --> 01:31:37,039
everything that happened
between us that week.

1268
01:31:39,833 --> 01:31:42,920
We hear all the time,
"You can't, you can't."

1269
01:31:43,003 --> 01:31:45,464
We're like, "No, not this time.

1270
01:31:45,547 --> 01:31:46,840
Deaf can."

1271
01:31:48,008 --> 01:31:50,093
I was looking around thinking,

1272
01:31:50,677 --> 01:31:55,641
being Deaf in a hearing world,
it doesn't stop you from anything.

1273
01:31:59,770 --> 01:32:03,398
You will remember this forever!

1274
01:32:03,982 --> 01:32:05,984
I talked to my grandfather.

1275
01:32:06,735 --> 01:32:09,571
He said, "You were right."

1276
01:32:13,534 --> 01:32:16,370
My heart felt heavy.

1277
01:32:18,747 --> 01:32:21,834
To see my grandfather say that to me.

1278
01:32:22,709 --> 01:32:24,753
I must have done something right.

1279
01:32:39,643 --> 01:32:41,937
The world thinks we're nothing!

1280
01:32:42,312 --> 01:32:43,814
Are we nothing?

1281
01:32:43,897 --> 01:32:45,899
No!

1282
01:32:46,525 --> 01:32:49,403
- Are we nothing?
- No!

1283
01:32:51,071 --> 01:32:54,950
We will be heard!