This past June 220 CEOs wrote a letter to the Senate asking them to take action immediately to lessen gun violence. In 2019 a similar letter had been sent, this time though it had many more signatories. One of the signatories, Ed Stack, of Dicks Sporting goods, has been a leader in corporate activity against gun violence, so much so that his actions have been a case study from the Harvard Business Review. In 2018 Stack, himself a gun owner as well as a second amendment supporter, was so shaken after the Parkland shooting, that he decided to limit the sale of guns at his 850 plus stores and eliminate assault weapons. The reason for him was simple, “ I don’t want to be part of the story anymore,” he said. Dicks Sporting goods, lost money at first, but rebounded, a sign that corporate America may have more influence in controlling guns than politicians. Stack announced his decision on Good Morning America and that same day, LL Bean, Walmart and Kroger joined him. The Harvard case study attributes his success to the fact that he consulted with his executives, sought a kind of consensus and also engaged in a campaign communicating what he was doing and why. They do say however that the fact that he was the chief s stock owner as well as the CEO played a role. In an article about the CEO’s letter to the senate, the news website Axios summarized its importance by writing that not only did this letter have 50% more signatories than the one in 2019, but also that in light of Dicks sporting good experience as more companies and more CEOs take action it’s going to be harder for other consumer brands to doge the gun issue. And if that’s so then it would be a very hopeful step.
July 2022
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The Human Library
Suppose you could go to the library and instead of reading a book, you could talk to someone for a half hour or so. You could talk to an alcoholic to better understand what alcoholism is and does to people, you could talk to someone in a wheelchair, to a holocaust survivor… That’s the Human Library. The idea is to create dialogue and get people to avoid stereotypes or overcome them in a safe environment. In fact the sweatshirt they sell puts it succinctly, Unjudge Someone. It is headquartered in Copenhagen where it was started in 2000 by 4 young people. It began as what they call an event, in this case it went on for 4 days for 8 hours each and was very successful. Although the early years were slow, the idea took hold. One of the ways it did was that Ronni Ebergel one of its founders began the Human Library Organization which helped set up human libraries in other countries. It is now on 6 continents and in over 80 countries, including Kenya and Botswana. It’s a non profit of course in whatever country it is and it is staffed by volunteers. The books, or more accurately the people who become the books are volunteers too.
It’s such a magnetic idea. It makes one want to make sure one’s own library can participate and include human books. It’s not only that it can be a powerful and easy way to open people’s horizons and thus tear down the barriers of prejudice, it’s also that its very presence feeds our creativity. It reminds me of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and the land of the book people where each person memorized a book and embodied it. We each have something to share or give based on our experience and the human library invites us to do so.
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Protactile-A New Language
Protactile is a new language used by the deaf blind. I’ve known blind people and I’ve known deaf people, but I’ve never met someone who is deaf and blind. And as we know from the history of Helen Keller, they not only exist, they are able to communicate. How they do that has been an evolution and will no doubt continue. In Helen Keller’s day people could communicate by spelling words in the other’s hands. Then sign language and Braille were developed, and over time deaf blind people realized they were somehow not given the same consideration as others, they had to adapt to others’ way of communicating. For example signing involves the use of the space around the person, certain signs depend on it, not much use to a blind person. The deaf blind then had to depend on interpreters and that made them less independents. In 2005 a group of deaf blind women who were then at the Deaf Blind Service Center in Seattle began to seek another way, for them a better way. They use touch. They sit with knees touching and use touching to communicate. Different gestures have come to mean certain words, usually what the word means or evokes. The word oppression can be expressed by pushing down on the arm or thigh. A large car will be translated with something that means it is heavy such as a weight upon the arm or some other gesture conveying the importance of the car. A pat on the back is a sign that the person is here. As a more formal way of communicating Protactile was developed about 15 years ago by Jelica Nuccio a deaf blind person at the center in Seattle. She is now aided by one of her co-founder Aj Granda and was later joined by John Clark and together they founded the Deafblind Interpreting National Training and Resource Center through which they teach this new language which has attracted the attention of linguists who are beginning to think of it as a language all its own. Having had a sister who was a quadriplegic and could not move at all I am familiar with the handicaps humans can conquer and still thrive. Protactile is not only a reminder it stands as a testament to that conquering and thriving.