We Are Kendall

From DPN20.com

In 1988, the Deaf community had a dream, the dream of a Deaf president for Gallaudet University. Working together with the hearing community, we made our dream come true. Twenty years later, DPN remains an unprecedented and unforgettable event in Deaf history.

It was time for a new president, and the people of the Board of Trustees elected a hearing person as president. Deaf people did not agree with this decision, they grew boiling mad. This was because deaf people don’t understand hearing people, so how will deaf and hearing people communicate? : Is what the deaf people said. So they planned to fight for their right of having a deaf president and they agreed that they would not stop until they have succeeded at this…
I 100% agree with the deaf people, because around this time hearing people didn’t care much for deaf people and if I was born around this time and old enough to understand this argument I would’ve been very upset also because I am hard-of-hearing and very close to becoming deaf. Hearing people always got their way: hearing president, after hearing president, after hearing president…Now it was deaf people’s turn.

My advice to everyone: Just like the deaf people in this event, you should always fight for your right (what you believe in)!!!

March 8

That morning opened all gates but all Gallaudet students closed all gates. All teacher look confusing and took a meeting about the protest. All students refuse to go school and go classes. Then they took a long speech about what will we do for protest. Four student who lead the protest Bridgetta burne, jerry convell, and tim rugurs and all that staffs and all different kinds staffs who join protest. They disucss a lot about prostest for deaf president now. They kept protest for long time to wait spizer to quit. All way till wednesday

Day 3 on Tuesday on March 8, 1988
Now Gallaudet University reopened again, peoples started can come to Gallaudet University. Four peoples who are leader for DPN Deaf President protest Bridgetta Buroune, Jerry Covell, Greg Hlibok, and Tim Ranurs. They run the Gallaudet University’s protest. This protest was on national T.V., newspapers cross the country!

Hello, my name is Tanea Brown. Day 4 March 8, 1988. Two groups went to Congress. The 4 leaders told them they wanted to kick out the President who applied. She would not leave so they had a huge protest. They wanted her out because she did not understand Deaf culture, what Deaf people need, what is needed for the college and so many other things. She will not even know how to communicate with people here because she does not know ASL

Hello, my name is Brennan. DPN ( Deaf President Now) day 4 on Wednesday March 9. In the early morning a small group from Gallaudet met with two committee men named David Bonior and Steve Gunderson. During the meeting zinser and I King Jordan went to a hotel and met with fo9ur student leaders of the protester. The four students begged Zinser to resign telling her it was best so that way the protest would not continue. But Zinser refused saying she would not resign. Later Zinser and I King Jordan had a National press conference saying that Jordan supported Zinser. In Gallaudet staff and teachers met and decided most would support the protest. At 4pm Bonior and Gunderson met with Zinser and told her it was best to resign because they truly believed in the protest. Soon after this Bonior announced that he also supported the protest. The day ended with zinser, Hilbok and Marlee Matlin, a Deaf actress who won an award in 1983, interviewing on ABC’s Nightline. ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Greg Hilbok was the leader of four leading young adults of the protest against Zinser. Because he was trying to stop the hearing people from become president of Gallaudet University.

King Jordan worked for Zinser but then he stopped working for her because deaf people refused to let him work for her. That night, Jordan resigned because of the protest, which caused Zinser to resign.

Greg Hlibok, one of the four student leaders, shown up on “Good Morning America” on ABC TV. Talked about Zinser and Spilman was forced out Gallaudet campus from students drove the bus and parked by the gate. Blocked the gate and deflated the tires.

Rallies counties all day. One deaf school called National Technical Instinute for the Deaf got buses and got stuffs loaded there. They also brought $5,000 check from American Postal Union.

King Jordan used to support Zinser but not anymore because many rallies around. And he thinks students’ rallies are justified.

That night Zinser told everybody that she registers.

Hello my name is Diego, Day 6
Zinser resigned but many students were mad because 3 ½ demands had not yet finished. Later students marched to the Capitol building and were very happy because many people listened and paid attention. Then later the students had meeting in the Field house

This vlog is a collaboration project with Coolidge High School.