Continued from page 1: Here are Some Stories That You Must Know…
the District of Columbia's police department. My legal action ended with a settlement. The story does
not end there when one thinks about Mr. Floyd. Similar to Mr. Floyd, I was also a victim of police
brutality to a different degree. What is new this time, is that Black people like myself are speaking up
and sharing our stories like I am now.
My second story focuses on a historical piece of American history that has gone largely
unnoticed. Gallaudet University's Kendall School for the Deaf (formerly Columbia Institution for
Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind for whites only in 1857, which is now Kendall
Demonstration School for the Deaf) did not admit students of color for many years. Deaf students of
color had to go elsewhere to receive an education, until this changed with the action of one Black
American woman, Louise Miller. Ms. Miller was hearing, and so was her husband. This couple was
surprised to have not one but three deaf off-spring. Ms. Miller was determined to have her child,
Kenneth, enrolled at the Kendall school. This led to suing the Board of Education (of Washington,
DC). A decision was made in favor of the Millers (see Miller v. Board of Education of District of
Columbia Board, 106 F. Supp. 998). A segregated program called the Kendall School Division II was
formed and opened for Kenneth and other students of color (see the photo of Kendall School
Division II students below).
It was two years later, in 1954, that the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision, Brown vs.
Board of Education, was made to help dismantle segregated education for Black American children.
The Kendall School Division II eventually closed down to allow for the integration of students of color.
I must say that the legal developments of the 1950s have had an impact on my life. I was able to
attend the Maryland School for the Deaf at Frederick during the 1960’s and 1970’s. In comparison,
(Continue on the next page)
The Power of ASL 8
Summer 2020 – Issue 18