OVER THE PAST several weeks, Inclusive News Network has been awestruck by the swelling amount of disabled people around the world including deaf individuals who are vying for political offices. We have, from a distance, been fascinated by the grit and determination of deaf political candidates in the United States who want to make communities around the world a better place. We have watched and listened to them. We have been impressed by the life of these individuals, particularly how they have overcome tremendous obstacles of their own to become who they are today.
Yet, despite these incredible impressions that they have provided, INN, on account of its principle of political neutrality, has held from back from endorsing any of these disabled political candidates. Although captivated and heartened, we thought it had been the right thing to do- even though these are a couple of our own people, in the same disabled community, who are determined to fight against man-made obstacles imposed upon them by the privileged elite there in the United States of America.
This moment, after numerous urgings, including the swinging state of our own consciousness, it is our greatest pleasure to take the bull by the horns and endorse Chris Hallmark, a deaf candidate from Kansas, for the United States Congress, the world’s oldest and one of world’s largest representative organs.
INN, on behalf of itself and deaf community in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is very, very proud to announce that Chris Hallmark has the required capacity, character and temperament to be a representative of 3rd congressional district seat in the state of Kansas, United States.
Go, Chris, go!
As a major news hub for disabled people in Africa’s most populous country, INN has a searing understanding of the great attitudinal and institutional challenges that are faced by people with disabilities, including the deaf around the world. We believe that we, the Deaf and disabled individuals are acutely aware of our own struggles as disadvantaged individuals. We remain some of the most underprivileged, underestimated and marginalized section in the society. The current status quo is that the world now has become a grand compound society where virtually every Deaf and disabled are struggling for basic survival. But this is everywhere, even in the United States, a land of incredible freedom and extraordinary opportunity for every person regardless of their station, position, color, race, or disability status.
We all need to worry.
When, continually, as Deaf and disabled people must square up against man-made obstacles imposed upon us by those at the corridors of power, how can we achieve equality? But we aren’t the only ones who experience inequalities. There are plenty of non-disabled people around the world- in Iran and Pakistan, in Mecca and Jerusalem, in Lagos and New York, who also lack privileges and who, day, in day out, go through enormous obstacles imposed upon them by the privileged few. Normal folks are also undergoing gigantic inequitable inequalities.
But we all have a stake in each other’s life. We have believed that what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart- no matter who we are or what we believe or what our sexual orientation is. The inclusiveness of our intersectionality, as deaf and disabled, hearing and non-disabled, in face of institutional oppression is what unites us together against the attitudinal, institutional, and socioeconomic suffering that we experience. We have never been more optimistic, of course, about the capacity of us all, to band together to overcome those obstacles and address this deplorable status quo. With us all together, -marching together in unison- in one voice, nothing, absolutely nothing, will be impossible for us.
INN has believed in bringing people together- disabled and non-disabled. Our dogged inclusive spirit is manifested in our organizational and cultural policies and practices, as well as our news and content publication. It’s been our belief that when we have more deaf and leaders with disability speaking together along with other oppressed people, then Nigeria, including America and the rest of the world will continue to evolve into a much more thriving and more inclusive society it is actually meant to be.
It only can, however, be possible by coming together- the member of the deaf community- by sticking up for each other, loving and encouraging each other in order that every single Deaf and disabled person, who has historically been dismissed, ignored, trivialized, or talked over in disempowerment, will instantly be elevated to the table. And we only can heave a sigh of a new dawn in the deaf and disabled community after we have given our support to Chris Haulmark for the US House of Representatives 3rd congressional district seat in Kansas.
Chris Haulmark has an exceptional story. With values from the heartland- from a father who had passed away untimely when Chris was just a little with deafness, Chris Haulmark had learned about what it takes to navigate the world: Hard work, smarts, pluck, grit and determination.
Rather than allow his deafness and disability to define and isolate him, Chris Haulmark brought immense inspiration to millions of people around the world with his messages from a video-blog that had tens of thousands of followers, many of whom were from the deaf community. That showed the staggering amount of his followers in a community as sparse as deaf community.
Chris has been a tireless advocate of deaf and disabled people around the world. He has traveled widely- connecting with deaf communities across the Earth. He had listened and learned about the challenges and triumphs of people with disabilities. He had always wanted to improve the resources and opportunities of the disabled. He understands the scale of the challenges that we face as deaf and disabled in a world of callousness and indifference.
The single greatest solution to the challenges of the disabled and non-disabled alike is to use leadership and choose an individual who is in the trenches- a man who understands what it means to be disabled in a predominantly-abled world, a man who understands what it means to be human and still not enjoy equal opportunities that a whole lot of abled others enjoy.
We need champions in our parliaments across the world who will be fighting tirelessly on our behalf as we stand firm to reclaim our lost glory and lost opportunities as the marginalized disabled persons.
To the Deaf community and the people of Kansas 3rd district, this year, with your voices, our Chris Haulmark will go to Washington and lead the United States in recognizing and rebuilding a society to redefine their disabilities- not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity to be proud contributing people. And this, too, this soon-to-be-recorded milestone will rub off on us here in Africa and on the rest of the world.
INN has no doubt that Chris Haulmark if elected to the United States Congress, will go down in history as one of world deaf community’s and America’s finest public servants.
He will do an outstanding job on behalf of all of us.