By Kristi Merriweather

At the February 2007 C2I V/Blogging Conference, I casually observed that I was the only black person present. I had asked some black friends at Gallaudet why they were not attending, the older employees said they had “other things” to do while the students, like many of their white counterparts, were either not aware of the conference or did not see it of sufficient value to spend a Saturday on, because they do not v/blog. I have some thoughts about why there is a paucity of black deaf v/bloggers or v/bloggers of color in general. I do not claim to know the real answer, only what I *think* is the reason.

First of all, the activities inherently involved in v/blogging burns time and money. For spectators, it may appear to be pretty easy and brief. That may be true for those who are doing “off the head” diary-type v/blogs without much prior research or putting in special effects. Amy Cohen Efron, a vlogger, once remarked to me how time consuming it is to just learn how to put together just one vlog (but the effort certainly pays off, for her site is one of the highest visited and she gets invited to various events). To vlog, one must have, at least, a computer with broadband, which is not inexpensive. We do not generally get paid for v/blogging except for circumstances where we may get invited to conferences like C2I with expenses fully covered. The exposure can lead to other opportunities such as presentations albeit not often (it tends to happen to those who take the time to make quality blogs/vlogs, not the more prevalent “diary-types”).

Now, for many people of color who do not feel “financially comfortable”, v/blogging may be typically viewed as something of a frivolous hobby that could rob them from time spent on traditional money-making activities. One quote from Paddy Ladd’s book, Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood, explains it better “…some oppressed peoples are so caught up with trying to survive that they do not have the psychic time and space to campaign on behalf of others…”. It’s not just about being financially strapped either. Having plenty of money is also a meditating factor. Most minority professionals that I personally know will not blog unless the it is related to their field and compensation is involved. A few may set up a business-oriented website, not an opinion v/blog site per se. Otherwise they feel they have “better things to do”, to make more money, take care of business, and tend to their families. This PBS link, A Tale of Two Families, explains why people of color feel like they have to play “catch-up” financial-wise.

Sometimes people assume that the younger generation are more technologically savvy and will be more prolific than the current adult population. Hold on, not so fast. Many deaf students of color I taught do not even have computers at home. So, to ask them to exercise their freedom of speech by v/blogging is moot. Telling them to go to the public library is unrealistic when only a couple of students possess a driver’s license. Very few of them hold part-time jobs so they can afford public transportation and go to the library. To complicate matters, we have firewalls at the school, preventing them from seeing many good vlogs. So they lose opportunities to see the value in vlogging (much less with blogging as many do not have the reading level required to comprehend it). With such resources, are we setting the stage for the next generation of deaf people of color to do v/blogs? Not from where I stand, unless things change dramatically, from the top.

Another reason deaf people of color may be slow in v/blogging is because they feel that in a country whose history was built on discrimination and white privilege, v/blogging is suspiciously viewed as a vulnerable and potentially dangerous element to their employment. They will be quick to use the case of Slemo Warigon, whose high-position job was terminated at Gallaudet for his association as one of the moderators of Gally-L net. In a way, it is like celebrity sex videotape scandals, once you post up something, it never really goes away. Because of past experience with racism, credibility is very important for people of color, for self- and group-protection. Such protection means one has to be cautious and gather research for credibility, which is again, time-intensive.

Also, prolonged struggle against oppression can eat away one’s soul if a vigorous mentality or a strong social system is not in place. V/blogging tends to require a certain amount of willingness to be “in the open”. Psychologists can tell you that stress is usually mediated well with solid social support. If a person’s peers are too busy trying to move up in the world (examples: being first college grads in their family; fighting dual battles of audism and racism), then where is the required supportive social system?

Culture also plays a part on whether someone v/blogs. I’m being encouraged by others to focus on vlogging, which is out of my comfort zone. They mean well because they know that vlogging generates a larger audience than straight blogging. Still I hesitate to vlog when I know I’m not standing in front of a blue screen nor have good lighting. Like many black people with strong racial identity, I am fussy about video quality where appearance is concerned. Looking good or “with it” is culturally valued in the black community, especially in the middle to upper classes. One running joke about historically black colleges and universities (collectively known as HBCUs) is that it sometimes feels like a fashion show almost everyday. Many black students take appearance as seriously as their education. Those who personally know me, know that I am no pariah in this respect. So, the slightly distorted and low quality outcome of a cheap webcam or a digital camcorder with an ordinary backdrop is just not acceptable for some of us. The high quality that comes from digital camcorders means another expensive tool that vloggers of color must ponder to justify the purchase.

Perhaps there are a greater number of deaf v/bloggers of color who do not broadcast their ethnic make-up or even under a pseudonym for protection, since the deaf community is a small one. The size of the deaf community does give some people great pause, especially if they work in a predominately deaf environment like Gallaudet (I’m curious to find out to what extent deaf people who work in a predominately hearing environment pay attention to deaf v/blogs). Paradoxically, the element of anonymity in the Internet offers some protection from racism (e.g., shopping and doing business online are not accompanied with racism–I don’t need to explain about how people of color are given higher quotes when shopping for cars or houses, do I?), but the anonymity also makes it much easier for racists to hide behind virtual masks.

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project’s “Blogger” report, people of color make up 40 percent of bloggers, but only 26 percent of Internet users. Minorities tend to be late adopters of new technologies, especially those that allow transparency. The report in 2006 also found that about 11 percent of all bloggers are Black, 19 percent are English-speaking Hispanic and 10 percent are some other race or ethnicity. The fact that the majority of the blogosphere is white often means that attention to race and ethnicity are not prevalent. “They won’t talk about the racial element of anything that’s been deracialized by mainstream media. They’re not going to talk about affirmative action, about the racial element of the immigration issue,” explained Chris Rabb, a blogger, “whenever issues of race come up, it’s seen as a distraction.”

In a research article titled, “Black Bloggers and the Blogosphere” a blogger observed:

There’s an overwhelming assumption that you are white if you are on the Internet. People are surprised. They just don’t associate complex thinking and arguments with minorities. I hear this over and over again.

Another blogger of color also concurred with the demand of ‘proven legitimacy’:

I pointed out some different things, and right away I got some really positive feedback from feminists of color who read my blog. But then I also got really, really, really challenged all over the place by the liberal white feminist bloggers who came over to my site. It was a constant- I’m not going to believe you until you prove it to me. Prove that Afghani women are aware that the burqa is viewed as misogynist and oppressive.

For bloggers of color who make their race known and who discuss race and cultural politics, this often makes them the recipient of hate mail. A black hearing blogger had to shut down her blog, “Blac(k)ademic” because of the increase in negative comments backlash.

Despite these challenges, I believe blogging/vlogging can be an important and empowering tool for deaf people of color, especially when we consider the limited media options. I predict that with time, more and more deaf people of color will do blogs and vlogs. After all, if one thing is constant in the world, it is change.

Kristi Merriweather is a deaf high school teacher in Atlanta, GA. She is the former President of the DC area Black Deaf Advocates (BDA) and former Vice President of Atlanta BDA. Kristi’s Master’s thesis was on black deaf identity. A visitor to her abode will find a friendly tabby cat, an outdated Sorenson VP-100, antique hearing aids from the early 1980s, and too many books and shoes. She loves traveling when the moola is right.