MSS 119
 Deaf President Now, 1988

Collection of The Deaf President Now Movement, 1988 – 1993

 

 

Gallaudet University Archives.

 

 

Descriptive Summary

Repository: Gallaudet University Archives
Call No.: MSS 119
 Creator:
Title: Collection of The Deaf President Now Movement, 1988 – 1993
 Quantity: 4.5 Linear Feet (9 document boxes)
Abstract:  
Note: This document last updated 2005 December 1.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information: The materials in the Deaf President Now Collection was given to the Gallaudet University Archives through several donors during the years between 1988 and 1993.

Processed by: Processed by Staci Rensch and Michael J. Olson. 1997 November 25.
Processing Note: Revised by Michael J. Olson. 2003 March 20.
Conditions on Use and Access: This collection is open to the public with no restrictions. Photocopies may be made for scholarly research.

 

 

Related Material in the Archives:

See ALADIN

 

Historical Sketch

 

The Deaf President Now was a historical event at Gallaudet University in which the students staged a protest against the selection of a hearing president of Gallaudet. The campus was shut down for a week from March 6 to 13, 1988. The deaf community had hoped that Gallaudet selected the first deaf president in the history of Gallaudet, but it did not happened. Instead, the Board of Trustees selected Dr. Elisabeth Ann Zinser as the 7th president over two qualified deaf candidates, Dr. Harvey J. Corson and Dr. I. King Jordan. The selection made the deaf community upset and the students led the protest. The deaf community made four demands that Dr. Zinser be resigned from the presidency; Jane B. Spilman be resigned from the chairmanship of the Board of Trustees; the members of the Board of Trustees must consist a majority of 51% who are deaf; and no reprisals against the protesters. As the final first week was near at the end, the demands were met and the deaf community won a victory. Dr. I. King Jordan was selected as the 8th and first deaf president in Gallaudet’s history. Phil Bravin was selected as the first deaf chairman of the Board of Trustees. The protest made the world gets its attention on the deaf community for a week. The major newspapers across the United States made national headlines on the Gallaudet protest.

 

 

 

Scope and Content

 

The Deaf President Now Collection consists of letters, flyers, newspaper clippings, magazines, newsletters, speeches, news releases, minutes, poems, media materials, survey, questionnaires, and statements. The Deaf President Now protest was from March 6 to 13, 1988.

The collection, which consists of approximately 7,650 pages, dates from 1988 to 1993. The bulk of the collection consists of newspaper clippings, magazines, newsletters, and letters. The bulk date of the collection is 1988. The strength of the collection is centered on the letters to the Board of Trustees, to Jane B. Spilman, chair of the Board of Trustees; and congratulation letters to President I. King Jordan.

The deaf community focuses the largest subject in the collection on the Deaf President Now protest.

Among the collection there are several letters from the members of the United States Congress in which they wrote in support of the students. The most interesting items in the collection are several cartoons related to the DPN.

There are three series in the collection: General, Letters and Publications. Series I “General” consists of general information on materials including letters, minutes, news releases, poems, survey, questionnaires, and statements. Series II “Letters” consists of letters in which many people wrote to the Board of Trustees in protest for the selection of Dr. Elisabeth Ann Zinser, also to Jane B. Spilman, chair of the Board of Trustees, some letters written to Phil Bravin, and to Dr. Elisabeth Ann Zinser. There is a collection of congratulation letters written to President I. King Jordan for the selection of the 8th and first deaf president. Series III “Publications” consists of publications that printed the news on the Deaf President Now protest. They are arranged in alphabetically order.

 

Series Descriptions and Folder Lists

 

Series I

·         General

Series II

  • Letters

Series III

  • Publications

                                               

Box

Folder

Title of Folder

Date

1

1

The 1988 Gallaudet Protest:  Student Protest or Consumer Revolt? By Sharon N. Barnatt

1989

1

2

Advertisement—Deaf President Now by The Deaf America Show, Inc.

1988

1

3

Articles

1988

1

4

The Articles List of Deaf President Now Movement by Chien Min Chao

1988

1

5

The Articles List of DPN- Sample

1988

1

6

The Articles List of DPN- Alabama – Arkansas

1988

1

7

The Articles List of DPN- California  Part 1

1988

1

8

The Articles List of DPN- California  Part 2

1988

1

9

The Articles List of DPN- Colorado – Delaware

1988

1

10

The Articles List of DPN- Florida

1988

1

11

The Articles List of DPN- Georgia – Hawaii

1988

1

12

Board of Trustee’s Addresses

1988

1

13

Cartoons

1988

1

14

Catalogue-Gallaudet University Press

1989

1

15

Congratulation letter from the Washington Post Deaf printers

1988

1

16

Copy of photographs taken by R. L. Williams

1988

1

17

Daily Events Summary Sheet

1988

1

18

DPN Council—Letters-Harvey Goodstein

1988

1

19

DPN Exhibition

1988

1

20

DPN Fact Sheet

1988

1

21

DPN Flyers

1988

1

22

DPN Fund

1988

1

23

DPN “I have a Dream” –Speech

1988

2

1

DPN Master Schedule

1988

2

2

DPN “None So Deaf As Those Who Will Not Hear” – Speech

1988

2

3

DPN Questionnaires

1988

2

4

DPN Rally by John F. Levesque

1988

2

5

DPN Stickers

1988

2

6

District of Columbia Public Library –Deaf Heritage Week

1988

2

7

An Examination of Media Coverage During Gallaudet Student Protest of March 1988 by Thomas Kraft

1991

2

8

Free Speech and Free Signs:  From Berkeley, 1964, To Gallaudet, 1988 by John B. Christiansen and Sharon Barnatt

1989

2

9

Invitation Card to the Inauguration of President I. King Jordan

1988

2

10

Letters

1988

2

11

Letter—Gallaudet University Alumni Association Connecticut Chapter

1988

2

12

Letter—Rev. Jesse Jackson

1988

2

13

Letter—President I. King Jordan

1988

2

14

Letter—President I. King Jordan

1988

2

15

Letter—Student Body Government

1988

2

16

Letters of Support

1988

2

17

Letters to Congress

1988

2

18

List of People who sent congratulation letters

1988

2

19

List of protest display signs

1988

2

20

Media materials

1988

2

21

Memorandum from Barbara White re: Autograph of Mitch Snyder

1991

2

22

Memorandums

1988

2

23

Memorandums from Catherine W. Ingold, Provost

1988

2

24

Minutes—DPN Council

19881989

2

25

Minutes—University Faculty

1988

2

26

Miscellaneous

1988

2

27

News Release—Dr. Elisabeth A. Zinser

1988

2

28

News Update from Students, Faculty and Staff 

1988

2

29

Newspaper clippings

1988

2

30

Newspaper clippings—First year anniversary

1989

2

31

Notes on DPN meetings

1988

2

32

Poems

1988

3

1

President’s Council on Deafness

1988

3

2

Press Releases

1988

3

3

Proclamations

1988

3

4

Proposal of Demonstration

1988

3

5

Survey

1988

3

6

Statement—Black Concerns Committee

1988

3

7

Statement—Dr. Harvey J. Corson

1988

3

8

Statement—Faculty and Staff

1988

3

9

Statement—President I. King Jordan to Senate

1988

3

10

A “Value Added” Approach to DPN by Christiansen, Barnatt, Meisegeier, and White –A Paper

1989

3

11

Letters to the Board of Trustees—A

1988

3

12

Letters to the Board of Trustees—B

1988

3

13

Letters to the Board of Trustees—C

1988

3

14

Letters to the Board of Trustees—D-E

1988

3

15

Letters to the Board of Trustees—F

1988

3

16

Letters to the Board of Trustees—G

1988

3

17

Letters to the Board of Trustees—H

1988

3

18

Letters to the Board of Trustees—I-J

1988

3

19

Letters to the Board of Trustees—K

1988

3

20

Letters to the Board of Trustees-L

1988

3

21

Letters to the Board of Trustees—M

1988

3

22

Letters to the Board of Trustees—N-P

19871988

3

23

Letters to the Board of Trustees—R

1988

3

24

Letters to the Board of Trustees—S

1988

3

25

Letters to the Board of Trustees—T

1988

3

26

Letters to the Board of Trustees—V-W

1988

3

27

Letters to the Board of Trustees—Unidentified

1988

4

1

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—A

19871988

4

2

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—B

19871988

4

3

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—C

1988

4

4

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—D

1988

4

5

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—E-F

1988

4

6

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—G

1988

4

7

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—H

1988

4

8

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—I-J

1988

4

9

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—K

1988

4

10

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—L

1988

4

11

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—M

1988

4

12

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—N 

1988

4

13

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—O-P

1988

4

14

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—Q-R

1988

4

15

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—S

1988

4

16

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—T

1988

4

17

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—V-W

1988

4

18

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—X-Y-Z 

1988

4

19

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—Unidentified

1988

5

1

Letters to the Board of Trustees—Negatives

1988

5

2

Letters to Phil Bravin

1988

5

3

Letters to Phil Bravin—Before the Protest

1988

5

4

Letters to Phil Bravin—Petitions

1988

5

5

Letter to Lil Holt from Dr. Elisabeth A. Zinser

1988

5

6

Letters to Jane B. Spilman—Positives

1988

5

7

Letters of Support

1988

5

8

Letters of Negatives

1988

5

9

Letters to Dr. Elisabeth A. Zinser—Positives

1988

5

10

Letters to Dr. Elisabeth A. Zinser—Negatives

1988

6

1

Letters of Congratulations—A 

1988

6

2

Letters of Congratulations—B

1988

6

3

Letters of Congratulations—C

1988

6

4

Letters of Congratulations—D-E

1988

6

5

Letters of Congratulations—F

1988

6

6

Letters of Congratulations—G

1988

6

7

Letters of Congratulations—H-I

1988

6

8

Letters of Congratulations—J

1988

6

9

Letters of Congratulations—K