Jordan blinks, Commerson gets his job back
11:12 pm, Pacific Standard Time
Friday, December 22, 2006
At a gala held in commemoration of Gallaudet and the success of the recent protest, Ryan Commerson, the leader of the Gallaudet protest, made an announcement on stage, saying this evening at 10:43 pm: “I got a page this morning saying I got my job back.”
The crowd erupted in cheers and visual applause.
Also on stage, sitting next to Commerson, were protest leaders LaToya Plummer, Tara Holcomb and Chris Corrigan.
The master of ceremonies in the ongoing event is Jennifer Ann Cook (”JAC”). Ms. Cook began the program this evening by remarking how this recent protest has caused deaf people to reexamine what it means to be deaf and experience a renewed sense of appreciation for the importance of Gallaudet University to deaf people.
Presentations were made by the NorCal chapter of the Gallaudet Alumni Association, including Alyce Lentz, also a member of the national Board of Directors of GUAA. The consensus was that not enough has been done with the alumni organization in the last several years and that more will now be done.
A stirring Power Point presentation highlighted Bay Area members’ participation in the protest. When the audience was asked how many had flown to Gallaudet to participate in the recent protest, approximately 45 people around the room raised their hands.
A video presentation by Melissa Malzkuhn focused on Tara Holcomb’s contribution to the protest, highlighting her rapid-fire and elegant ASL signing style, showing how she engaged in a showdown with Gallaudet President Irving Jordan, at one point during the protest telling him: “This is a serious matter!” Other parts of the video showed Tara relating how she was manhandled and suffered the humiliating and painful effects of the police brutality committed against her by DPS, Gallaudet campus police officers.
The gala is in progress at 11:12 pm Pacific Time and is being co-hosted by DCARA, the Deaf Counseling and Referral Agency headquartered in San Leandro, California. The event is also being co-hosted by the NorCal chapter of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association.
It is being held at the Hilton Hotel at 7050 Johnson Drive in Pleasanton, California.
See:
http://www.dcara.org/gala/
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Ryan Commerson had never arrested during the Black Friday protest. Yeah right….
WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. I WAS ONE OF THE STUDENT LEADERS AND I WAS NOT INVITED OR INFORMED.. IT SEEMS 90 PERCENT OF THE PROTESTORS DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THIS. SHAME ON YOU, NORCAL. THIS IS A STELLAR EXAMPLE OF DEAF ELITISM.
BY THE WAY, COMMERSON WAS PNG’ED DURING THE MAY PROTESTS. BUT THAT’S NOT THE REASON WHY HE LOST HIS JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE. HE MISSED A FEW TOO MANY WORK DAYS.
Oh, come on…. That’s ridiculous….
Ryan lost his job because he was the leader of the protest in October. Everyone knows that! It’s obvious to any honest person.
There was nothing elitist about the gala. It’s not a form of rejection what they did. They simply wanted to focus on four particular people for whatever reasons they had.
Other people will be invited to other occasions and everyone will get a chance to speak their mind.
For heaven’s sakes… All the protesters will be alive for the next 50, 60 or 70 years. There will be plenty of time for people to share in the spotlight and participate!