Reflections from H&V Leadership Conference D.C. 2019- GA H&V Executive Director & ASTra Program Director
Deshonda Washington
There were 9 of us from Georgia Hands & Voices that went to the Annual Hands & Voices Leadership Conference this past September in Washington D.C. at Gallaudet University. Gallaudet is the world's only Deaf/Hard of Hearing University! Each of us collected our thoughts from the conference so please check out the 8 blog posts before this one.
This is post number 9 and it was saved on purpose as the closing post. Every year at the Hands & Voices Leadership Conference we end with "The Naming Circle." Every conference attendee gathers in a circle. The microphone is passed to each person. We speak and/or sign the names of our Deaf/Hard of Hearing children. It's a speaking into existence a promise to never forget them & to always advocate for them. It's raw reality. It's self-reflection. It's self-motivation. After you say your child's name, you grab the hand of the person next to you to form a chain.....it symbolizes that our bond can never be broken. We hold hands so you also feel that you have someone on this journey with you.
Pictures from 2019 Naming Circle |
"Speaking her name during the Naming Circle is always a reminder of WHY I do this work........LAUREN." - Deshonda Washington
Lorenzo, Lauren, & Deshonda Washington |
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