By Samantha Flax

(Editor’s Note: Samantha Flax currently serves as president of the Minnesota Association of Blind Students. She moved to Minnesota to attend BLIND, Incorporated, and is now working on her masters of human rights degree at the University of Minnesota.)

On May 27 of this year, the NFB of Minnesota celebrated 100 years of advocacy. Many people worked very hard to compile a list of the accomplishments of the last 100 years. I know that for me, hearing Minnesotans from around the state   list these accomplishments was an incredibly energizing experience. However, as possibly our youngest blind student in the division said, “We are not done yet.” So now that it is time for our second ever Back to School issue of the Minnesota Bulletin, I found myself wondering what our theme should be. Last year we provided information and resources. This year, we thought we should take time to recognize this unique moment in history, both in the NFB of Minnesota and in the world. One hundred years from now, when future Federationists are wanting to learn about us, they will undoubtedly have many sources of information about our accomplishments and written and recorded samples of our work, but I also want them to know our experiences. Sure, it will be easy to find information about what challenges and successes blind people had during a global pandemic, but with this issue of the Bulletin, they can know our thoughts and feelings. I was a history major in college and cannot even count how many times professors discussed the value of primary source documents. Don’t worry, I won’t write an explanation here about how to cite information from this Bulletin, I promise, but I will say this: knowing the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of others makes us not only more compassionate, understanding people, but more successful advocates. With these thoughts, blind students around Minnesota have written pieces, not necessarily giving advice, but sharing what it is like to graduate high school or experience national convention from one’s own home. Reading these pieces from my fellow students has reminded me not of the struggles we are all facing, but the resiliency and positive spirit within all MNABS students. It is my hope that this Bulletin issue is informative and meaningful to all who read it, now and hopefully in 2120 at the NFB of Minnesota bicentennial convention.