[CC] WILL BE COMING SOON.

SHEENA: Being a leader is one thing, but involved with politics is another thing. What started the whole thing.
LEAH: How did it get started? Really, I’ve always been fascinated with politics during my whole life. I was exposed through my family. During 96 elections, I was curious about it. When did I really realized that triggered my involvement more and more? During high school, I attended a lot of anti-war protests as well as Million Mom march. They were against gun violence. As soon I got involved a in a variety of marches, I realized that I could be personally involved with social justice, activism, and movement. All of that has led to political activism. Hence, how it all began.
SHEENA: Throughout your political activism, what moment dearly touched you the most?
LEAH: That moment I’m about to tell, nothing can beat that. It’s when President Obama got elected. This is very very important because it does not only mean its the first black president, but this also means the glass ceiling has been broken. With that, it has different meanings. Before, we thought it was not possible and now, its possible. We can see the future ahead of us with women, people with disabilities, and Deaf. A lot of possibilities. This was the first time a glass ceiling broke through. So, that is a very important moment. Also, soon after that, I got recognized with an award, Local Grassroots Leadership, by an organization. That really touched me because its hearing dominated – no Deaf people are involved with this. BUT they recognized me. It got me thinking…if a deaf person is active, they can make such an impact. And they will be recognized by everyone outside of the deaf community. It was meaningful in which made me rolled my sleeves and do more!
SHEENA: You have met your current President Obama and you had a chat with him. Do you mind sharing more details?
LEAH: Yes, that is interesting. The first time I met him was two years ago during the time he recently announced he was going to run for President. I happened to be involved with a political group at a reception in Washington DC. We had no clue – it was not planned and made a surprise appearance. I could not believe that he was actually here. So, I decided to come up to him. He looked at me and was fine with me being deaf. We began to chat. Of course, I was excited. At that time, Gallaudet protest was recently done. Then he asked for more clarification regarding the protest at Gallaudet. I gave him a summary of what happened. Obama paused. His words, I will never forget. He said, “You can have the best cause in the world, but if you don’t frame it right, you will lose.”
SHEENA: You have done so much in a short amount of time. What is your next move, plan, or goal?
LEAH: Right now, I seat on ATT’s Advisory Panel on Access and Aging. That panel consists of people of different backgrounds such as community leaders, participants, presidents of an organization, and CEOs. They are a group of people who have a good sense of what is going on. There are two groups: 1)aging for the elderly people and 2)Access for people with disabilities such as blind, Deaf, etc. What we do on the panel is provide advice, ideas, and more. So, I sit on that panel. With that, I hope to make more of an impact in technology accessibility for our phones and communication ease. We know as we move towards to the future, technology will continue to advance. We want to make sure that the Deaf people are getting access to that by not leaving them behind. That is my focus. And I am excited to say I am the Executive Director of Deaf Youth USA. That organization will be my biggest focus from now on. So, expect to see a lot of things coming out of DYUSA.
SHEENA: I heard you were on CNN and BBC. How?
LEAH: At Democratic National Convention in Denver, I got involved by volunteering my time. What a fun, good experience. I did not want to keep that experience to myself. I want to share with my family. Originally, it was for family as well as friends. To send emails of what’s going on was a hassle. Maintaining a blog was easier. People can read whenever they want to. Then the numbers began to grow more and more. Good, I thought because the more they see my blog, the more informed they become. Then, my co-worker who is Deaf from Gallaudet as well was working at CNN. Lucky! He spoke to his bosses of how great my blog was, people should see it, and that i was deaf. Plus, how it impacted a lot of deaf people. Naturally, they were curious and decided to invite me to CNN Grill. Who gets to be there? Wow, VIP people! So, i accepted the invitation and attended. That night was enjoyable – saw a lot of celebrities , important people in media and politics. reporters, and producers. Yeah, I talked to a lot of people about a variety of topics. A good night, a good memory. As for BBC, it was interesting. I made a lot of videos but it was all backstage. It had nothing to do with what was going on in front of the cameras. Many people see the action in front, but how often do they see what’s up behind the scenes? Not many people – so, I caught them. Apparently, someone saw my video and submitted it to BBC’s website. BBC likes to tell their viewers what America is up to. They sure did show my video. I did not find out until much later on. Wow, that was cool!
SHEENA: What is it we, the Deaf community, need to do in order to raise our voice as a political group?
LEAH: A quote that is so true to me, “Your voice will go unheard if you are not at the table.” People at the table are having a discussion and you are not seating there, you are not a part of it. It is the same with the Deaf community. Deaf people do have issues plus concerns, but they are unheard only because they’re not presented at the table. The more you jumped in, the more likely people will listen to you when it comes to any issues. All in all, it is very important to get involved. How to get involved? Start at small points. Start volunteering. I’ve always been in favor of volunteerism. Think about local political candidates, mayors, city council, Senators, or something bigger on a nation level like a President. Go volunteer!!! People who are working on campaigns always need help so volunteer there. You might not know on what to do, but meet people from all over. Eventually, you will get a hang of it. You will get asked by people of your thoughts, opinions, and more. That will help get the Deaf community’s voice heard.
SHEENA: Out of all the Pearls, who do you admire the most?
LEAH: There is one who has an incredible track, that is Claudia Gordon. I respect and look up to her very much. I will say she is definitely someone I hope to become more like in the future.
SHEENA: What does the word “Pearl” mean to you?
LEAH: You know how a diamond gets a lot of sparkle when the light strikes on the surface… Many jewels have a lot of sparkle as well. A pearl is different – it has that glow that appears to come from the inside. I see a pearl has an inner glow and that is in all of us. That, to me, inner glow means having a passion. All have a passion which helps us to move forward in whatever we do.
SHEENA: Should we do The Pearls again for the second round, if you had the opportunity to nominate one Deaf woman, who would you pick and why?
LEAH: There is one person I thought of that would be fitting. She is Carol Padden. She has done a lot for many years of contribution to the understanding of the linguistics of American Sign Language not only in America but internationally. Her work has impacted the academics in terms of understanding of Deaf people and our way of communication. Her contribution is very significant and recently got recognized by MacArthur grant. So, she is definitely someone i would consider worthy of a Pearl.