Fred Bailey Speeks

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I am here at the Tennessee School for the Blind, where former student alumnus Fred Bailey has just received the annual Ralph Brewer Award. The award is given to someone who has excelled since they have graduated and touched their community and other communities in an important way. And Fred definitely has done that with the things that he has achieved. And he's here with me right now.

Hi, Freddie.

Yvonne, how are you?

Oh, I'm doing great. Thank you for doing this and joining us on NFB Newsline. Tennessee presents not a problem. So you were not expecting this award.

But having received this distinguishment, what are.

Your feelings now, just right after you've received it?

I really was not expecting anything. I was just coming out to see some friends, because this is the best time to see multiple friends at one time. Otherwise, I would just have to go all over the state. So once a year, we get to come here and catch up with what each other's doing and so forth and so on. I had no idea that I was going to receive any kind of award. I was dressed for it because I'm always dressed for an award.

What you wearing?

I'm wearing a shirt and tie all the time. Slacks. You know, most of the time I'm in a suit if I'm going to a business meeting, but I didn't expect anything. But I truly feel funny receiving honors about anything that I think that I ought to be doing. If we all. It's incumbent upon us all to share whatever abilities we have with other people. Anything that can make someone else's life better, we are. It's incumbent upon us to share that. And so every, all of those teachers that I named off brewers, Hastings, mullings arms, crockets, they are deserving of this ward because they have made Fred Bailey what he is. I started out my education at a little school called union elementary in Gallatin, and I don't think that school had a clue on how to deal with a blind individual. We were talking about 1962 and three like that. So until I got here, that's when my life really took off. Now, two things I think anybody's life, whatever you're going to become, whatever is going to happen to you, good. You got to have a foundation of respect and work ethic. Those two things, right? It doesn't matter to me right now that you can't write your name if you got respect and work ethic. You're going to find yourself. You're going to find yourself in a good way. Now, I had that when I came to this school in 1965. My daddy demanded those two things. But when I got here, and the educational piece would add it to that, that's when my life took off. That's when I was no longer a black man. I was no longer a blind man. I was Fred Bailey from that point on. Nothing. Nothing. No other adjective described me. Fred Bailey's is who you're hearing from now and who you will always hear from. You will never hear from a blind Fred Bailey. You will never hear from a black or an african American Fred Bailey. You are hearing from Fred Bailey. And that's the only entity you will ever hear from. So I appreciate this school doing what it's done for me. School for the Blind has been a just a monumental piece of. I know the blind people from the fifties up through the seventies. So that's why I'm so pleased. It's surprising, but I'm honored to get this award.

If you were to speak to this last 2024 graduating class from the Tennessee school for the blind, and you wanted to leave them with a philosophy, something they could take with them when they go out into the world, what would your philosophy statement to them be?

My philosophy would be this. And it'd be simple as this. You away from your teachers now. Cause you graduated. Now, some of you may still be at home, but you don't know how long your parents are gonna live. So at some point in time, you're going to be away from your parents and your real boss, you got to understand, your real boss is life. And guess what I found out about life is. Does not take into consideration your circumstances. Life don't care that you're blind. Life doesn't care that you're deaf. Life doesn't care that you're female. Life doesn't care that you're rich or you're poor. It just does not take it into consideration. So I leave you with that. Life demands that you adapt and adjust, and so I leave you with that to do. Not. In other words, to put it more plainly, don't ever think that you can't do something because you're deaf. Don't ever think that you can't do something because you're blind. Adapt and adjust. Find a way to do it. And there are ways, believe me, especially with technology now, AI, so forth. So don't worry about whatever your malady may be. Don't worry about it. Conquer it.

You are a great inspiration.

I've admired you since I was a kid. All that you have done in your life is truly a wonderful example to others. You've been a great mentor in not only the blindness community, but youre community as a whole. You really are an inspiration. And, I mean, you couldn't do anything else. I mean, that's just. You couldn't do anything else but what you do. And you do it so well with dignity and grace. That's why I ask you what you were wearing. Presentation to you is very important. Before we close, will you talk just a little on that?

Look, anytime. Anytime I'm outside of my house, anytime I'm realizing what an awesome responsibility I'm carrying. I'm representing the blind community. I'm representing the black community. I'm representing Gallatin. I'm representing Donaldson. I'm representing the state of Tennessee. Ultimately, I'm representing America. And I. I'm representing all of the individuals. Military people, civil rights people, all of these people that have laid their lives on the line so that I may have a better one. And I ask myself, you know, at times, in the way I dress, in the way I speak, in my giving back, in my work ethic, in my respect. Can these people who lay their lives on the line. There's no more awesome honor. Than laying your life down for someone. I ask myself, and I think everybody needs to ask themselves, can these people continue to live through me? And if I can't answer in the affirmative, I need to check myself. Because those of us who are still walking and talking and experiencing freedom every day, we need to understand the debt that we owe. And always seek to act in a way that we pay that debt.

Wow.

Thank you, Fred.

You're more than welcome.

Thank you, Freddie. Okay, he's Freddie.

I'll answer to any of those, but.

I am proud to know you. And thank you for joining me today.

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