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 In
the Spotlight
Tyese Wright
Miss Deaf America 2002-2004
In 2002, history was made. Twice.
A couple of months after Gallaudet University saw
its first black president of the Student Body Government, Darius
McCall, for the first time in 138 years of existence, the 46th biennial
National Association for the Deaf convention goers witnessed the
crowning of the first Black queen. She wowed the audience with her
emotion-packed dance/monologue rendition of Maya Angelou's "Still
I Rise," her quick wit, and a movie-star smile. Her name was
Tyese Wright, of Maryland.
Deaf since birth, Ms. Tyese Wright, 23, has
been making history since childhood. She currently teaches kindergarten
at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES), the same school
where years earlier, she had graduated Valedictorian and received
the Linwood Smith Award and the Kendall Cup. The Kendall Cup is
Kendall's most prestigious award, for excellence in academics, leadership
and extracurricular activities. At the tender age of nine, she recited
the Pledge of Allegiance in sign language for President Ronald Reagan
at the bicentennial celebration of the United States Constitution
in front of over two hundred thousand spectators. At age eleven,
she served as a U.S. delegate in Paris, France for the Children's
International Summer Village, a volunteer organization that promotes
peace, leadership and long friendships and was featured in the 1995
issue of World Around Us Magazine, entitled "An American in
Paris." She's also featured in the first book written on successful
deaf women.
Not one to rest on her laurels, she continued the
trend of excellence throughout Model Secondary School for the Deaf
(MSSD). During her graduation, this MSSD Homecoming Queen of 1997
had received the Most Outstanding Senior Award among other honors.
While a Elementary Education major at Gallaudet, she served as Vice
President for the Black Deaf Student Union, Student Affairs Director
of Student Body Government, Assistant Director for Multicultural
Student Affair, and one of the co-founders of the Black Theme Floor,
a support program for African American students. What does this
say about her? This dynamic woman does not befriend apathy.
After graduation from Gallaudet University in 2002,
she was awarded a four-year fellowship to attend Trinity College
for a Master's degree in school counseling where she maintains a
stellar 3.8 GPA while juggling graduate school with her teaching
job at KDES and her obligations as Miss Deaf America.
This was not her first pageant. Her first pageant
started with DC Area BDA chapter (DCABDA), where she won the Miss.
DCABDA title in 1998. Although she did not win the national crown
at the subsequent NBDA conference in Houston, she did not let that
experience deter her. She tried out for Miss. Gallaudet University
in 2001 and won, becoming only the second Black woman to do so.
The first Black woman to earn this title was Carolyn Emerson (Hunter),
nearly a quarter century ago, in 1977. Desiring more, she
signed up for Miss. Deaf Maryland pageant that same year, winning
the crown and the opportunity to compete for Miss Deaf America in
July 2002. The rest is history. Ms. Wright certainly credits DCABDA
for giving her the courage. She remarked, "I strongly encourage
black deaf women to try out for the BDA pageant before trying out
for Miss Deaf America pageant. The support, encouragement, and guidance
I received from the DCABDA members in preparation for BDA helped
build my confidence and self-esteem. I will always be indebted to
those who cared enough to help me win this title because I realized
a long time ago that success is never achieved alone."
Community service and Tyese Wright are inseparable.
Her volunteerism included stints such as a junior counselor for
the Children's International Summer Village in Nashville, Tennessee;
intern for AMTRAK; resident assistant for Gallaudet University;
staff counselor for the National Association of the Deaf Youth Leadership
Camp in Portland, Oregon, and peer advisor for the National Black
Deaf Advocates' Youth Empowerment Summit in Washington, D.C. Today,
in her spare time, she volunteers food preparation for the homeless
and people living with HIV/AIDS. She also teaches sign language
to members of her church. She was the first deaf debutante for Sigma
Gamma Rho Sorority and pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority from University
of Maryland. It should be noted that both sororities are international
black sororities renowned for their public service and advocacy
and admit only those who meet their high standards.
A seasoned public speaker, she travels around the
country promoting her platform. Her platform is focused on promoting
literacy by supporting family literacy programs where parents and
children learn to read together. Ms. Wright explains, "A child
who cannot read in this literacy-driven society is held captive
to ignorance and their chances for a fulfilling, productive life
diminishes. Children who arrive in school prepared for reading and
learning are more likely to meet with great success not only in
school, but also in life. I wanted to remind people that each of
us has a duty to help our children achieve their full potential.
We must do more than saying that children can learn, we must believe
it. And, we must expect nothing but the best from and for our children."
Indeed, as her parents had expected nothing less from her, NBDA
also expects nothing less, neither from her nor from others it serves.
Michael E Graziano
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