Loss of sight does not equal loss of creativity

Alumna Glenda R. Taylor, (Ph.D. ’17 and M.A. ’10) lost her sight at the age of 45. However, that impairment has never dimmed her creative output.

She turned to African American artists and icons who overcame great challenges for inspiration. “If they could make it, I can make it. Etta James and Betty Shabazz endured many challenges but never gave up. I never had blind consciousness, accepting the limitations blindness can place upon you; they did not accept the bondage racism imposed on them,” she said in a recent feature in MENAFN.

That irrepressible attitude earned her outstanding reviews and a nomination for an outstanding dissertation for her 2017 Union research, Tradition, Consciousness, Social Justice, and the Creative Process: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of the Artistry of Michael Joseph Jackson. She credits her mother Mrs. Mary Jestina Taylor for much of her achievement. Mrs. Taylor was the recipient of the first TLC or “Tender Loving Care” award at the 2017 Union Institute & University National Commencement for her unwavering support to her daughter.

Taylor said her studies at Union encouraged her creativity. She earned her Master of Arts with a major in Humanities & Culture in 2010 and her Ph.D. with a major in Humanities & Culture with a certification in Creative Writing in 2017.

“Union Institute & University encourages creative thought and the refinement of one’s creative process. The emphasis on experiential learning stimulates one’s creative juices and results in research findings beyond the norm. My degree is the physical manifestation of the belief that all things are possible to those who believe. My Ph.D. and the journey of my research subjects are evidence of my ability to accomplish goals despite horrific obstacles. The process of obtaining a Ph.D. sharpens one’s professional skills and mental ability in the same manner a strict regimen sharpens the abilities of an Olympian.”

This cultural historian, poet, and community development specialist is the author of 13 books, creator of the virtual Glenda R. Taylor Museum, designer of the Dr. Glenda R. Taylor Gallery on YouTube,  was the key architect and master planner of the nonprofit Urban Strategies was the founder of Olympic Vision, and designed numerous art exhibits. She is the subject of a recent feature named “Dr. Glenda R. Taylor’s Amazing Journey.” Read Now

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