Signing Black in America (Diversity Index # 4705)
While African American Language is the most widely recognized ethnic variety of English in the world, the use of American Sign Language (ASL) by Black Americans has been largely ignored or dismissed as part of an assumed ASL system uniformly used by the deaf community in the United States. But ASL, like any language, may show robust diversity, including traits associated with by Black Americans.
Signing Black in America is the first documentary to highlight the development of Black American Sign Language. Based on extensive interviews with Black signers, linguistic experts, interpreters, natural conversations, and artistic performances by Black ASL users, it documents the development and description of this unique ethnic variety of ASL. This film has been produced by the Language & Life Project of North Carolina State University, one of 14 documentaries about language use in the United Sates (Dr. Walt Wolfram, Executive Producer).
This session will start with a short presentation, have showing of the 27-minute film, and conclude with a Q & A.
To register for this event, please visit:
https://www.howardcc.edu/about-us/leadership/diversity/diversity-week/index.html