American Sign Language in the Spotlight
2021 is off to a great start in terms of featuring sign language in the spotlight! We were able to celebrate American Sign language early this year with a beautiful performance of the Pledge of Allegiance by Georgia Fire Captain Andrea M. Hall. Hall, a daughter of a deaf parent, was the first Black woman hired by the City of Albany Fire Department. She proudly used sign language with the goal of amplifying Biden’s theme of unity at the inauguration.
2021 Inauguration- Pledge of Allegiance
The very next month audiences were wowed once again as Wawa took the stage at the Super Bowl. Wawa, who describes himself as “a rapper who happens to be deaf,” calls his work, which is a mix of images and audio, “Dip Hop” or “Hip Hop through the deaf eyes.” The rapper has spent years trying to bring more visibility to both deaf culture and hip-hop, as well as the intersection of the two he has crafted. After his performance, Wawa remarked “To rep the deaf and hard-of-hearing community on that level is an honor. Oftentimes our deaf artists are overlooked, and yet we still push on towards greatness. We hope this will wake people up that we’re capable and hire us for different performances, be it TV, film, theater, music.”
Super Bowl Performance- National Anthem
The Beauty of Being Deaf is a new three-minute short film made by Chella Man celebrating the good things about being deaf and/or hard of hearing. The model and actor wrote, directed, and edited the film himself. This film features sign language and a performance underwater to highlight the benefits and the unique beauty of being deaf.
The Beauty of Being Deaf by Chella Man
Where else might we see sign language this year?
At Feel the Beat, we hope the answer is- everywhere!