By Alexandra Richmond
Last year, a professor assigned the above video on Black ASL as part of an assignment for the class I was enrolled in. I became so enthralled by this video that I immediately signed up for ASL lessons. I often study and research the intersectionality of race and disability but I am still guilty of often looking past the importance of what this looks like in practice and in our day-to-day lives. I think the video that I am sharing is a perfect example of why representation matters in disability fields and the importance of having a sense of belonging within our community. In this blog post, I wanted to share this video to teach what Black ASL is, tell its history, show its beauty, and why it's important.
A Short History of Black ASL
Just like spoken languages, sign languages have dialects. Black ASL is the unique dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) that developed within historically segregated African American Deaf communities. Largely unknown to outsiders, Black ASL has become a symbol of solidarity and a vital part of identity within the Black Deaf community. Sign language is a form of communication that is mostly made up of signs with the hands and other body movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body. Depending on where you are in the world, sign language can vary.
Each language has its nuances, grammar, and complexities – just like any other spoken language. ASL is not a universal language, even within the United States. Various groups of Deaf people sign differently depending on their race and where they are in the country. That’s where Black ASL comes in. During American slavery, there weren’t any established schools for Black children – deaf or hearing. After the Civil War and abolition of slavery, Black people began to open their own schools since they weren’t allowed to attend schools with white students.
Even deaf children, regardless of race, attended different schools than their hearing counterparts. That meant Black deaf children had to attend schools specifically created for their race and disability. It was during this period of segregation that Black Deaf communities had to use different means of language socialization to communicate. Because Black and White’s deaf students socialized in different environments, their sign languages were different, too.
Black ASL Importance
Black ASL was more in line with the traditional version of ASL, like using two hands when signing. Some of the major differences of Black ASL are that it uses more facial expressions and personality. Many Black ASL signers say that it allows them to showcase more of their “feeling” and “persona” compared to ASL. You’ll also see that Black ASL uses more signing space as well. Black ASL also provides a unique community and shows why representation of educators, service providers, interpreters, and all of us, is so important to ensure a sense of belonging for all.
Check out the video to learn more and see how beautiful and fun communicating can be within the Black ASL community!
