Just like spoken languages, sign languages have dialects. Signing Black in America is the first documentary about Black ASL: the unique dialect of American Sign Language (ASL) that developed within historically segregated African American Deaf communities. Black ASL today conveys an identity and sense of belonging that mirrors spoken language varieties of the African American hearing community.  Different uses of space, hand use, directional movement, and facial expression are ways that Black ASL distinguishes itself as a vibrant dialect of American Sign Language. The African American Deaf community is now embracing their unique variety as a symbol of solidarity and a vital part of their identity. 

Largely unknown to outsiders, Black ASL has become a symbol of solidarity and a vital part of identity within the Black Deaf community.  With the perspectives of Black signers, Sign Language interpreters, and the scholars who have worked to uncover it, Signing Black in America explores the history and development of this unique and expressive variety of visual communication. 

Signing Black in America began screening in 2020 and is the second program in the Emmy Award winning Talking Black in America series, five interrelated documentaries on African American language and culture and their transformative influence on the United States and beyond.

Stream the 27-minute film for free at the button above.