BLACK HISTORY MONTH | Connell Crooms understands the power of a language that he uses to express himself and his blackness. The gestures. The expressions. Black American Sign Language (BASL) is more than a dialect. It is a reflection of Black Deaf identity, resilience and cultural expression. Recognizing BASL acknowledges the intersection of race, language, and disability within Black history. We asked him: "Why is Black American Sign Language important to Black Deaf culture, and what does it re

Black American Sign Language? What You Know About That? Meet Nakia Smith a.k.a. Charmay. She's the 4th deaf generation of five generations, and she is here to inject some knowledge in our veins about BASL, it's roots as part of the survival of Black deaf folks in this country dating back to the 1800s, and how the dialect is so different (she says "It got seasoning!") from standard ASL. | Strong Black Lead

22-year-old Nakia Smith went viral after a video of her and her grandpa showed the difference between Black American Sign Language and American Sign Language. | AJ

Check out the Black American Sign Language representation in Craig of the Creek! Black Deaf Advocates, a national deaf support group, consulted on the episode! 👐🏿 🧏🏾‍♂️ 💖 | Cartoon Network