Just like spoken languages, sign languages have dialect. 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. This is an excerpt from the documentary, Signing Black in America.
For more about the documentary project, check out https://www.talkingblackinamerica.org
For more about Black ASL, check out http://blackaslproject.gallaudet.edu/
Video credit: Language & Life Project at North Carolina State University.