TALKING BLACK in AMERICA — PERFORMANCE TRADITIONS DVD
TALKING BLACK IN AMERICA — PERFORMANCE TRADITIONS explores African American artistic forms like the Blues, Spirituals, Spoken Word, Preaching, Comedy and Hip Hop to reveal a story about the creative use of African American Language and its function as a tool for survival, liberation and belonging within the Black Community. Filmed across the United States, it is the fourth 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.
TALKING BLACK in AMERICA — ROOTS DVD
TALKING BLACK IN AMERICA — ROOTS is a celebration of African American resiliency, creativity, and ingenuity, finding a connection of the spirit among the peoples and societies of West Africa and the African Diaspora. Filmed in Ghana, The Bahamas, and throughout the United States, it is the third 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.
TALKING BLACK in AMERICA DVD
The long-awaited release of the first documentary feature ever on African American language varieties and the powerful role of language in African American culture.
The creativity and resilience of people living through oppression, segregation and the fight for equality, and the powerful identity forged by a shared heritage are all expressed in the ways African Americans communicate. TALKING BLACK in AMERICA chronicles the incredible impact of African American English on American language and culture. Filmed across the United States, this documentary is a revelation of language as legacy, identity and triumph over adversity.
An amazing and thought-provoking film.
– Roger Stolle, Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art
Absolutely fabulous. … thoroughly educational, engaging and inspirational.
– Rick Moss, Chief Curator, African American Museum and Library, Oakland, CA
An awesome achievement!
– Barbara Boschert, Coahoma College, Clarksdale, MS
An awesome film. … This video belongs in an international museum for the world to see.
– Jerome Forbes, Principal of Old Bight High School, Cat Island, Bahamas
The creativity and resilience of people living through oppression, segregation and the fight for equality, and the powerful identity forged by a shared heritage are all expressed in the ways African Americans communicate. TALKING BLACK in AMERICA chronicles the incredible impact of African American English on American language and culture. Filmed across the United States, this documentary is a revelation of language as legacy, identity and triumph over adversity.
The status of African American speech has been controversial for more than a half-century now, suffering from persistent public misunderstanding, linguistic profiling, and language-based discrimination. We wanted to address that and, on a fundamental level, make clear that understanding African American speech is absolutely critical to understanding the way we talk today.
– Walt Wolfram, Executive producer
SIGNING BLACK in AMERICA DVD
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. Different uses of space, hand use, directional movement, and facial expression are some of the ways it sets itself apart from other varieties of ASL. 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.
Grounded. Poignant. Uplifting. To see the stories told by those living the Black Deaf experience, transcending generations, was a treasured experience.
– Anthony J. Aramburo, Associate Professor, Retired, Xavier University of Louisiana
A captivating documentary that is ideal for both academic and lay audiences alike.
– Tracy Connor, Visiting Assistant Professor of the Linguistics of African America, UC Santa Barbara
At once nuanced and keen, this film takes us to levels of understanding that have been a long time coming.
– Vaidehi Ramanathan, Professor of Linguistics, UC Davis
If we want to dismantle anti-black linguistic racism, we must include Black ASL. This documentary is a crucial tool we can use to start that conversation.
– Jeffrey Levi Palmer, Research Associate, University of Texas at Austin
It is a beacon for the study and preservation of linguistic and cultural heritage and gives voice to the lives of Deaf Black Americans.
– Jeffrey Davis, Professor of Sign Language Linguistics, The University of Tennessee