Black American Sign Language (BASL)

On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, in recognition of the 32^nd anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), my agency sponsored an event that included a screening of Signing Black in America. Before opening the invite completely, I read the subject line that read “Signing in Black.” I thought to myself, what the heck is this? Upon reading further, to my surprise, the event was about Black American Sign Language (BASL). Surprised again, I had no idea something like this even existed. I thought American Sign Language (ASL) covered all the bases. Of course, once again, my interest was piqued to explore more about BASL and its origin.

Like I said earlier, I thought ASL covered all signing. I, like many others I’m sure, might be amazed to know that sign language, similar to spoken language, has dialects, accents, and regional differences, as well as multiple different languages beneath the umbrella of sign language. American Sign Language (ASL) is a different language than Chinese Sign Language (CSL), which is a different language than Spanish Sign Language (LSE), and so on.

I’ve heard of and wrote a college paper on Black English – better known as Ebonics or African American Vernacular English (AAVE), formerly Black English Vernacular (BEV); it is a dialect of American English spoken by a large proportion of African Americans…that’s another story. But I had no idea about the existence of Black American Sign Language (BASL). We live and we learn! With all things Black, there’s history. As a Black American, I continue to learn that there is so much about the history of Black people in America that is untold or just now being found out. This is the same when you learn about Black deaf history.

History of Black Deaf People in America

Like much of history, deaf history is primarily told from a white-centered lens, pushing Black deaf history into the background. Largely, the lives of deaf Black individuals are not documented during slavery time in the U.S. There was little or no mention of Black deaf individuals until the ending of slavery. Often deaf people are grouped in with people with other disabilities, and so individual research is limited. However, Jim Downs, among other scholars, wrote an essay entitled, “The Continuation of Slavery: The Experience of Disabled Slaves During Emancipation.” This essay sheds a little light on emancipation for Black people with disabilities.

Unlike slaves who could run toward freedom at the sound of the first Union gunshot, the disabled were forced to remain on the plantation because slavery was connected to the ability to work – which explains why disabled slaves were seen as non-workers. Slavery ended in the U.S. after the 13th Amendment was ratified on Dec. 6, 1865, but the disabled slaves continued to work for their masters and therefore within the institution of slavery. Thus, the history of emancipation has been, in essence, a history of able-bodied freed slaves, as disabled slaves often could not escape the plantation South.

American Sign Language

Early American Sign Language, influenced by French Sign Language, was originally taught at schools for the deaf, however, in the 1870s and 80s, white schools for the deaf became more focused on oralism, which emphasizes speaking and lip-reading rather than signing. People didn’t care about Black deaf children enough to teach oralism, so Black deaf schools continued to teach sign language and many sign language instructors moved to Black deaf Schools.

Consequently, modern BASL is more closely aligned than ASL to early American Sign Language. BASL evolved into its own language, and by the time schools were de-segregated, Black deaf students often struggled to communicate with their white teachers and peers. From that point on, ASL was used in the classroom, but BASL’s usage was continued among family and friends.

Black deaf children weren’t allowed to learn at deaf schools because of slavery and segregation. Before any schooling system, most deaf Black individuals knew what is called “home signs.” Home signs are signs understood by family, or people in close contact with the deaf individual. The first school for the deaf was founded in 1817. However, education for Black deaf children wasn’t created until the middle of the 1850s. Some deaf schools in the north didn’t practice segregation of Black students, while some did.

Black American Sign Language Today

How is Black American Sign Language faring today in education? Let me introduce to you, Dr. Carolyn McCaskill. Dr. McCaskill is a deaf, African American and Chair of the newly created department Black Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University who has been teaching there since 1996. She is one of the first Black students to attend Alabama School for the Deaf. Dr. McCaskill successfully defended her dissertation in January 2005 one year after her younger sister. This made her the second deaf Black female to earn a Ph. D from Gallaudet University. She is also the co-author of the books “Black ASL” and “The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL: Its History and Structure.”

In “The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL,” author Carolyn McCaskill says, “Most schools in the northern regions did not have policies on segregation. Schools for Black deaf children were not established until after the Civil War in a total of 17 states and the District of Columbia.” Since ASL was taught in schools, it is now considered the standard, and just as Black hearing people code-switch between standard English and Black English to fit in in the classroom or among white people, BASL users frequently code-switch between BASL and ASL. Dr. McCaskill is quoted as saying “So when I was with white people, I would sign that way. And then when I was with Black deaf people, I would communicate it differently.”

What’s the Difference between BASL and ASL?

While BASL and ASL are very closely related, some signs are completely different. People who use BASL tend to use more facial expressions and use more space with their signing. BASL users also tend to use two hands for signs whereas ASL users would use one. Additionally, BASL places signs on the forehead more often than ASL, which tends to place signs on the body. Over time BASL has incorporated terms that are common in Black English. When asked about BASL, Dr. McCaskill responded “[BASL] felt so free to me. It felt good to just communicate. You know, that was who I was. That was my culture. That was my identity.”

BASL Evolving

Research on BASL is a long way behind research in ASL; however, with the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement, BASL is now gaining more recognition. It is estimated that 50% of Black deaf people in the United States use BASL. This was made possible by BASL being preserved intergenerationally through Black deaf families and the Black deaf community. Black deaf signers are now taking to social media to teach and preserve this important part of Black deaf culture and identity.

The African American deaf community is embracing their unique variety as a symbol of solidarity and a vital part of their identity. There is so much more history to learn around Black Deaf History. National Deaf History Month is recognized and celebrated every year from March 13th to April 15th. Continue recognizing and celebrating the diverse Deaf communities.

If you are interested in learning more about BASL and the culture surrounding it, check out the videos and resources below: