by Mildred Europa Taylor,Face2FaceAfrica.com
While Rihanna was delivering her historic performance during Super Bowl’s halftime show Sunday night, another Black woman was also making history. Justina Miles became the first female deaf performer for the Super Bowl’s halftime show with her American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation of Rihanna’s songs.
“Rihanna was incredible but omg the ASL interpreter they had for her performance was LIVING. 10/10 all around,” one viewer wrote on Twitter.
The 20-year-old deaf ASL performer from Philadelphia also signed the pre-show’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” sung by actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. Miles became the first deaf person to perform the ASL rendition of the song at the Super Bowl.
During a press conference last week ahead of the Super Bowl, Miles said the event was very special to her. “Not only for me to share this experience with the whole world but to really bring that empowerment to millions and millions of Black deaf people all over the country who’ve never really seen that before,” she said. “I feel that is truly lifting every voice, even my voice.”
As she continues to earn rave reviews on social media, here are three things you should know about her:
She is a nursing student
Miles, who grew up in a family mixed with hearing people, is a nursing student at Bowie State University. Her mother is deaf but she remains her biggest support system. Miles was valedictorian at Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D.C., before she went to HBCU Bowie State University, where she is also a cheerleader.
She is a decorated athlete
Miles was a cheerleader while also in high school. She played volleyball and is now a decorated athlete, having won a silver medal at the 2021-2022 Deaflympics in Brazil as a member of the 4×100 women’s track relay team.
She went viral in 2020 for the TikTok #crushonyouchallenge
Interpreter and content creator Miles went viral in 2020 for her ASL performance of the Lil’ Kim song “Crush on You” music video. Kim later shared the video online after it had earned more than one million views on Twitter. Three years down the line, Miles is turning heads with her stunning performance at the Super Bowl, but this is not her first concert performance.
According to the National Association of the Deaf, she has “performed dazzling ASL renditions of music at various concerts throughout the country.” Miles also loves to draw and dance.