Deaf Culture & Community

If you’re making money performing an ASL cover of someone else’s music, should some of that money go back to the people who actually created the song?

Listen closely to what the MC said. 👀🔥 This is something we want people to understand about Def Familia Boyz. They are not taking somebody else’s song and simply doing an ASL cover. They are creating their OWN music. 🎶🤟🏾 Original songs. Original ideas. Original production. Created together with the guidance and support of their Deaf dad through Def Familia Studio. And here’s something we need to talk about. In the Deaf community, some people have become very well-known—e

HISTORY IN THE MAKING. 🤟🏾🎤🔥 Def Familia Boyz are officially recognized by Def Familia Entertainment as the first young CODA rap group to create, write, voice, sign, and perform their own original music — NOT ASL covers. These are their songs. Their words. Their sound. Their performances. They write together, create their own music and beats, use their voices, and bring sign language into their own original performances. They are not interpreting somebody else’s song. They

Def Familia Boyz Took the Stage in Brooklyn — And the Crowd Showed Love Last night was another special moment for Def Familia Boyz as they performed at Luana’s Tavern in Brooklyn, New York, during the celebration of the Sign Language Center’s 25th Anniversary. The boys opened up the entertainment with two of their songs, “Tell Me Who You Are” and “Ball So Hard,” bringing music, movement, and sign language together on stage. What stood out the most to me was the reaction from

5 SHOWS IN… AND WE’RE STILL JUST GETTING STARTED! 🔥🤟🏾 Tonight in Brooklyn, NY, the Def Familia Boyz did their thing once again, and I’m beyond proud of them. The crowd showed them so much love — people were in awe watching them perform, and they especially loved “Tell Me Who You Are.” ❤️🎶 So far, the boys have performed: 🔥 Harlem, NY 🔥 Brooklyn, NY — tonight! 🔥 Staten Island, NY 🔥 A school event in Philadelphia 🔥 A graduation party in Philadelphia That’s 5 performanc

TONIGHT IN BROOKLYN, NY! 🗽🔥🤟🏾 Tonight is a special one for me and my family as we celebrate the Sign Language Center’s 25th Anniversary Gala! My history with SLC goes back years. I worked there as an ASL tutor in Manhattan, just a short walk from Penn Station. I was introduced to the late Alan Roth, one of the owners of Sign Language Center, who immediately hired me after seeing the charisma, personality, and energy I brought. I’ll always give love and respect to Shelly G

Trenton Has Deaf Residents Too — So Where Is the Plan for Us? I would bet that many of the candidates running for Mayor of Trenton could not tell you that around 2,000 Trenton residents are estimated to be Deaf, hard of hearing, or have serious difficulty hearing. But here is the bigger question: How many of those candidates actually have a plan for us? I grew up in Trenton. I have spent most of my life connected to this city, and I can honestly say that I cannot remember eve

They Picked the Wrong Day to Try Me Today reminded me of something I already know too well: some people underestimate me because I’m Deaf. Just because I don’t always speak up when I walk into a place doesn’t mean I’m slow. It doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention. And it definitely doesn’t mean I can’t tell when something isn’t mathing. Sometimes I take my boys to Barberz Inc., but usually it’s more of our last resort when the other barbershops aren’t available. When we do g

Mr. Billy Sanders A bit long,but definitely worth read 📖 #WeNeedMoreLikeHim After two decades as a professional interpreter, Sanders has found himself in a perfect position to provide language access at demonstrations across the region — even ones where he’s unfamiliar with the music. He learned ASL out of necessity as a CODA (an acronym used for “Children of Deaf Adults”), but then used it as a tool to get his life on track, and later, to celebrate Black culture and contrib