Signing the Songs:
A Tribute to Shirley Childress Johnson
* * * A Project of Roadwork in partnership with Gallaudet University * * *
(June 28, 1947 – March 7, 2017)
Photo Credit: Sharon Farmer
Help Increase the Number of Black ASL Interpreters
The Shirley Childress Johnson memorial fund was established in 2017 at Gallaudet University after Shirley passed away. Funds from the endowment will support Black ASL Interpreters-in-training with tuition, professional development, and certification Fees. Consider a tax-deductible donation to the fund: https://donorbox.org/childressfund
Did you know that less than 5% of all certified interpreters in the US are Black? Now more than ever, with all of the events surrounding the worldwide civil rights transformation we find ourselves in the midst of, Black interpreters are in the highest demand ever.
Not only is there a need for more Black interpreters, there is a need for access to training that will allow them to provide excellent interpretations on behalf of the Black Deaf and hard of hearing community we are being called to serve at unprecedented levels. Your contribution to this effort would be much appreciated.
About Signing the Songs
Accessibility, including childcare, wheelchair access and sign-language interpreters have always been at the heart of Roadwork concerts and festivals. Roadwork helped lay the groundwork for accessibility protocols that many consider the norm today. The 2019 Sisterfire Showcase kicked off a year-long project to lift up the story of the groundbreaking work of Roadwork, Sweet Honey In The Rock, and in particular, the late Dr. Shirley Childress Johnson — longtime member and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter for Sweet Honey. She is thought to be the first certified, African American ASL interpreter in the country and is credited with closing the gap between deaf cultures and music culture — allowing deaf people to appreciate music more through ASL.
This project is made possible by a grant from HumanitiesDC (an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities); a grant from Live To Give Equity and Justice Fund, and with support from Busboys and Poets, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and Levine Music.