Dominique Fishback Shares Her Motivation To Learn Sign Language As A Black Woman

Dominique On Why She Learned Sign Language

During the June discussion, which has since gone viral, Fishback disclosed the reason why she learned sign language stemmed from her personal experience of being a "Black person" and having to navigate in spaces where no one is "forced to understand" where she came from.

The Deuce star would add that those instances in her life motivated her to figure out how it must feel for those that are deaf and how they adjust to life without having people accommodating them because it isn't enforced.

"I'm going to be very honest as a Black person having to go into other areas where nobody is forced to like understand where I come from, I wondered what it would be like to not be able to hear and feel like you have to kind of navigate the world and nobody is forced to navigate with you because they don't have to,” she explained. “So I said, ‘If I learn sign language, maybe that could be helpful to other people.’"

Further into the interview, Fishback recalled an event that involved a mother and her young child while working at the concession stand at a movie theater. The Night Comes On actress shared that the mother verbally ordered popcorn, and when Fishback asked if she wanted some butter, the woman apologized and said she was deaf.

Fishback would respond by using the appropriate gestures to rephrase the question. When the woman saw that Fishback knew sign language, she was shocked and told her daughter, who immediately became excited.

"I worked at the movie theater, and this woman came in. She spoke to me, she said, 'Can I have popcorn? So I turned and said, 'You want butter on your popcorn?' She goes, 'Oh, I'm sorry, and she says I'm deaf.' I said, 'I'm sorry you want butter on your popcorn?' ( signing) She was like [gasps]. She told her daughter that she was very excited," Fishback recalled.

Dominique On Another Instance Where She Used Sign Language

This isn't the only occasion Fishback has opened up about her passion for using sign language to help bring people together.

In a March interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live, Fishback revealed that as she attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party that same month, she had to interpret a conversation for Creed III star Jonathan Majors when a deaf fan came up to the actor and wanted to talk to him about his performance in the film.

"A deaf person actually came to talk to him [Jonathan Majors] about his performance in Creed III, and I've been learning sign language in college. That was a couple years ago. So I didn't know how much I remembered, but he didn't know, so I ended up interpreting for him... I love sign language," Fishback said.

When asked if she took any classes to learn sign language, Fishback explained that besides taking a course while in school, she also searched online for free ASL classes in New York and found one at a Mormon church, which she attended weekly.

"It was a class that I took. I also ended up googling a free ASL class in New York City, and I found one in a Mormon church on 14th Street in New York. They do free lessons on Tuesdays, so I just went there," Fishback stated.

Fishback using her past experiences to learn sign language and help bridge a gap in any way she can is an inspirational tale for us all.

Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.