Rihannawasn’t the only performer captivating viewers during theApple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Showon Sunday.
While the Barbados-born superstar was singing through hits from “Umbrella” to “Diamonds” and stunning the crowd with thereveal of her second pregnancyat State Farm Stadium in Arizona, American Sign Language performer Justina Miles delivered a high-energy interpretation of the show — which has since gone viral on social media.
Miles, a 20-year-old performer from Philadelphia, signed for the entirety of Rihanna’s halftime show as well asSheryl Lee Ralph’s rendition of"Lift Every Voice and Sing"ahead of the game.
Many social media users noted that she’s the first-ever Black deaf woman to perform during the halftime show. “Amazing! American Sign Language Interpreter#JustinaMileswas the 1st Black deaf woman to perform at the Super Bowl LVII pre-game and halftime shows! I love to see all of this inclusion and representation. Congratulations, to this#HistoryMaker!” wrote oneTwitteruser.
Justina Miles.Getty
Aside from performing ASL alongside musicians, she previously earned a silver medal at the 2021/22 Deaflympics in Brazil with the U.S. women’s track relay team. After graduating as the valedictorian at Washington D.C.’s Model Secondary School for the Deaf, she’s currently a nursing student and cheerleader at Bowie State University, per a press release from the NFL.
Miles first found an audience online in 2020 after posting a video of herself performing a verse from Lil' Kim’s 1997 hit “Crush on You” that went viral, receiving over a million views.
During a press conference ahead of Super Bowl LVII, Miles said she wants viewers to feel encouraged to “not to let any obstacles prevent you from achieving your dreams, and to always believe in yourself to go beyond.”
“It’s an important moment not only for me to share this experience with the whole world,” added the performer. “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. I feel that is truly lifting every voice, even my voice.”
source: people.com
