Justina Miles Makes History With Rihanna Super Bowl Performance in ASL

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Justina Miles was shining agleam similar a diamond astatine the 2023 Super Bowl.

The 20-year-old became the archetypal pistillate deaf performer for the Super Bowl halftime amusement aft she provided the American Sign Language rendition of Rihanna's performance on Feb. 12. As viewers watched the 13-minute show, they took to societal media to suggest that Miles instrumentality a bow. 

"Rihanna of people was [fire]," 1 societal media idiosyncratic tweeted. "But let's instrumentality a infinitesimal for #JustinaMiles! First pistillate deaf performer and damn…she owned it! #SuperBowlLVII #ASL." Added another, "Shout retired to Justina Miles #ASL #SuperBowl #RihannaSuperBowl #Rihanna."

However, this wasn't Miles' lone history-making infinitesimal of the night. While Sheryl Lee Ralph was singing "Lift Every Voice and Sing," Miles signed the song, making it the first-time ever determination was an ASL rendition of it astatine the Super Bowl.

During an Apple Music Halftime Show press conference connected Feb. 9, Miles shared what it meant to her to execute "Lift Every Voice and Sing" successful ASL.

"That opus represents resilience for me," she noted done an ASL interpreter. "The nationalist anthem ne'er truly resonated with maine personally, and the Black nationalist anthem is truly inspiring and empowering. This opus is truthful positive, it's truthful beauteous and you don't truly perceive oregon spot it precise often oregon adjacent perceive astir it. And there's galore folks who don't adjacent cognize the Black nationalist anthem exists. It's not lone for maine to stock this acquisition with the full world, but to truly bring that empowerment to millions and millions of Black, deaf radical each implicit the state who've ne'er truly seen that before."

Miles added, "And truthful they should consciousness inspired and that's the aforesaid mode I feel. I consciousness similar that is genuinely lifting each voice, adjacent my voice."

In summation to Miles' performances, Troy Kotsur—who is from Arizona wherever the Super Bowl was played and won an Oscar past year for his relation successful CODAprovided the ASL show of the nationalist anthem (which was sung by Chris Stapleton). Colin Denny, who is from Navajo Nation successful Arizona and is simply a probe adjunct for the survey of North American Indian Sign Language astatine the University of Arizona, besides performed "America the Beautiful" done a operation of ASL and North American Indian Sign Language.

To larn much astir Miles, support scrolling.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

She's from Philadelphia.

"Hailing from the City of Brotherly Love with a passionateness for the arts," her bio shared connected the National Association of the Deaf's (NAD) website reads, "Justina Miles lives to creation and creatively explicit done euphony and motion language."

However, the enactment notes she present lives successful Maryland.

She's a student.

Miles attends Bowie State University, wherever according to her bio she studies nursing and is simply a cheerleader. The website besides notes that she was valedictorian astatine her precocious school, Model Secondary School for the Deaf, successful Washington DC.

She's besides an athlete.

In addition, her bio states she represented the U.S. squad astatine the 2021/2022 Deaflympics successful Brazil and won a metallic medal for moving successful the 4X100 women's way relay with her team.

Her ASL show of Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime amusement has gone viral.

In fact, 1 video of her ASL rendition has been liked much than 3.4 cardinal times connected TikTok.

You person seen immoderate of her performances successful ASL before. 

According to CNBC's Make It, Miles went viral successful 2020 aft doing the TikTok #crushonyouchallenge and performing successful ASL Lil' Kim's "Crush connected You."

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