LANGUAGE IN FILM
Jimmy King By Je s s i ca Ho l thaus Badour
he always knew he wanted to feature sign language in his craft. A Hustler’s Notebook: I AM Him is a documentary about his life, which King plans to narrate, featuring several Georgians (and one Kentuckian), in hopes that the film will help everyone better understand deaf culture. “This documentary is where I want to start—with my roots,” he explains. “I’m working to give back to my heritage and Georgia is the place for me to do that; it’s one of the meccas of the film industry and there are a wide range of projects going on. The sky is the limit right now. “I want the film to have subtitles, because there will be a lot of sign language,” he continues, noting there’s only one other similar film he knows of with ASL and subtitles ( Switched at Birth ). “This way, people can watch the signing while reading along.” From recent altercations where law enforcement thought a deaf person was in- toxicated, to deaf people being misdiagnosed because the doctor’s office or hospital lacked a certified sign language interpreter, King’s film asks viewers to consider, “What if that was me?” King notes that ASL is just that—Ameri- can. From country to country, just like spoken languages, sign language varies greatly. The point of his documentary is to raise awareness and make progress for the deaf here in Georgia (and across the U.S.). “I want to be a voice for the voiceless and be an advocate for deaf people—that’s my primary goal,” he says. “I’m trying to start a campaign to raise awareness, which I want to share with the legislature.” The documentary is currently in the
Jimmy King
I want to be a voice for the voiceless and be an advocate for deaf people—that’s my primary goal.
N ot everyone you pass on the street hears your “good morning”. It’s possible that you just aren’t speaking their language…and maybe their language isn’t spoken. Inspired by his own life events with the purpose of educating everyone, Atlanta’s Jimmy King is preparing to film a docuseries, The Hustler’s Notebook: I AM Him , which follows his life and the lives of others he’s met and helped over the years within the deaf community. King has unique first-hand experience growing up as a CODA (child of a deaf adult). Both of King’s parents are deaf and American Sign Language (ASL) was his first language. He’s been interpreting ASL since he was 5 years old. “Having two deaf parents made my childhood an afterthought. I had to be able to interpret every type of situation my parents needed me for,” King says. “I’d have to miss school to help get things done. Oftentimes, I didn’t have full knowledge of how to sign certain words, so a lot of my early ASL was self-taught.” Quite the tall order for a young child whose home life was mute. King’s description of his mother’s upbringing also sounds isolating; as the only deaf person in her family, she grew up reading lips. While her family tried to adapt to communicate with her, her son is the only one who knows ASL. As for his father, his parents met at Georgia’s School for the Deaf in Cave Spring, and King’s father was out of the picture early on. Born in Atlanta at Grady Hospital, King moved to South Georgia at a young age with his mom and grandmother. Living in Small Town USA, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity. While his mother worked agricultural jobs, King turned to the streets. As time went on, he began writing—poetry, songs, scripts, and more—and
Photo courtesy of Deelite Photography
budget phase, otherwise ready to move forward. He hopes the film will eventually be available for streaming, along with his idea for a sitcom that would ideally be a weekly roll-out. “If people can relate, it opens doors to new relationships and opens doors into deaf culture,” he says. “This film will help people better understand, even just a little bit. And it is my hope that everyone can learn to sign the alphabet, because if you know nothing else but the ASL alphabet, you can communicate with a deaf person.”
Learn more about this project by visiting Facebook (Know ASL Now) and Instagram: @asl.now or contact King directly at knowaslnow@ gmail.com.
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