December 1 Deaf News Briefs
Here are four Deaf News briefs.
2.1
ClearMask recognized by Forbes 30 under 30
Allysa Dittmar, a deaf woman, was recognized in Forbes’s “30 under 30” as one of the top 600 young innovators for cofounding ClearMask, a see-thru mask that has received FDA approval for use in the healthcare industry. Forbes said since April 2020, ClearMask has sold 12 million masks to hospitals, university medical centers, the government, and consumers, and is on track to generate $40 million in sales in 2020. The other cofounders are classmates of Dittmar when she studied at Johns Hopkins University: Aaron Hsu, Inez Lam, and Elyse Heob. Dittmar was inspired to design the mask because when she went into surgery in 2015, her interpreters never arrived and she couldn’t read the lips of her doctors when they were wearing masks. Now with the coronavirus pandemic, there is a surge of demand for masks, and the company is clearly doing very well. The Baltimore Sun reported that ClearMask has 250 employees.
2.2
U.S. Congresswoman Pressley tweets happy birthday to deaf stepdad
U.S. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) posted a happy birthday tweet to her stepdad, Warren. Pressley said he became deaf when he was 6 years old and experienced stigma because of his disability and had his race criminalized, but broke through to be a successful track athlete and coach and a proud Black man who promotes deaf culture and that his life has taught her so much.
7.0
I read more into Pressley’s life and learned that her mother, Sandra, after divorcing Pressley’s father in Ohio, moved to New York City and eventually met Warren (Maynard) at a church in Brooklyn. They later founded a deaf ministry at Emmanuel Baptist Church. Sandra died in 2011 from leukemia.
8.0
Congresswoman Pressley is one of the more well-known members of Congress and is a part of “The Squad,” a group of four women of color under 50 that was elected in 2018.
2.2
This is the first time I have learned that her stepfather is deaf. Happy birthday, Warren.
[Sponsored Video from Convo: https://www.convorelay.com/]
2.3
Netflix features Nakia Smith a.k.a Charmay, who explains BASL
On Monday Netflix posted a video tweet that featured Nakia Smith a.k.a Charmay, a Black deaf woman who is well-known for her viral TikTok videos under the account @itscharmay. She talked about Black ASL and explained its history. Check out the video in the link. Actresses Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon retweeted the videos and said it was very interesting and fascinating. Congratulations on the recognition.“The Daily Moth” did an interview with her in July and the link is in the transcript.
2.4
ASL interpreter for Mississippi governor arrested for domestic violence
WAPT 16 News in Mississippi reported that the ASL interpreter who usually appears alongside Gov. Tate Reeves during press briefings was arrested on Sunday and charged with aggravated domestic violence. The interpreter’s name is Gregory Goldman and was detained after a dispute with his girlfriend.
2.5
Today there was a different interpreter for Gov. Reeves’ briefing.
1.0
That’s all the Deaf News briefs for today.
Clearmask: https://www.forbes.com/profile/clearmask/?list=30under30-retail-ecommerce&sh=39d28bff78fc
https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-newsmaker-clearmask-20201130-wjjmfnv7pnfhffux4yjwy4ztwq-story.html
Congresswoman Pressley: https://twitter.com/AyannaPressley/status/1333217628463255555
http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2011/07/14/sandra_pressley_63_was_mother_of_city_councilor/?page=full
Charmay BASL: https://twitter.com/strongblacklead/status/1333440656971358210
https://www.dailymoth.com/blog/deaf-tiktok-video-goes-viral https://www.tiktok.com/@itscharmay?source=h5_m
Mississippi Interpreter: https://www.wapt.com/article/sign-language-interpreter-for-governor-arrested/34808166