310 Research Paper PDF

Preview

Summary

Research paper on a deaf individual in history - Michelle Banks
Grade: A...

Description

1

***** ASLI 310 Deaf Studies

The Life of Michelle Banks Introduction Michelle Banks is a deaf African American woman who has had a profound impact on Deaf black entertainment and culture. Banks was best known for being an award winning actress, however she was also a writer, director, and producer. She is the founder of The Onyx Theatre Company of New York City, which was created for deaf African Americans and has held numerous leadership positions with the National Black Deaf Advocates Association. Michelle Banks has accomplished many achievements and has had a great influence on the deaf African American community in her time and is continuing to do so to this day. Childhood/Education Michelle Banks was born hearing on February 24th, 1968 and grew up with her parents and older brother. Banks was born and raised in Washington, D.C. where at the age of one she went deaf due to spinal meningitis. According to “A Contemporary Black Biography” (2007), her parents were very supportive of having a deaf daughter and were willing to learn American Sign Language in order to communicate with Michelle. This article goes on to state that at the age of seven, Banks saw the film Sounder, which gave her the inspiration to become an actress. She told her mother she wanted to be just like that woman who was actress, Cicely Tyson. It was from that point on that Michelle Banks knew what she wanted to do with her life. Banks was schooled on Gallaudet University’s campus; Gallaudet is a leading institution of higher education for deaf and hard of hearing students.

2

At Gallaudet, Banks attended Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and then the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. Griffin (2004) claims that secondary school director, Tim McCarthy, continuously encouraged Banks to develop her interest in theatre. This is precisely what Banks did; after graduating high school she enrolled at Gallaudet itself and also took classes from the National Theatre of the Deaf. It was in 1987 that Banks transferred to State University of New York (SUNY) Purchase in Westchester County. Banks states that the reason being, “I was looking for a challenge, and I knew that New York was a better place for theatre” (A Contemporary Black Biography, 2007). Michelle Banks was the first deaf student at SUNY Purchase and graduated in 1990 with a Bachelors degree in Drama Studies. Onyx Theatre Company During Banks’ senior year at SUNY Purchase, she established her own Theatre Company for Deaf colored people named “Onyx”. The theatre was located in Brooklyn New York and thrived for eleven years, from 1989 until 2000. “A Contemporary Black Biography” (2007) quotes Banks explaining the reason the theatre is named Onyx; “Onyx is a black stone—the black represents people of color, and the stone represents deafness”. The theatre was made up of deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing actors, Banks included. Performances were in both American Sign Language and English and each set of actors were interpreters for the other. Banks told Kurlychek (1998) that the theatre productions were based on actors’ life experiences and were portrayed from their perspective on society. Due to the success of Onyx, Michelle Banks, founder and artistic director of Onyx Theatre Company, received the following awards: The Cultural Enrichment Award from Gallaudet University and the Distinguished Service Award from The New York Deaf Theatre (Contemporary Black Biography, 2007).

3

Acting Career After the success of the Onyx Theatre Company came to an end, Michelle moved across the country from New York to Los Angeles in order to further her acting career. Banks kick started it all back in 1996 with her travelling one-woman show “Reflections of A Black Deaf Woman” (Berke, 2014). When she moved to Los Angeles, she expanded the show with the help of a Christopher Reeve Acting Scholarship she was awarded in 2002 (Contemporary Black Biography, 2007). As a result, she brought the show to numerous cities around the country, including “The Kennedy Center in Washington”. The article above states that the show is presented in American Sign Language and portrays a relationship between a deaf mother and daughter. Banks claims to base the shows on life experiences of different African American deaf women. This one-woman show led to many opportunities for Banks, which included various television and film roles. Michelle starting breaking into television roles in 2002 when she had a fairly big role as the deaf boss of main character Lynn, on the UPN Network series “Girlfriends”. Banks also appeared on ShowTime’s series “Soul Food”, “10-8” on ABC and had a guest starring role on Lifetime’s “Strong Medicine”. Banks also starred in a national Yahoo television commercial during the mid-2000’s and her movie credits include “Malcolm X” and “Compensation” (Griffin, 2004). NBDA Involvement Michelle Banks had a very long and impressive connection with the National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA). Griffin (2004) states that Banks’ initial involvement with the NBDA was in 1986 when she was a contestant in their Washington Area Pageant. When Michelle moved to New York she became an active member of the New York City Black Deaf Advocates for eleven years. Banks was a very influential woman within this community of people and had a number of leadership roles and responsibilities. In fact, she

4

was presented with an award in 1997 for her “Outstanding leadership” within the organization. “She served multiple terms as a Board Member, was secretary, and choreographer for NBDA pageant dance routines at Atlanta and Los Angeles and coordinates entertainment for several NBDA conferences” (Griffin, 2004). When she moved to California in 2001, Michelle fused with the Los Angeles Black Deaf Advocates and became their Cultural Director; she continues to hold this position to this day. Additional Work and Achievements In addition to founding the Onyx Theatre Company and acting, Michelle Banks has also done teaching in more recent years. She has taken up numerous teaching jobs at various schools, including the school she grew up in. At the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, she played a big role in the Performing Arts Program for many years. She directed musical productions and claimed to “Enjoy supporting and inspiring the upcoming generation of deaf and hard of hearing artists and entrepreneurs” (“MSSD Alumnus Michelle Banks Recognized as Top Achiever among Deaf Women” n.d.). Another achievement made by Banks was being crowned as one of “The Pearls” in 2011. This event was created by Sheena McFeely to highlight the achievements of deaf women in America. McFeely states "A pearl is an object of beauty, which these women are, this event will show not only the world, but little Deaf girls everywhere it is possible to be a lawyer, actress, business owner, political leader, or animator. After all, each Deaf girl has a pearl within that is waiting to be revealed." On June fourth, Banks and nineteen other deaf women who are strong leaders in their fields were each honoured as being one of “The Pearls”. Other “Pearls” honoured with Banks include deaf actress Marlee Matlin, clinical psychologist Dr. Cheryl Wu and deaf artist Mary Rappazzo. Conclusion Michelle Banks was a very dominant and inspiring leader in the deaf African

5

American community. She had made many accomplishments and achievements that have heavily impacted the deaf and specifically deaf African Americans. As a result of Banks’ success, she has certainly left her footprint on deaf history and culture. Michelle Banks currently resides in Los Angeles, California and continues to work with directors and teach deaf and hard of hearing students. I believe Michelle Banks will continue to have an impact on whomever she encounters for as long as she lives.

\

6

References Anonymous. (2007). Banks, Michelle: A contemporary black biography. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2694400010.html. Berke, J. (2014). People - Michelle Banks - Deaf African American Entertainer. Retrieved from http://deafness.about.com/cs/celebfeatures/p/michellebanks.htm. Griffin, S. (2004). A rising star ‘lights’ up the world. Retrieved from http://www.workersforjesus.com/dfi/967.htm. Kurlychek, K. (1998). Deaf Actress Lights Up Stage and Screen. World Around You. Retrieved from http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/WorldAroundYou/mar-apr98/banks.html. MSSD Alumnus Michelle Banks Recognized as Top Achiever among Deaf Women. Retrieved from http://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc_center/mssd_alumnus_michelle_banks_recognized_as _top_achiever_among_deaf_women.html....