This past Sunday, 20-year-old Justina Miles not only served iconic performances but made history by being the first black deaf woman ASL interpreter at the Super Bowl.   

The Philadelphian native took the internet by storm with her tremendous talent and high energy.  Justina Miles seemingly stole the show and quickly went viral, particularly for her rendition of Rihanna’s song “BBHMM.” However, Miles wasn’t just signing during the Halftime Show for Rihanna’s musical performance. Prior to what has been seen most; surfacing all over the internet the past few days, Miles accompanied Sheryl Lee Ralph during the pre-show performance and signed ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing.’ She also has gotten her foot out the door long before and performed plenty of ASL renditions of music at a wide range of concerts throughout the country.  

Miles now has the title of making history on her belt but that accompanies a multitude of other incredible things as well. Along with signing at previous and various concerts, according to the National Association of the Deaf, “Justina was part of the USA team that went to the 2021/22 Deaflympics in Brazil and returned with a silver medal as part of the 4X100 women’s track relay team.”  The National Association of the Deaf also describes Justina Miles as someone who “lives to dance and creatively express through music and sign language.” She’s also extremely intelligent, once being the Valedictorian at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (Washington, DC) and now is a nursing student plus cheerleader at Bowie State University.  

Miles may also be a familiar face to some, as she went viral on the internet in 2020. Miles participated in the #CrushOnYouChallenge with her personal take on social media platform TikTok. The challenge is set on none other than Lil’ Kim’s song ‘Crush on You.’ The challenge and trend itself involve doing different looks with four different colors to each specific verse heard in the song. What made Miles’ TikTok stand out and gain immense popularity was that she did the challenge in complete ASL. Going back to the present day, it’s clear the talent Miles truly is, was always ready to share her gift and boldness to the world.  

Commenting on her two performances at the Super Bowl LVII, Miles said, “I value the opportunity to make it possible for all deaf people to enjoy these songs, and not have them miss out on the full Super Bowl experience.” When clips began flooding social media, people and users alike praised her for her passion and embodying her interpretation with nothing but vigor and excellence. Miles also publicly shared the advice that her mother gave her before she stepped out onto the main stage, “…who told me that she already loves me, and that if I am my Philly Black Self, everything would be amazing.”  

To see Justina Miles’ legendary ASL interpreting, energy, and dancing, you can click the link here for her pre-show performance and here for her half time performance!