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JACKSONIAN courtesy Greg Goldman
September 2 - 15, 2020 Vol. 19 No. 1
ON THE COVER Kamesha Mumford Photo courtesy Kamesha Mumford
6 Editor’s Note 9 Talks
11 Rethinking Lake Hico With Entergy’s lease ending, the Jackson Public School District considers new ways to use the lake.
14 Progress
16 The Kundi Collection Local entrepreneurs create a line of graphic T-shirts with bold slogans.
G
reg Goldman has been signing since he was 2 years old. His father is deaf, and his mother is an interpreter, so Goldman is in a rare position within the deaf community—he is fluent in both spoken English and American Sign Language, and can translate between them. Aside from spelling out proper nouns such as names, American Sign Language has no roots in English, or any other written or spoken language. ASL is completely conceptual, and grammar, adjectives and adverbs, and even syntax, are unnecessary. “Where a hearing person might say, ‘I need to go to the auto mechanic next week and get my transmission fixed,’ a deaf person would probably just sign ‘need broken car fix,’” Goldman says. “They’re two completely different languages.” A professional sign-language interpreter since the age of 19, Goldman also worked as a dorm parent at Mississippi School for the Deaf and enjoyed a 20-year career at the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services. After retiring in 2017, he opened Goldman Interpreting Services. He now teaches classes and interprets full-time. “This is a challenging job,” Goldman says. “Not everyone can get up there in front of a crowd and do it.” Interpreters work everywhere throughout Mississippi including hospitals, doctors’ offices and courtrooms. Being a child of a
deaf adult, otherwise known as “CODA,” and his long history with the deaf community confer credibility and afford Goldman access to the nearly 3,000 signing deaf Mississippians. “This is a serious relationship for us,” he explains. “An (ASL) interpreter has to be trusted, skillful and knowledgeable enough to give the correct information.” Starting with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Goldman has interpreted televised press conferences for many statewide disasters. “It’s easier for the deaf community if I’m right there because 90% of sign-language communication is facial expressions and body language,” he says. “That’s why interpreters must be expressive on TV—so that the deaf community can understand the severity. The expressions are like the inflections of your voice.” The pandemic has pushed interpreters to adapt to the changing terminology of the pandemic—and Goldman is an ever-present fixture during Gov. Tate Reeves’ COVID-19 press briefings. “(ASL) is a living, constantly evolving language,” Goldman says, noting that the virus has affected how easily he is able to communicate with those who are deaf. “COVID has really interrupted the deaf world,” Goldman concludes. “Wearing a mask makes it impossible for some deaf people to read my lips, and it cuts down on seeing my expressions.” – Michele D. Baker
17 ‘Constant’ Exhibit Jackson artists collaborate to create an installation that protests against racial injustice.
18 Biz 19 Do-Gooder 20 BOJ- Legal 26 Bites 26 Melodies 27 Fall Events 30 Puzzle 30 Sorensen 31 astro 31 Classifieds
September 2 - 15, 2020 • boomjackson.com
Greg Goldman
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