Signs & Wonders

Valerie McMillan, one of only four Black certified ASL interpreters in North Carolina, has been voicing for others since she first learned to speak. Now at midlife, she must decide what it means to step into her own – a move that stands to shift the landscape for an entire community.

Signs & Wonders is a feature length documentary following Valerie McMillan, a Black interpreter and the only hearing child of Deaf adults (OHCODA), as she navigates her dual role as advocate and daughter while carrying the weight of five generations of silence in her family. Through her lived experiences, from interpreting court visits and medical appointments as a child to balancing motherhood, her professional work as a certified interpreter, and the writing of her first book, the film expands into a portrait of the Black Deaf community in eastern North Carolina, where language, faith, and resilience shape identity. Alongside Valerie’s family and community, the documentary explores the nuances of Black American Sign Language (BASL), generational trauma, and everyday survival, while raising broader questions about access, education, healthcare, legal disparities, and the role of technology for Black Deaf families. Signs & Wonders is both Valerie’s personal journey and a collective testimony to what it means to be heard, seen, and fully included.

Director | Lori Webster

Producer | Tatiana M. Johnson