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Black Lives Matter PSA For the Deaf Community

Watch the Powerful Black Lives Matter PSA a Father and Daughter Made For the Deaf Community

When Emmai Alaquiva's 8-year-old daughter, Makayla, approached him about the fact that there wasn't anyone doing sign language at the Black Lives Matter protests, he knew that had to change. Emmai used his background as a writer and worked with a team to create a Black Lives Matter video PSA in sign language called "Unspeakable," which he shared to YouTube on July 15.

"When I explained to her what was going on, she understood the magnitude that Black Lives Matter, so she began making these signs around the house – BLM here, BLM there," he told CBS Pittsburgh of his daughter. "One day she said, 'dad, there's no one doing sign language at these protests, what's going on?'" He continued, "It really inspired me to say, hey listen, we need to do what we need to do,' what we should do to amplify voices of everybody, and particularly deaf and those with disabilities."

In addition to supporting the deaf community, creating this PSA was a way for Makayla emphasise that all lives can't matter until Black ones do. She said, "I think [Black Lives Matter] is really important and if you're saying Black Lives Matter, that's like everybody's lives matter, and we all matter." Watch the powerful one-minute video above.

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