Last weekend Shoshannah Stern, a deaf Hollywood actress, was part of a pro-Barack Obama web video titled “Yes We Can” along with other celebrities such as Scarlet Johansson, John Legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Herbie Hancock. The video was posted just prior to Super Tuesday and, according to USA Today, recently hit 3.7 million views.

Shoshannah has starred in TV shows such as “Threat Matrix”, “Weeds” and “Jericho” and has guest starred in a number of hit TV shows. You can visit her website here. She is on Barack Obama’s fundraising committee and is a staunch supporter of his campaign. I applaud her for standing up for her political beliefs and sharing them with the world. She agreed to do an interview with me for DeafDC.com.

To see Shoshannah’s part in the video, go to 2:03 at:

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Being part of this historic video is an amazing honor. How did you become involved in the “Yes You Can” video?

I really had no idea it would have this big of an impact when I did it, which is probably a good thing. I shot it only last Thursday. I have a friend, Sarah Pantera, who works for Obama’s campaign. She was the one who got me onboard the Young Hollywood Fundraising Committee for Obama last year. She had opened a restaurant and I came to have dinner, and we were talking about the state of affairs in America and I mentioned, just offhand, that I had just finished reading The Audacity of Hope. A conversation ensued, and it ended with her asking me to come onboard the committee. I’ve done several things for Obama’s campaign over the year, and at the time I thought this was just another one of those things. I was not anticipating how quickly it would spread or the huge response it would get. Then again, I don’t really believe in anticipating how things will turn out in general.

Anyway, Sarah sent me an instant message, asking me if I was in town, and I said yes. She said that her, Will.I.am, and Jesse Dylan were working together on a music video set to Obama’s “Yes We Can” speech, and would I mind coming in and being a part of it? I said absolutely, came in, and they provided me with the portion of the script they wanted me to cover. I had to do a translation on the spot. The wording was so inspirational and almost poetic, that I didn’t want to do a simple word for word translation. I wanted to capture the beauty and power of the words in a way that only American Sign Language is capable of. I actually wished I had more time to do a more in-depth translation, but the whole feel of the project was very spur of the moment. It was really about people coming together and shooting straight from the hip for a common purpose. Nobody really rehearsed. They just came in and did their part, and I was no different.

Since you’ve thrown yourself firmly behind Obama, can you tell us why Barack Obama the best candidate to lead our nation?

My personal reasons for supporting Obama is almost purely emotional. When Bush was elected for a second term, I went into a state of almost-depression for a while. I felt like it represented a huge divide in America that I hadn’t known existed before that. I’d always been a Democrat, and a strong one at that, but I never felt political enough to make snap judgments of people just because of their political affiliation. All that changed with the last election and with so many divisive issues flying in the face of our country. I felt a strong sense of fear and hopelessness, one that almost paralyzed me at times. I didn’t feel good about America’s future, and that affected my outlook on my personal life. Then when I read Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope, I felt as if things could, and would change. We need a unified America. We need to repair the rift that has split our country in two. We need to repair our relationship with the world. We need to take responsibility for our mistakes and move forward as one. I feel Obama is the only person capable of doing that, and that is why I support him.

How would you respond to criticism that Obama’s campaign is empty rhetoric and powered by celebrities and political stars?

What naysayers may call empty rhetoric, I call speaking my language. This is the first time I’ve felt moved enough to be involved in something politically. I’ve always had strong beliefs, but never would have called myself a political person before this, and I will not call myself one after this. I felt like politicians were always speaking in their own native tongue that couldn’t always translate to the everyday layperson. Am I a pundit with years of political experience? No, I’m not. I’m an everyday person with a job some people might call extraordinary, inspired to lend my voice to someone I believe can make a difference. Am I the right person to go on Crossfire and defend Obama? Absolutely not. Neither is Scarlett Johansson. That’s not the point. McCain has his share of celebrity supporters, politically affiliated or not, and so does Clinton. Empty rhetoric is a matter of perspective. What about using fear as a tactic to manipulate Americans into going to war? Now, that is what I call empty rhetoric.

When you decided to support Obama, how did the deaf and hard of hearing community respond?

A community only exists as many individuals united under one goal. I am a member of the deaf community, as much as I am a member of many others. Not all Democrats support Obama. That is to be expected. Not all deaf people are Democrats, though I admittedly have a hard time understanding why! We are all entitled to our own opinions and beliefs. That’s what makes us human. I am entitled to mine, and I am only speaking for myself in my own particular voice. I don’t expect to speak for the entire deaf community just as much as I don’t think Hillary speaks for me simply because of her gender. I’ve had people shoot me down for my support of Obama. I’ve had people who are wildly overjoyed that I decided to show my support for him in such a public way. I’ve had people question why I’m not behind Hillary instead. The bottom line is that I’m overjoyed this dialogue is happening. We need to become more involved with each other. We need to start talking about things almost as much as we need to start listening. If I’m helping make that happen in one tiny way within our specific community, then great.

It is rare for a deaf celebrity or leader openly show their support for a candidate, why do you think this is the case? Should more find the courage to do so?

I don’t know. I never want to speak for anybody other than myself. I’ve never felt the need to throw myself behind any one candidate before because I did not feel as if any one of them touched me personally. I did not feel educated or qualified enough to stand up for them. I believe if people really believe in something, then yes, they need to find their inner voice and use it. It’s also true that in this day and age, a lot of people speak out just for the sake of speaking out. Too many of us are enamored of the sound of our own voice. For instance, yes, absolutely, by all means, go ahead and rock the vote, but know what you’re voting for. Don’t just show up to the ballots and assume, just because of how propositions are worded, that they actually mean what you think. You have to do your homework and make sure you know exactly what you’re speaking out for. Make your voice count. Remember that for every minute you’re talking, you are not listening. If you are not listening, you are not learning.

As a member of Obama’s fundraising committee, can you tell us why we should donate to political campaigns?

Money is a way to ensure that your voice is heard. It represents action, because money really is what sets things in motion. Wars have been fought, and will continue to be fought, because people want the right to have a say in what happens in their own country. Here in America, we won the right to choose the people who will decide what will happen. That right shouldn’t be taken for granted. For so many people in the world, it’s still a privilege that will, unfortunately, lie out of reach for them in their lifetimes. I liken making a donation to tipping your waitress for serving you. If we like someone enough to allow them to make decisions for us, making a donation is like gratuity. If you cannot afford to do that, then there are other ways to donate. You can donate your time by signing up to work for your local campaign. Stand on busy intersections and wave signs or post then outside your home. Put a bumper sticker on your car. Start a dialogue with someone you know. Instead of checking TMZ.com in the morning, start reading up on articles on CNN.com. Consider it a donation to yourself, and then pay it forward.