In this section of the Black Language Homework, we present BLACK LANGUAGE EDUCATION. We highlight teachers, praxis, and histories where Black Language has shaped classroom and community learning for Black children and youth.
It is terrible to think that a child with five different present tenses comes to school to be faced with books that are less than his own language. And then to be told things about his language, which is him, that are sometimes permanently damaging … This is a really cruel fallout with racism.
-Toni Morrison, 1981
In this section of the Black Language Homework, we capture the beauty, brilliance, and resilience of Black Language through Black children and youth language practices. We shed light on how Black scholars, teachers, and community educators have gone hard in the paint for generations for Black Language. The clips and resources included below will provide you with an entry point into historical and contemporary conversations, themes, and topics related to Black Language Education. BUT let us be clear, this is not a comprehensive list of resources. Part of your homework is to dig deeper and do your own study. Are y'all ready to get this work?!
First things first, we want you to CHECK YO SELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YO SELF! Real talk, before we let you go any further, we challenge you to check the anti-Black language ideologies that you carry with you. We ask you to meditate on the Toni Morrison quote included above. Let it sink in. Let it interrupt the deficit thinking about Black Language that permeates our classrooms and communities. Let it challenge you to reimagine the purpose of Black Language Education. Instead of approaching this section by asking what education can do for Black students and their language, we ask you to consider how Black Language has shaped classroom and community learning. That is, what can Black Language teach us about the language education Black students need in the 21st century? As our ancestor Toni Morrison points out, Black people are bilingual, but we ain't ready to see it, hear it, or believe it…at least not in education. As you engage this section, we ask you to keep the following questions in mind: What would it mean for us to acknowledge that Black students are bilingual? What would it mean for us to acknowledge that white mainstream language practices (or what some of y'all like to call Standard or Academic English) lack the full capacity for Black Language speakers to communicate our theories of reality, cultural knowledge, and values? |
Some of Our Favorite
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Black Language + Black Children |
Watch this clip of three-year-old Jayla talkin that talk to her Black teacher. Pay attention to how Jayla signifies and uses nonverbal aspects of Black Language. Jayla illustrates that Black Language is more than just the words and unique grammar; it is also what you do with the language. That's what we call Black Rhetoric..Reflection: As a Black Language speaker, what memories do you have using Black Language as a young child? What were your experiences using Black Language at home or in your community? What were your experiences using Black Language in the classroom? On Black Language Education: What can Jayla's Black girl Language practices teach us about language? What kind of language education does Jayla need to fully embrace the richness and brilliance of her language? For resources on Black Language and Black children, click here. |
Black Language + Black Youth |
Watch this clip of Peaches Monroee talkin that talk about creating the phrase "on Fleek" when she was 16-years-old. Pay attention to how Peaches uses Black Language and how she talks about Black Language. Listen to what she says about the commodification of Black Language and Black Linguistic Appropriation. Reflection: What memories do you have using Black Language in your youth? What are your memories of Black linguistic inventiveness and Black verbal creativity? What are your experiences using Black Language at home? In your community? With family and friends? At school? On Black Language Education: What does Peaches's linguistic inventiveness and verbal creativity teach us about language? What does her knowledge of Black linguistic appropriation and the commodification of Black Language teach us about the kind of language education Black youth need in the 21st century? For resources on Black Language and Black youth, click here. |
Black Language + Black Writing |
Watch this clip created by Dr. Carmen Kynard that describes how she challenges the notion of academic writing in her college writing courses. Pay attention to how Dr. Carmen disses the expectations of writing in the academy, the hegemony of white linguistic and cultural norms in writing classrooms, and the limitations of monolingual and unimodal writing practices. Pay attention to what she says about the relationship between writing and identity. Reflection: What are your experiences writing Black in non-academic spaces? What are your experiences writing Black in academic spaces? On Black Language Education: How does Dr. Carmen challenge writing teachers to rethink the purpose of writing ? How does she make space for Black Language in writing classrooms? How would you use the knowledge from Dr. Carmen's clip to speak back to ill-informed, wack writing teachers who be hating on Black Language? You know the writing teachers we talkin bout...the ones who sound like an encyclopedia and wear wool/plaid jackets with suede patches on the elbows 😏. For resources on Black Language and Black writing, click here. |
Black American Sign Language (BASL)
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Watch this clip about Black American Sign Language (BASL). Pay attention to how Andrea Sonnier uses sign language and what she teaches us about the Black deaf community's use of Black Language. Pay attention to how Micah Fields describes Black ASL and what she teaches us about how Black ASL connects Black people and how it makes Black people feel. Pay attention to what Warren "Wawa" Snipe says about how Black ASL reflects Black people's background, upbringing, and style. Reflection: As a Black ASL student, what are your memories of Black ASL at home? In your community? In school? On Black Language Education: In the clip, Candas Barnes explains that Black ASL brings another layer and adds another flavor to the whole notion of Black Language. How does Black ASL expand your understanding of Black Language? What do the beauty and richness of Black ASL teach us about the kind of language and literacy education that Black ASL students need in the 21st century? For resources on Black Language and BASL, click here.
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Black Language + Community Learning
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Watch this clip of Akua Page and Chris Cato (aka Geechee Experience) skoolin the people about Gullah Geechee Language and the Geechee experience. Pay attention to how they use Black Language and what they teach us about Geechee Language. Consider how they are educating our community about Gullah Geechee Language outside of the traditional confines of academia. Reflection: What are your memories using Gullah Geechee at home? In your community? With family and friends? At school? What are your experiences learning about Black Language in your community? On Black Language Education: How does Gullah Geechee Language shape classroom and community learning? How does Gullah Geechee Language expand our understanding of Black Language and Black Language education? What do Akua and Chris teach us about the power of community education and community learning? How does community language education reshape how knowledge about Black Language is produced, affirmed, and accessed? For resources on Black Language + Community Learning, click here.
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Historical & Contemporary Conversations
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Black Language Education
In this section, we introduce historical and contemporary conversations on Black Language Education. We begin this tour with a brief introduction on why the term Ebonics was created. Next, we revisit the Ann Arbor Black English Case and the Oakland Ebonics Controversy. We then spend some time learning about the history of Black Deaf schools. We conclude with two clips that advocate for Black Linguistic Justice. Also, check out our Black Language Demands page for a list of historical and contemporary resolutions and position statements in relation to Black Language rights.
On Ebonics, Racist Testing, and the Resilience of Black Children The History of Black Deaf Schools |
From Linguistic Racism to Linguistic Justice |
On Language, Race & Power |
The fight for Black Linguistic Justice continues.....
To reference this page:
Baker-Bell, April. "Black Language Education." Black Language Syllabus, 30 Jan. 2021, http://www.blacklanguagesyllabus.com/black-language-education.html
Baker-Bell, April. "Black Language Education." Black Language Syllabus, 30 Jan. 2021, http://www.blacklanguagesyllabus.com/black-language-education.html