This week’s episode is a continuation of our discussion on Centering Blackness in Education. We are joined again by Dr. Lamar L. Johnson of Michigan State University to discuss Black Language, also known as African American Vernacular English (AAVE) or Ebonics. In 1996, the Oakland, California School District allowed Black English to be used in classrooms as a bridge for students to leverage their AAVE to learn Standard English. Along with Dr. Johnson, we explore how Black English is an important element of Black education and how it can be used to expand Black students’ educational experiences.

Lamar  L. Johnson is an Associate Professor of Language and Literacy for Linguistic and Racial Diversity in the Department of English at Michigan State University. He is interested in the complex intersections of race, language, literacy, and education and how English language arts (ELA) classrooms can become racial justice sites.

Sources

Baldwin, J. (1979), If Black Language Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is? New York Times, 29 July, 1979. 

Grieve, J., Nini, A. & Guo, D. (2018). Mapping Lexical Innovation on American Social Media. Journal of English Linguistics, 46(4), 293 - 319.

Smitherman, G. (1998). Ebonics, King, and Oakland: Some folk don't believe fat meat is greasy. Journal of English Linguistics, 26(2), 97-107.

Woodson, C. G. (1933). The Mis-Education of the Negro.