Language is an aspect of black culture that is often criticized for being incorrect or different from the dominant pronunciations of “proper English”. The first video is a segment from the PBS show “Do You Speak American” where Ebonics or African American Language as they call it is being “taught out” of the classrooms in favor of proper American English. The second video is a spoken word performance piece about Ebonics and being “bi-lingual”.
Watch the first video from the 9:13 mark to the 15:05 mark and the second video in its entirety. Relate these videos to the reading for this week when thinking about the following questions. When considering the points made in each video, who’s culture seems to “matter”? Within a CRT lens, what impact does considering the African American Language or Ebonics as lesser have on the students in the class?