10 Search results for "african american vernacular english"

Understanding the ‘cultural not remedial’ aspect of Black Vernacular English
“Why don’t you hand in papers in Ebonics since that is how you talk?” I remember someone asking me this in my early days of grad school. I then explained that, as a student, it was my job to perform particular scholastic duties – including showing a mastery of the traditional APA, MLA, and Chicago […]
How Ariana Grande uses “Black Cool” in her incremental appropriation game
by Ayika Tshimanga Ariana Grande recently released a music video for her song, “7 Rings”, a repetitive pop-trap&B tune with all the necessary ingredients to bring out your innermost bad bitch. The bouncy trap beat, braggadocious lyrics, and an attempt to ooze the kind of confidence radiating from pop stars like Beyoncé on “Apeshit”, or Rihanna […]
“I’m is talking right”: How the stigma around Black language holds us back from liberation
By Jae Nichelle There has been a language division among Black Americans for decades: African American Vernacular English (AAVE) vs. Standard American English (SAE). AAVE is a dialect used by Black people in social settings that pervades hip-hop culture, while SAE is the dialect generally taught in schools. Most people across racial lines do not […]
The ‘White Boy In Locs’ Movement Isn’t Just About A Hairstyle
At some point, we have to come clean about the toxic ways that whiteness works to perpetually erase, pacify, and root out blackness in the United States. And we have to be honest that cultural appropriation is a deeper ideological commitment than just a desire to emulate hairstyles, vernacular, food, and clothing.
Amandla is Right. Kylie (and the Kardashians) are Problematic.
The Kardashian-Jenners are no strangers when it comes to public drama. Usually, it’s the older half sisters of Kylie Jenner who are caught in public confrontation. However, a recent spat between Kylie Jenner (best known for being someone else’s half sister) and Amandla Stenberg (beloved Black actress from the Hunger Games series) highlights just […]
Reading Instruction for the Black Underachieving Student
The following post was written by Frank Simpkins, author of “The Unfinished Business of the Civil Rights Movement: Failure of America’s Public Schools to Properly Educate its African American Student Populations. Simpkins is co-author of “Between Rhetoric and Reality.” By: Frank Simpkins An overriding theoretical, philosophical and political consideration of the cross-cultural approach to education […]
Hooked on Ebonics: the controversy that swirls around this “language”
I was shocked to recently learn about the Oakland, California school board’s 1996 decision to classify Ebonics as the official language of its African American students. At the mere age of four, I was ignorant to the political and social controversy this decision stirred up nationwide. Now, at 19, I can understand the problematic implications […]
Speaking Our Own Language
For the past couple days the internet has been all keyed up over the DEA’s search for translators to help them decode the intricate and complex language of the drug game. In short, the DEA is looking for, as they call it, Ebonics experts. Wait what? Are we acknowledging the fact that Ebonics is a […]
Now That White People Have Declared ‘Bae’ Over, Black People Can Use It in Peace
“Majority culture’s adoption of the word, stolen from African American vernacular, distorted it to the point of misuse and meaninglessness,” writes Robin Boylorn for the Guardian.
What the backlash against ‘bae’ reveals about society’s attitude toward black culture
In a piece for Daily Dot, Derrick Clifton calls out the dominant culture that simultaneously appropriates and demonizes black culture. Although many people and brands love adopting African-American Vernacular English, it’s often denigrated and denied the same regard as any other words and phrases borne of popular culture. Unfortunately, the cultural backlash against “bae” reflects how mainstream […]