Black English/Ebonics: What It Be Like?

Throughout history, African American weren’t considered the smartest race on earth. With slavery and being for bided to ever touch or learn to read a book, African American became the race that envy having an education. Education became a prime factor in the African American culture. Having an education to an African is having the one-way ticket out of the terrible streets. They believe that if they don’t know nothing they won’t get nothing. In other word, if they aren’t educated their life would remain the same. Way back to slavery, African American would be beaten if they were to open a book and dare to read it instead of cleaning it.

Racial formation is a vast sum of signifying actions and social structures that clash in the creation of complex relationships and identities that is a labeled race. Throughout the history of the United States, a large array of strategies was engaged in regarding education that took advantage of nonwhites. Since policies by those who supposedly “protect our rights” attempted to eradicate social, economic and cultural aspirations, dominated groups were more often than not suspicious of the school 's interests. According to John Ogby, “children from dominated cultures often failed school because they considered the school to be representative of the dominant white culture” (Spring, 101). This portrays racial formation having an effect on equality. “Acting white” meant to attempt to do well in school because

“There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about” (Hawthorne). In a shameful society, prejudice against an individual can go far beyond a child’s understanding of the society. On the other side, revealed, corrupt action often yields to ignominy and humiliation in public; thus, one would rather keep their guilt or shame to themselves for a perfect image. Similarly, during the 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a novel in Salem, Massachusetts, The Scarlet Letter, which he portrays the impact of humanity’s ceaseless struggle with sin, guilt, and hypocrisy in public or private matters. Moreover, he reveals the society’s internal and external impact on the nature of the individuals. Specifically, Hawthorne utilized

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt is about a young girl named Clara who was taken from her mother at a young age due to slavery. Clara dreamed about returning to her mother and escaping slavery. Clara lived with her “aunt”, who had gotten a sewing job for her at the so called “ big house”. She sewed quilts and other things for her mistress, Clara would sew in a room right beside the kitchen and would always hear people talking about a underground railroad. They would talk about how many black slaves tried to escape slavery .

African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is one special dialect of American English, and it is different from Standard American English. African American Vernacular English can also be called as Black English, Black Vernacular English or African American Language (AAL).Black English had been discriminated for a long time in history. There was a saying that “Black English is not a language”. The saying is not correct. According to Montgomery, culture should not be biased, but should be including all that are produced and shared by the society( Montgomery 7). Even though Black English is different from Standard English, Black English has its unique linguistic system. It has its own system in phonetics, lexicology and

African-American vernacular English has always been up for discussion since the 1990s, whether it is pop culture, mass media or educational journals. Although, it has become very popular during recent American media-whether it’s to ridicule or simply profit off the dialect- the history of AVVE goes back to slavery times. However, this dialect has always in some ways been in the spotlight, mostly negative views. Though this dialect is as special as Standard English. These negatives views or stereotypes can create biases towards those who speak it, in everyday life such as schooling or even being hired for a job.

For blacks, the history of higher education typically points to segregated education. Before the Civil War, the social system promoted the belief that blacks wouldn’t get return on their time spent in higher education. Brown and Ricard (2007) noted that most North institutions were reluctant to allow black enrollment in colleges and universities, and in the South, where slaveholder’s were still powerhouse businessmen, slaves would never be allowed to become more educated than their owners. The reluctance of the White leaders to allow blacks to formally be accepted into higher education programs held blacks back from achieving what many aspired to, and were fully capable of, experience.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE INTERVENTION THAT MAY REVERSE THE FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF BECOMING FRAIL

Through all of our readings this past weeks, some of the recurring themes were oppression and lynching. Both themes went hand in hand as lynching, as mentioned by Bosworth and Flavin, had been “a response to the perceived erosion of white male domination” (Bosworth and Flavin, pg. 77). As well, they mentioned that such act first surfaced through slavery although, as we were able to read in “The Lynching of Personas of Mexican Origin or Descent in the United States, 1848 To 1928,”lynching of minorities overall became a highly practiced act by the White race. Inequality, will be continuously seen in history and in all of our readings as one race tends to enforce dominance over others and create policies or acts that will barricade the rest from

Systemic oppression requires great scrutiny in order to critically analyze the elements that underlie the complex and impactful process. Furthermore, it is imperative to examine its relation with the governing ideology of the white dominated capitalist society of North America. Through this framework, racism is transformed into an implicit, or symbolic form, which functions outside the parameters of legality and condemnation (Bona-Silva, 1997); ), generating a paradigm where explicitly racist attitudes are fostered and are allowed to surface into society. Consequently, racism enforces the deprivation of status and power of visible minorities, allowing the power and privilege of the dominant group to remain unchallenged (Chaney & Robertson,

“No one is born hating another person because the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela. In today’s society, minorities deal with racial issues such as racial profiling, racial bullying in institutions, and because of these racial attitudes, groups and movements have formed due to these acts. To this day, society is still burdened with many people who do not fully grasp the concept of equality; because of this, outdated racial attitudes are still an ongoing issue in modern society.

African American Vernacular English (AAVE) refers to the specific dialect of English spoken by African American people. Many other terms are also used, such as Black English, Inner-city English, and Ebonics, but they all refer to the same vernacular of English (Lewis, 160). While Standard English is the English generally spoken in formal academic settings, AAVE is considered nonstandard (Lewis, 157). For many years, AAVE was the most highly researched English dialect, with more papers dedicated to it than to any other form of English (Wolfram, 282). Much of the research on AAVE focuses on its origins, the way it is viewed in society, how it diverges from Standard American English, and its effect on and place in the education of African American

If a non-Ebonics speaking person hears Ebonics, a dialect of English with slang,they may assume the person is of low intelligence, and is a criminal or violent in nature. Ebonics is a language that is widely spoken among many African Americans as well as those from very southern states. For example, in my town we have what we call “Rednecks” who have their own language. I understand it but I have personally come into contact with people from up North who cannot understand a word of what that person is saying.

Historically, United States battle against racism has come a long way from the days of colonialism, slavery, racial hierarchies, racial demarcated reserves, strict policies and segregation. And yet, discrimination and inequality continue to persist in our society. Howard Winant, an American sociologist and race theorist, stated that, “the meaning of racism has changed over time. The attitudes, practices and institutions of epochs of colonialism, segregation… may not have been entirely eliminated, but neither do they operate today in the same ways they did half a century ago (Winant 128).” The meaning and how racism operates may have changed over time but its negative connotations and implications in society continue to limit the individual’s understanding, explore and accept the complexity of each individual. Presently, racism appears less blatant and may appear “more acceptable,” but its existence and effect is undeniable. As a result, it continues to destroy society’s cohesion and ideas for equality. Racism is the ideology that devalues and renders other racial and ethnic group as inferior and it is reflected through the individual’s interaction, expression and attitudes towards others (Racism No Way). It is deeply rooted from historical, social, cultural and power inequalities. Racism has indeed shifted its course from previously stricter policies and practices of racism to individuals who promote multiculturalism, equality

Speaking out about the mistreatment of racialized students in education can be complicated when there is a strong influence in the culture of power, as Delpit discusses in her essay. The people in the culture of power are generally white, middle-class people and they experience irrepressible privilege within the education system. The power Delpit refers to is unintentionally sanctioned in classrooms today; however, people have not attempted to change this unequal power structure. Delpit discusses that there is “the power of the teacher over the students; the power of the publishers of textbooks and of the developers of the curriculum to determine the view of the world presented” (Delpit 283). Students of color recognize throughout time; the privileged white people are consistently in control of the way everyone else is educated. It is already engraved in their minds that white people have control over the culture of power; therefore, it is extremely hard to change the current structure. When students of color recognize this strong hierarchy of white people and underrepresentation of colored people in power, they turn away from wanting to receive an education.