ERIC Number: EJ1416939
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0425-0494
EISSN: EISSN-1754-8845
We BEEN Knowin: Black Women Teachers (Re)Member That Our Language Is a Living Legacy
English in Education, v58 n1 p6-22 2024
This paper explores how Black Women K-12 Teachers (BWTs) engage with Black Language, challenging prevailing narratives. Despite limited recognition, BWTs advocate for the authenticity of Black Language. The research centres on the 16-week Black Language Learning Series (BLLS), delving into the roots, rules, and ramifications of Black Language. Drawing from Black Feminist Thought (Collins 2000) and (Re)remembering praxis (C. B. Dillard 2016), the study employs the Double Dutch Methodology (Green 2014) to capture BWTs' diverse experiences. Two pivotal themes emerge: Linguistic Push-Pull (Smitherman 2000) while (re)searching, highlighting the struggle to balance native Black Language with standardised English; and (re)presenting while (re)claiming Black Language through African American Women's Language (AAWL). Thus, through the process of (re)membering, BWTs navigate cognitive dissonance, challenging harmful norms, resulting in greater awareness and a shift in perceptions of Black language, identity, and culture. The findings illuminate how exploring Black Language transforms BWTs' self-perception and pedagogies, leading to a complex interplay of liberation and linguistic transformation. Ultimately, BWTs begin and emerge as agents of linguistic justice, poised to reshape education by centring Black language.
Descriptors: African American Teachers, Females, Women Faculty, Elementary Secondary Education, Black Dialects, Language Usage, Standard Spoken Usage, Cultural Influences, Self Concept, Cultural Capital, Phonics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A