In this analytic conceptual essay, and from her standpoint as an African American woman teacher/researcher, the author presents a rich description of a personal sensibility and promising professional practice for literacy educators and those who prepare Reading/English/Language Arts teacher candidates for service among students who are historically marginalized and underserved by schools and communities. First, the author examines some of the literature on the racial and gender identities of most teacher candidates in America, the corollary between this group's inexperience with students who are different from them, and conceptions about language in relationship to racism and sexism. Second, she provides examples of the ways demeaning words are used in popular culture narratives among those who are privileged and how their words alienate and oppress "others." Finally, she defines the "Agitator Identity Trait" and articulates the ways it can develop promising pedagogical practices among teacher candidates, counter wounding words, and assist students' counter-oppressive thinking and action. While she ultimately contributes these promising practices for identifying and countering overt language adversities as they occur in popular culture narratives, the author also presents a brief review of the two primary ways language adversities function--covertly and overtly--as a way to frame the intersections of racist and sexist ideologies, language, and human objectification. (Contains 3 notes.)