Recently, an educational debate from the late 20th century has reemerged, ironically in the same locale from which it originated.
Ebonics, a hybrid of Black English and standard English, has stirred up controversy recently as Black educators in California have started a movement to legitimize its use in preschool and elementary school to facilitate youngsters’ literary skills while honoring their cultural legacy.
This was the focal point of a controversy in 1996, when the Oakland Unified School District endorsed Ebonics as a legitimate, separate language. Their rationale held that validating speech patterns utilized by African American preschoolers might facilitate their ability to adopt standard English and benefit their initial entry into the educational system. In essence, it held that Ebonics, or non-standard English, was the primary language in the domestic and social lives of students in that specific community.
In the meantime, a continuous exchange of opposing viewpoints has supported both sides of the issue. Notables such as poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou and disgraced comedian Bill Cosby were among the most vocal opponents.
Conversely, radical education activists have formed coalitions, especially in the liberal bastion of the Bay Area, California, among them the Black Californians United for ECE (Early Childhood Education), or BlackECE for short. They are committed to combat what they feel is bias against (in their opinion) a traditional, rule-governed language rooted in the community and culture of Black history.
“Ebonics,” a combination of “ebony” and “phonics,” was conceived by various psychologists, particularly Robert Lee Williams II, who coined the term “Ebonics,” which combines “ebony” and “phonics.”
He specialized in studying cultural biases in standardized testing, especially IQ tests. Among his contributions was the Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity (BITCH-100), but he is best known for his work in Black linguistic practices.
BlackECE has bundled their position on Ebonics within the larger context of reparations and a 10-point policy plan, reminiscent of the Ten-Point Program that the original Black Panther Party proposed back in 1966.
One of their arguments is that children in this country—and around the world—grow up bilingual, speaking more than one language in their daily lives. A prime example is the Chicano dialect or slang derivative known as ”Caló,” which is said to have originated in the Southwest among working-class “pachucos.” Like Caló, Ebonics has been associated with the lower-class, possibly criminal faction of ethnic minorities.
In 2010, the Drug Enforcement Administration actually posted an ad seeking “Ebonics translators” to work out of its Atlanta field offices. It read in part:
“The U.S. Department of Justice is looking for fluent Ebonics speakers to fill nine drug enforcement jobs, giving merit to a dialect that experts say is often mimicked and little understood.”
With the advent of hip-hop or rap music, Ebonics has been utilized and appropriated, even among its White practitioners.
For more on this ongoing debate over linguistic duality, go to the following websites:
