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Black Language in the Classroom in Media

Black Language has been a heavily discussed topic for the last few decades. In the effort to make Black Language more widely accepted in America, different forms of media have been used to encourage that acceptance. Varying from comics, to TV shows, and documentaries or even the news, many bases have been covered. But the real question is have they been covered effectively? Generations have been raised to believe a specific way about language, and trying to change that in one fell swoop is going to be tough, that is why many believe that we should start in the classroom.   The documentary Talking Black in America discusses this issue in one of its sections. This sequential art form dissects the history of ebonics, and how it is being treated and looked at through education, in the workplace, or daily life. Ebonics is a topic that must be tread lightly on in media because of the way it is received, especially when it comes to in the classroom. Their argument worked because of their use
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Sometimes It's Okay

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 Lippi-Green uses this image from an online quiz to show how Black Language is viewed. Having Black Language is directly juxtaposed against the idea of having manors, the simple existence of having manors "makes you less black." Directly showing the negative view on Black Language, this image implies that at the end of the day vernacular makes you more or less well-received (p187). ( Lippi-Green, Rosina. English with an Accent : Language, Ideology and Discrimination in the United States , Taylor & Francis Group, 2011. pp. 182-210, ProQuest Ebook Central , https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.lib.uiowa.edu/lib/uiowa/detail.action?docID=958316.)
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Boondocks Comic

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  Boondocks was a comic created by Aaron McGruder, which later became a TV show that would ultimately end because of its controversial use of Black Language. Covering an assortment of dilemmas that occur within the African-American community, the show and comic did not shy away from any topic. In this specific comic, it shows the grandfather writing off Huey for his "conspiracies." As a black character, Huey is written to be the absurdly objective voice of reason against the majority while also being a bit extreme in views and blunt in his delivery.  (Retrieved from Cacibajagua, Dunama. "My Black Power Comic," Dream Variants , BlogSpot, January, 28, 2011, https://thedreamvariation.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-black-power-comic.html)
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Different Times to Correct

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 Similar to my own comic, this portrays the idea of the necessity to correct language. The character Jamaal writes a romantic poem for an English teacher he is dating, but because of her obsession with the perfection of language, it takes away from the romantic gesture he was trying to show. In this case, and many others, it simply isn't necessary or productive to correct language in such a way.  Smitherman, Geneva. Word from the Mother : Language and African Americans / Geneva Smitherman. pp. 1-19, Routledge, 2006.
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Anti Black Language comic 1 and 2

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These comics, both printed a little over 30 years ago show the intense backlash Ebonics received as it was being researched and attempted to earn validity.  The first equates ebonics to the similar-sounding Bubonic plague, saying one was the death of people while the other is the death of an english. Essentially saying the Ebonics is destroying English.   The second comic portrays the same message a bit differently. By comparing Ebonics to a time machine, it's saying that it is a vastly regressed and unsophisticated form of standard english that won't get anyone anywhere.  (Found on redit)
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Interview: Robert Taylor on Talking Black in America

For this interview I had Mr. Taylor view the documentary Talking Black in America , specifically sections 7:40-16:28 and 35:-39:50 as they pertain to the use of Black English in classrooms. Before watching I gave him a list of questions to think about, two of which I had him talk about in the interview. Then I gave him another list of questions to think about that related to what he watched. The final questions that made it to the interview were: 1. Off the top of your head, how have you seen black language portrayed in forms of sequential art (sequential art is movies, comics, shows, animation, etc.) 2. What experiences have you had in your own classroom of different dialects 3. What about the documentary’s argument did/didn’t work? 4. Are there things we can learn from black language (specifically looking at the 35:00-39:50 section) 5. How should we make a place for black English in the classroom Our interview can be viewed here .
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Comic Strip: A Time and Place for Everything

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