Documentary Assignment
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School
Georgia State University *
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Course
2120
Subject
Linguistics
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
3
Uploaded by BrigadierElephantPerson1041
Whitney Wilson 11/15/2023
EDUC 2120 Dr. Tiffany Flowers
DOCUMENTARY ASSIGNMENT
I watched the documentary, The E Word: Ebonics, Race and Language Politics. The documentary explores the history behind African American dialect during the 1996 ‘Ebonics Revolution’ in Oakland schools. This initiative took place with efforts to improve the performance of African American students by acknowledging students and the different patterns of language that are not standard English. The term Ebonics was created in 1973 after a few black scholars got together with the idea to redefine and define African American language. The concept of Ebonics had been grossly misunderstood by the public due to the misrepresentation of
the media. Ebonics was derived from ‘ebony’ and ‘phonics’. This gave African Americans as a community to define themselves and their linguistic variety.
Throughout the discussion on Ebonics and the scholarly debates, it was clear that the controversy surrounding this topic was centered around one thing. Race. White scholars and politicians were afraid that Ebonics was becoming a form of language being taught and introduced in schools. There was one statement that stood out to me that mentioned if a white scholar created the term Ebonics, it would be widely accepted. However, since a black man created it, that is why it is rejected. I completely agree. Ultimately, the school district of Oakland wanted to bridge the gap between what students
knew and how they may interact outside of school and what they ultimately should know from an educational standpoint. Essentially, I learned that although educational standards and decisions are made in choice of the state and district, there is a lack of cohesion in the decision-
making progress. One party focuses on the development of the student and preparedness for real world situations. While the other party supports a European standard of ideals and values that don’t apply to every individual. Once the media, as in politics, gets involved they miss the purpose of the topic at hand and fail to provide a solution for the betterment of these individuals.
I support the ideas in the documentary and feel that for Ebonics to be accepted, it first must be recognized and understood. The Oakland School District supported these efforts by observing what students already knew, accepting it, and in return taught them how to use it to learn the language that would benefit them for success. As a teacher, this should be a blueprint for success. I first must create an environment where students are accepted for who they are, no matter the status, cultural background, or ethnicity. From there, I must make an honest effort to educate myself on beliefs that may be outside my own. This will help me remain open minded while learning and accepting who my students are as individuals. In return, it will help me evaluate the way I teach and ensure the goal of preparing my students for success is met. It will also encourage me to push for what is right and that even though race may be at the forefront of a
lot of issues within the education system, these issues must be represented, and awareness must be spread for change to begin.
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