Imperialism and colonization has allowed many societal prejudices to become commonplace and ingrained as part of life. For Dowdy growing up in Trinidad being middle class and black, she was caught between English literacy and her own native literacy. “To ‘curse in white’ was the epitome of embracing the creed of colonization,” however; “as a product of her mother’s ambitions,” Dowdy was torn between expectation and being true to herself.
The biases that were automatically imposed upon Dowdy disallowed her to become comfortable with her own voice and culture as she was taught to be “a good girl.” She dressed had to dress the part to suite her mother’s desires. In the school systems the expectation to imitate the British way of speaking was an integral aspect of her educational experience as she says, “it is viewed by our esteem educators, to be a ‘dialect’ not fitted to the expression of higher thoughts.” How horrific to be judged by you voice, your dialect, your “youness.” And to feel as that “youness” must be striped from your being, erased from your core, has to be confusing and painful. Being left out of experiences unique to your culture limits literacy experiences.
But this is the epitome of all racism to have a mother shroud her daughter in the colonial racism that prevailed as society’s status quo. So she couldn’t be “ovuh dyuh” she had to be “over there.” Instead Dowdy felt as if she lived in a “mask” and didn’t question authority. But for her to question is to think and once she assumed the role of the “good girl” she chose to cherish her culture and be true to herself. She became rather empowered b her mother language and shared that with others leading the appreciation of her native culture in her school rather than disowning it. She had indeed lived life through two languages-one of her innerself, the other from the voice of the colonizer. This as she calls it “linguistic tension” made her feel as if she must speak the “white” language for survival and was divided. What we learn from this is to devalue a child’s own mother language is to devalue the child. As a teacher, it creates for me the relevancy of acknowledging the whole child native language and new language. As a teacher of ESL students, I try to encourage them to speak in their native language as well as learn English. For students only be allowed to speak English at a school creates that linguistic tension and to appreciate their own literacy and pull from that to create new literacy experiences learning English provides support and can empower students to learn.
I love the final paragraph Dowdy writes because it speaks volumes about what I think we all wish would happen to have the freedom to speak as we are and not be judged. As a southern girl, I know that there are times with I have been judged as a result of ungrammatical dialectal choices. Dating a man from Canada and having friends from various places of the country, I recognize the linguistic variations and find it fascinating. Often it is said though when I repeat how they say something or ask about a word they use, the first response is that I’m making fun of them; however, my intentions are usually just to hear it again or learn. That is what society does though is to poke fun at those who speak differently. As she says “we shall speak ‘clearly’ not just enunciate and put our soul’s reality out in the open.” That is what I wish for us all.
Delpit’s message is similar. I found it extremely fascinating to find out the real story behind the Ebonics controversy. This came about when I was young and I never really understood the real deal behind mainly the jokes I would hear. The media definitely spun the message from the sounds of it. It connects with Dowdy’s feelings of having to speak one way publicly, but on the inside having a different voice. How terrible for blacks to feel as if they have to prove themselves to be worthy to the ignorant people who don’t recognize or value individuals for their own voice. We should celebrate the person. Self-esteem is essential for language acquisition so how can we as teachers do all the talking without giving students their own voice. That personal connection of allowing student the opportunity to share and discuss in their own voice creates connections to their lives and personal interests. For instance it was amazing how Delpit’s daughter’s self-esteem improved dramatically when surrounded by other black students in a school that allowed her to give in to her culture. However, even when Delpit heard her daughter’s Ebonics she was concerned about her future and her well-being knowing that society’s notion of who people are is how they speak. While all along, the language of Ebonics was derived from “historic basis from West Africa languages.” It isn’t merely just a way of talking, but a link to their black heritage and cultures. So we must “invite the children into the language of school, we must make school inviting to them,” according to Delpit. We must listen to the children and give them the opportunity to be heard. Instead of expecting children to speak the way their teacher’s speak and regurgitate words and phrases we must hope that our society can move beyond the claims that even Michelle Obama made. I understand why she said what she said and unfortunately in our world we must play the game to gain success or use a filter when speaking publicly. However it is unfortunate, that was essential so she “still get her A.”
All in all, these pieces resonate with me and make me appreciate my own dialect more without feeling guilty. They also invite me to ponder more about how my children feel about their own language. In particular I had one student that allowed me to consider this more this past year than ever. When we talked and when he wrote his dialect was there, did I correct his words when we sat down together. I felt as if I should so he would understand the correct sentence structures and appropriate tenses. I also noticed a lot of his problems when spelling came as a result of his dialect and speaking Ebonics at home. The most linguistic freedom he felt was in journals, conversations, class discussions, and writing poetry. It is interesting to think about “listening beyond language form” because there is so much to be heard. I don’t want my students to be the story of the lady who is judged by the way she talks, but I’m pretty sure the world won’t change. So how do we have them distinguish that balance of using a filter without having them sacrifice their voices?
Amy Hardister