Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity, and Pedagogy

by April Baker-Bell

Bringing together theory, research, and practice to dismantle Anti-Black Linguistic Racism and white linguistic supremacy, this book provides ethnographic snapshots of how Black students navigate and negotiate their linguistic and racial identities across multiple contexts. By highlighting the counterstories of Black students, Baker-Bell demonstrates how traditional approaches to language education do not account for the emotional harm, internalized linguistic racism, or consequences these approaches have on Black students' sense of self and identity. This book presents Anti-Black Linguistic Racism as a framework that explicitly names and richly captures the linguistic violence, persecution, dehumanization, and marginalization Black Language-speakers endure when using their language in schools and in everyday life. To move toward Black linguistic liberation, Baker-Bell introduces a new way forward through Antiracist Black Language Pedagogy, a pedagogical approach that intentionally and unapologetically centers the linguistic, cultural, racial, intellectual, and self-confidence needs of Black students. This volume captures what Antiracist Black Language Pedagogy looks like in classrooms while simultaneously illustrating how theory, research, and practice can operate in tandem in pursuit of linguistic and racial justice.　
A crucial resource for educators, researchers, professors, and graduate students in language and literacy education, writing studies, sociology of education, sociolinguistics, and critical pedagogy, this book features a range of multimodal examples and practices through instructional maps, charts, artwork, and stories that reflect the urgent need for antiracist language pedagogies in our current social and political climate.　

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Teaching, School, Social Justice, Professional Development, Race

Unknown Binding

Published May 1, 2020

Reviews

[Catherine Norman]

This should be required reading for anyone in education. I learned so much from Dr. Baker-Bell, and there is so much to consider from this short book. I only wish she had been able to expand her case study and apply it across different school settings.

"First of all, stop telling Black kids that they can be the next such and such and let them be the
first version of themselves."

“Black children are often not formally taught the linguistic features of their own language in the context of school. It is well known within multilingual education that literacy development and language learning should not happen at the expense of the loss of one’s mother tongue. Black students are not exempt from this theory although they are often excluded from it.”

[Jenell · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time teaching Writing Methods this year. Made this the first and central text for the class. So damn glad I did.

[Natalee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I skimmed through this book for a unit in one of my educational studies courses about Black Language (aka AAVE) in the classroom. Long story short: it is a valid language (duh) w/ plenty of history and its own set of rules, and students should not only learn to respect it as such but also learn about its history/rules just like they would White Mainstream English (aka "standard" English). Baker-Bell's book does an incredible job laying all of this out, and it is written in a way that is super easy to follow. She also includes a handful of helpful charts/tables (with their own table of contents! what a godsend!) that help sum up the information for someone on the go.

As someone who has learned about this topic before but had extensive knowledge before reading this book, I can recommend "Linguistic Justice" to anyone in general wanting to know more about Black Language. It provides a good foundation for learning about the topic, and is also a jumping off point for deeper studies. Baker-Bell references other authors extensively and links to a few videos too.

I don't keep many of the books I buy for these education classes, but this is one of few exceptions. I really can't rave about it enough.

[Antoinette Van Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew from the time I ordered this that it would be amazing and enlightening and a painful wake-up call, and boy, oh boy, was it all of those things and more. This should be required reading for *all* pedagogy courses, particularly those in the realm of English Education or TESOL (and various similar programs). Integration / intersection of race, language, class, and communication all play a role in how we perceive ourselves in relation to our circumstance and community. Education for everyone about Black Language and its permeation into / stolen status in popular English as well as its decriminalization should be available, as it is so necessary to further understanding oneself and one's neighbor— a necessity when seeking to love others and educate holistically. Very, very well-written and a topic I have not had any interaction with, particularly in such a practical way.

[Molly O'Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my “Representing Adolescence” class at Pitt, and boy, am I glad I did! I found this book to be so important in the conversation of young black Americans in education. The elements of white mainstream english, black language, and code-switching was so enlightening and such an important thing for everyone, not just educators, to understand.

[Shana Scudder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for all educators. Baker-Bell makes it clear that respecting linguistic diversity is necessary for ALL students and teachers, and that Black Language should not only be recognized but also taught as a legitimate language. Even if we as teachers must sometimes teach students how to "code-mesh" in order to survive in the world, we absolutely cannot let them think for a second that academic (white) language is somehow superior; it is simply one dialect among many, and eventually, I hope that books like this one pave the way for all languages to be fully honored and respected in society so that even code-meshing becomes an anachronistic notion that is no longer needed in school, the workplace, government, etc.

[Asfia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important read especially for English teachers. It really made me think about how I teach the English language and how cognizant I need to be. I really appreciated the bonus chapter on THUG life where it breaks down the activities, resources and themes that you can use in conjunction to the book, “The Hate U Give.”

[Erin Dittmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book absolutely changed my life and teaching practice. I started it at the beginning of the year, then returned to in for a grad class. I’m so grateful that I did. This book opened my eyes to the anti-black linguistic racism embedded in traditional literacy instruction. I am feeling inspired to use the framework Baker-Bell lays out and enact her anti-racist language pedagogy

[Allie Piippo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great theoretical explanations and practical application ideas. Loved reading the stories of the kids "getting it" as it made the practice come to life. The artifacts are practical and can be applied in various contexts. I appreciate Dr. Baker-Bell's contributions to the growing field of critical language awareness as applied to English education.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best textbook I ever read!

[hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best things i’ve ever been assigned for school!!!

[Mariah Oleszkowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really made me think about how I judge people who speak differently and how to help change perceptions of black language. I will be thinking about this book for many years. Although I no longer teach, the pedagogical discussions allowed me to confront my own bias and work towards dismantling it. The last chapter made me excited to read The Hate You Give (THUG) and tools/questions to be asking while I read it. There were also plenty of great suggestions for further reading.

Highly recommend this book for anyone who regularly interacts with people from the black language speaking community or for people who want to challenge themselves to think in an anti-racist manner regarding language.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written book that will challenge your linguistic beliefs and understanding. I didn’t feel shamed or belittled for my lack of knowledge. Rather I felt invited into the conversation and to the table to dismantle white supremacy and white linguistic hegemony. I highly recommend this book to ALL educators no matter the subject or grade you teach.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

April Baker-Bell might just be a new favorite of mine. I read this for a class on critical literacy and social justice pedagogy and I did have some base line understanding or base line experience with many of the sources she cites. I appreciated the voice she used in this text. I found it understandable and matched what she was advocating for. Sometimes in texts like these the voice utilized (for me) is at odd with what the author is advocating for, but this was not the case with Baker-Bell. With the book I had access to I didn't have access to the forward which is by Geneva Smitherman which seriously bummed me out, but still go grab this book!

Overall the structure worked. There were moments where the structure felt a little off (when she would reflect on a chapter I hadn't got to yet reading chronologically), but overall it worked. I appreciated the way Baker-Bell structured the book with smaller sections that are digestible and informative (especially because pandemic brain is a thing). So often, I read something about social justice pedagogy or about pedagogy in general and I'm left with a feeling of "that's great...but how do I implement this?" feeling. April Baker-Bell goes beyond that and articulates an avenue forward by providing sample activities and walks you through her materials.

If you are interested in linguistics, teaching, discussions of race and power, pedagogy or a myriad of other topics, read this book.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a useful overview of strategies to teach Black students out of internalized linguistic racism. Since I’d read a lot about this issue already, I thought that the theoretical sections were too long and offered little that was new, while I would have appreciated a deeper history of Black English and a specialized comparison of the linguistic features of Black English and white mainstream English for convenience’s sake.

Baker-Bell also seems to write for teachers with all-Black classrooms who are themselves part of their students’ linguistic community. This seems to me to be the greatest shortcoming of the book: I wish she had developed approaches for racially and linguistically mixed classrooms since that is what most teachers encounter in their daily work.

Finally, the point, emphatically made, that non-Black people don’t code-switch is simply wrong and decreases the work’s analytical heft. Students switch between dialects, sociolects, and, often, other languages in their daily communication practices, and some of these varieties have less prestige than others. It’s the linguistic status thinking, especially in its racialized and violent manifestation, that needs to be changed.

In any case, the focus on Black students’ ancestral linguistic practices is welcome and warranted, and I very much enjoyed this book.

[Holly Hillard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is definitely one that will make you really reflect on your practice as an educator. I learned a lot, but I finished it wanting more direction. As a white educator who works at a very diverse school, I’m unsure how to replicate some of the teaching experiences she explains.

Overall, ELA teachers and school leaders definitely she check this one out simply for a better understanding of linguistic racism.

[Sean Kottke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bracing, challenging, and liberating piece of scholarship that authentically centers social justice education in helping learners gain a deep understanding of the language they use and the intersection of that language with identity and power. Baker-Bell introduces a raft of important terms into the educational lexicon - among them, Black Language, White Mainstream English, Anti-Black Linguistic Racism, Anti-Racist Black Language Pedagogy, and Linguistic Justice - which are *not* there to obscure meaning from the lay reader but rather to operationalize the concept of anti-racist education in the context of language arts instruction in a clear, practical manner. This was my first encounter with the methodology of composite character counterstorytelling, and it was especially effective for conveying the process of linguistic consciousness-raising in the words of the study's participants. It does give me a lot to ponder in supporting implementation of new English language arts teacher preparation standards and helping teacher educators understand what it really means to support the languages students bring with them and use to express who they are and where they see themselves in the world.

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started very slow but the second half was better. I did learn a little and I guess I'm glad I read it but a lot of it was too academic sounding for my ears. I had to read it for a PD class and I have to say last summer, reading Textured Teaching, I learned more from that book. What I didn't know was the language component about the slaves not being able to speak in their own languages, that was never portrayed or specifically mentioned in any of the equity/ethnic studies courses or readings that I have come across. The idea that people were separated so as not to be able to speak or plot rebellion makes me think deeper about the people coming over on boats, enslaved. So sad but interesting that the captors decided to do that. How evil people can be, makes you think.
Am I glad I read it, not sure. It's my summer vaca, so yes.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book marks a paradigm shift in my thinking. I've been investigating grammatical instruction texts for the past year, and most advocate teaching students to code switch. So far, this is one of the first texts I've encountered that makes the argument that enforced code switching can have double-consciousness effects for people who use Black English. In other words, teaching students that they need to code switch negates part of their identity, suggesting that they have to hide part of themselves in certain contexts. This is an argument I've never really let myself think before, but now that I've started thinking it, I don't think I can go back. English teachers need to affirm and teach Black Language Consciousness to their students.

[Emily Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book after hearing Dr. Baker-Bell speak at a conference. Her message from that conference was a more shortened version of the work she conducted in this book. Both her presentation and this book explicitly name and call out the linguistic hegemony that persists in schools to this day, some of which I previously thought were benign (like code-switching respectability politics). The bonus chapter at the end makes the purchase worth it, as it is full of it practical resources for English teachers looking to incorporate the anti-racist linguistic pedagogy that Baker-Bell describes.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for educators in the English/ELA field. I learned so much! Not only theoretical knowledge about the history of Black Language, white language supremacy, linguistic racism, the structure and rules of Black Language, but also how to teach this important knowledge! Baker-Bell not only provides teaching artifacts and questions, but also gives readers a glimpse into the responses of her students. Her sources also have expanded my to-read shelf significantly. She's doing a workshop on my campus next week, and I'm so excited to think more about how to implement her ideas into my courses (FYW at a state college).

[meggggg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really insightful and awesome to read. I bought it in the fall but haven’t had time to read until now. I’m really interested to see how Anti-Black Language Pedagogy can be implemented in a high school English classroom. Baker-Bell emphasizes A-BLP’s role in ELA classrooms, but what about in a secondary school setting? I learned so much from this work, and have a whole new TBR thanks to her incredible resources. Also excited to bring this new knowledge into my pre-practicum in the fall/my culturally responsive teaching class!

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is needed today more than ever before. Dr. Baker-Bell has articulated a framework that should be used to guide linguistic interactions in education—from policy, to curriculum, to pedagogy. The writing is stunning and the concepts are laid out clearly. I highly recommend this work, especially in a world in which state sanctioned violence against Black bodies by law enforcement is refracted in state sanctioned violence against Black Language in classrooms.

[Annmarie Garcia Sheahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this text for English Educators and Language Arts teachers. All teachers and students would benefit from learning about Antiracist Black Language Pedagogy. Baker-Bell is brilliant...all of her work has helped me think about the ways I can start broader conversations about language and identity and language and power with my pre-service teachers. What a necessary and critical text this is.

[Peaches · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a great deal of this useful. Baker-Bell makes a compelling case for linguistic justice, educates readers on the difference between BlackCrit and CRT (which was especially helpful for my work in higher ed), and provides compelling depictions of students' experiences through their own dialogue. My only issue was that the title makes it seem like this book will include a lot more theory and examples, but the content seems to rely on a limited study.

[Ricardo Gonzalez-Carriedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book to understand the concept of Anti-Black Linguistic Racism. Centuries of linguistic oppression and marginalization are countered with a pedagogical approach aimed at pulling apart white linguistic supremacy. The ethnographic accounts described in the book show how such an approach is not only feasible but also necessary.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great study; short and sweet. I'm not a big fan of the composite sketch of students, if only because Baker-Bell referring to herself in the third person feels weird, but I see why she did it. Very useful information here about the history of Black language, as well as great exercises to do with Black students to empower them to embrace this language.

[Rachel Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to an important topic. It's a little surface-level, but in such a short, accessible book meant to be an introduction to antiracist linguistic justice, I think it does well. All educators should read this. As a future writing professor (who is also white), I highly appreciated learning more about this issue and thought the book presented some helpful considerations.

[Erin :v · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the most insightful work of sociolinguistics I’ve read. Even as a science teacher, Baker-Bell’s anti-Black pedagogy framework was applicable to my students. Engaging with my students by signifying and building relationships quickly promoted language diversity in my classroom and encouraged students to ask higher depth of knowledge questions in ways they felt comfortable.

[Richnovack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most important books in the field of English education, discussing how language taught in school perpetuates inequity. A must read for every English teacher, whether they like it or not.