The Black Side of the River: Race, Language, and Belonging in Washington, DC

by Jessica A. Grieser

In The Black Side of the River, sociolinguist Jessi Grieser draws on ten years of interviews with dozens of residents of Anacostia–a historically Black neighborhood in Washington, DC–to explore the impact of urban change on Black culture, identity, and language. Grieser’s work is a call to center Black lived experiences in urban research.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Dc Comics, Sociology, Politics, Linguistics

261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2022

About the author

Jessi Grieser is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Michigan. Her academic work focuses on the linguistic navigation of racial identity, especially Black American identity, through discourse and language features. Her first book, THE BLACK SIDE OF THE RIVER, about the ways Black residents of the historically Black neighborhood of Anacostia, Washington, D.C. use language to navigate Black placemaking in the face gentrification, was released in 2022 from Georgetown University Press.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The synthesis of Dr Grieser’s interviews of Southeast DC residents is SO strong, and honestly left me really encouraged in that inevitable change across the Anacostia River (where I work) can be a force of good when “driven by the community for the community.” Each interviewee reckons with the different characterizations of a concentration of Black residents East of the Anacostia River and what gentrification looks like/will do. Above all, the solution is maintaining the integrity of the “neighborhood’s Black culture at its core.”

This would be a 5 star book but a majority of it was super academic and hard to get through. Thorough, and interesting, but certainly dense.

[Alex Anacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had trouble finishing this one; it is rich with insights for the sociolinguists of the world, but with the vast scope of the author’s interview efforts, she leans heavily on explaining academic concepts for pages at a time rather than accessibly communicating information.

It should be noted that the author’s focus is on linguistics, not really on placemaking or urbanism or economic development. She lends some nuance to her explanation of these areas but does not come at them from a position of authority; her authority, rightfully, is that of the people of Anacostia.

This could be a WaPo story or a journal article, but as a book it is clear that the author positioned herself at a distance from the community and gave a halfhearted effort at explaining the complex political and social and historical developments that have shaped life east of the river. As a consequence, a reader unfamiliar with DC would be mistaken by thinking this is an authoritative perspective, and a reader familiar with DC should know that there is more to be said on how communities have ebbed and flowed (see Chocolate City).

Perhaps I am misreading the author’s purpose; she gives voice to the Black community of Anacostia, yes, and interprets what they say and how they say it. She is ultimately studying their behavior. However, the lack of historical context on post-2000 DC political and economic change hurts her message.

What resonates most is when she notes that, while there is a sense among some residents that Anacostia has shifted and gotten whiter, it has not; Census data east of the river reflects a population growing more affluent, yet not more racially diverse. That — and the migration to PG County — is the most compelling story here.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Black Side of the River: Race, Language, and Belonging in Washington, DC, Dr. Jessica A. Grieser explores the intricate connections between language, identity, and community in the historically Black neighborhood of Anacostia. Based on years of interviews, Grieser demonstrates how Anacostians use language to assert their positive place identity, which is linked to their Black identity. By engaging with Anacostians' lived experiences, Grieser demonstrates the relevance of her study in real life, beyond sociolinguistic studies or literature. Her interviews with Anacostians also bring a human dimension to the sociolinguistic analysis, making her argument more resonant.

This book offers a valuable contribution to the field of sociolinguistics, especially for those with prior linguistic knowledge. I particularly admire Grieser's rejection of prescriptive grammar rules and fairly accessible writing style, emphasizing the value of all languages. However, the book assumes some familiarity with specific sociolinguistic terms and, at times, lacks a broader contemporary context. Nonetheless, Grieser's book is a must-read for anyone (like me) interested in sociolinguistics, intersectionality, and the interplay of language, race, and place identity. It provides a unique perspective from Anacostians, with insights that may be difficult to find elsewhere in the field.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting look at race, gentrification, community, and overall geography of Anacostia through language. I have no background in linguistics but the author lays it out clearly. Really appreciated some of the introductory explanation behind some of the author's later word choices, too; felt that was a helpfully deliberate and thoughtful approach!

Seeing Anacostia through the eyes of long-time residents was a great way to get to know a community and its history, especially one that has changed in many ways, and being introduced to the linguistic tools to help quantify that understanding of identity and belonging was really fascinating. I was not expecting such a nuanced discussion of gentrification, either, and this has really given me some new ways of thinking about the way Anacostia -- and Washington, DC, as a whole -- is still changing.

Highly recommend!

Editing to add that while this has the feel of an academic thesis-turned-book, yes, it is still very easy to read, which is not always the case with such books. But due to that, it is exceptionally well-sourced, and I have some sources to follow up on in some sections I'd like to learn more about!

[DW Rowlands · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating of this book as only three stars reflects its relatively low interest to me—a reader who is more interested in issues of race in DC from an urban and human geography perspective than from a linguistic perspective—but it was definitely thought-provoking and interesting to read as someone who grew up white in Prince George's County, Maryland, and so who is familiar with many of the uses that Jessica A. Grieser is writing about, but had never heard them analyzed in so much depth. I'm still not sure how I should shelve it, though: under my books about language or my books about cities. The latter seems more likely, if only because that lets me put it among my DC-specific books.

[Ona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this interview rich examination of Anacostians’ perspectives on their community, gentrification, and change

[Michael Wichita]

A great book to read after "The Yellow House."

[Teddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly fascinating cross-section of linguistics, geography, and identity. Important read, especially for DC residents.

[zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good analysis on gentrification & preserving Black spaces