Talking "Black" Doesn't Mean I don't Want to Learn!

Over 60 years after Brown v. Board of Education, educational success remains elusive for low-income African-American children in the United States. With poor academic outcomes, these children continue to be at increased risk for lower earning potentials, higher rates of incarceration, and diminished lifelong health. Unfortunately, despite insufficient empirical evidence, decreased achievement motivation due to a fear of "acting white" continues to be a focus of inquiry. Through this lens, the fact that many low-income, African-American children enter U.S. schools speaking African-American English (AAE) continues to be marginalized and/or viewed as a deliberate choice. As a result, "talking Black" is often considered a conscious resistance to "selling out," relegated to "slang" as opposed to a systematic rule-governed, dialect variation of English. When children's AAE use is studied, it is most often viewed through a deficit or language-disordered lens. Regardless of perspective, low-income African-American children are not being provided with the resources and support they need for educational success.

Makeba Wilbourn is assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. She recently received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. This is the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their research.