The Real Ebonics Debate: Power, Language, and the Education of African-American Children [Paperback]

Theresa Perry (Author), Lisa Delpit (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0807031453 | ISBN-13: 978-0807031452 | Publication Date: June 17, 1998

In the winter of 1996, the Oakland school board's resolution recognizing Ebonics as a valid linguistic system generated a brief firestorm of hostile criticism and misinformation, then faded from public consciousness. But in the classrooms of America, the question of how to engage the distinctive language of many African-American children remains urgent. In The Real Ebonics Debate some of our most important educators, linguists, and writers, as well as teachers and students reporting from the field, examine the lessons of the Ebonics controversy and unravel the complex issues at the heart of how America educates its children.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The term "Ebonics" exploded onto the mainstream media in 1996 due to a controversial resolution by the Oakland school board recognizing Vernacular Black English in their efforts to teach their inner-city youth. This book offers some well-needed definitions and defenses of Ebonics as a legitimate language and grammar system of West African origin that should be understood by teachers. As Lisa Delpit writes, "The teacher's job is to provide access to the national 'standard' as well as to understand the language the children speak sufficiently to celebrate its beauty."

The Real Ebonics Debate details the history of Ebonics (a name combining the words "ebony" and "phonics") since 1973, including the Eurocentric bias in determining what language is and the American racism and coded media phrases that mark the debate. The book will be crucial to the understanding of this controversial issue for years to come. Along with famous essays and poetry by Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Paul Laurence Dunbar, the most important documents in this collection are copies of the actual Oakland Ebonics Resolution and the Ebonics Resolution Revision, which stated, "The superintendent ... shall immediately devise and implement the best possible academic program for the combining purposes of facilitating the acquisition and mastery of English language while respecting and embracing the legitimacy and the richness of the language patterns." --Eugene Holley Jr.

From School Library Journal

YA-Perry and Delpit invited a dozen scholars and practicing classroom teachers to contribute essays on the topic of "Power, Language, and the Education of African-American Children." In addition to these contributors, the editors include pieces by James Baldwin and Paul Laurence Dunbar; relevant full-text resolutions and policies from the Oakland, CA, school board, whose Ebonics Resolution in 1996 opened a national debate; and interviews. After setting the scene, the book is divided into sections that examine the role language plays in a developing student's life and in the power structure of the society; how teachers have used their own language skills (which include listening and understanding as well as speaking and correcting) to enfranchise their students; the ways white America has interpreted the use of Ebonics among African-American children and in adult culture; and when, where, how, and perhaps why journalists across the country misrepresented the Oakland Ebonics Resolution. This is a powerful, accessible and valuable volume not only for teachers and those who hold themselves to the duty of providing educational opportunity for all American children, but also for teens who are looking to understand their own language experiences and those of their classmates.
Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (June 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807031453
• ISBN-13: 978-0807031452
• Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 6 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MacArthur "genius" award winner Lisa Delpit's article on "Other People's Children" for Harvard Magazine in the 1990s was the single most requested reprint in the magazine's history; Harvard School of Education gave her its award for Outstanding Contribution to Education. She is now the Felton G. Clark Professor of Education at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she lives.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shedding light on an important educational issue., January 20, 2002

By 

AfroAmericanHeritage (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Real Ebonics Debate: Power, Language, and the Education of African-American Children (Paperback)

... As one who has actually read the book, ... I highly recommend it.

Contrary to media frenzy and popular belief, the Oakland school board did not pass a resolution in 1996 requiring that Ebonics, or Black English, be taught in place of Standard English. It did, however, pass a resolution recognizing what linguists had known for years: that Ebonics, like Spanish or German, is not defective English but a valid linguistic system following precise rules of grammar.

It also recognized that while students speaking Ebonics need to learn Standard English to attain success in mainstream American society, to do so they must be treated with the same respect as any student who enters the classroom speaking a different language or dialect. (English as a Second Language) Instead, they are often dismissed as lazy or stupid.

This collection is a common-sense look at the the issue, and a must-read for anyone who loves language.

14 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A multifaceted analysis of the Ebonics question, March 25, 2002

By 

Scott M. Rex (Ashland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Real Ebonics Debate: Power, Language, and the Education of African-American Children (Paperback)

I am writing this review for two reasons. The first is to praise this book for approaching the question of Ebonics and education from so many different perspectives. The second is to refute the racist diatribe in one of the previous reviews in which the reviewer criticizes Ebonics as being substandard. As a Ph.D. in linguistics, I can assure you that Ebonics is as rich and creative as any other language on earth. It is a language with a structure and a history going back centuries. The reviewer who criticized Ebonics does not understand how human language functions. It is not a question for debate. Ebonics is a language that is not inherently better or worse than any other human language. To allow speakers of Ebonics to discover this fact and to take pride in the rich history of their language can only be seen in a positive light, as far as I can tell. This book allows the reader to hear from teachers, linguists, and administrators who are experts in their fields. It should be required reading for everyone, but sadly it alone cannot overcome the prejudices held by some less enlightened members of society, as shown by one of the previous reviews.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, February 3, 2010

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N. Haack "avid bookworm" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Real Ebonics Debate: Power, Language, and the Education of African-American Children (Paperback)

This book untangles the complex questions of "ebonics" or "american black vernacular." It puts language into a cultural context and explains how understanding the cultural forces behind language help us learn and grow.