The following was part of a written response shared by a preservice teacher in my (first author’s) math methods course when I asked her and her peers to discuss their stance on the use of Black Language in learning settings: “I do not believe that Black slang should be used in the classroom, especially as the teacher. Because, when teaching phonics, it can be hard for young children to hear the correct pronunciation of sounds in words. We should teach all children the correct way to pronounce individual sounds and words.” This response reflects the view that using Black Language in educational settings is not appropriate or “correct,” revealing an outlook situated within anti-Blackness, which is a pervasive bias against African American people and their cultural practices that is often unconscious (Dumas & ross 2016). Despite the linguistic sophistication of Black Language, misguided views and implicit biases persist. Teachers often discourage and inhibit African American children’s organic expressions, both spoken and written, even though correcting African American children’s language is harmful and counterproductive in fostering language acquisition and development (Lee 2017). (See “An Overview of Black Language and Raciolinguistics” below).

We (the authors) are teacher educators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and work with preservice educators. Our aim is to sever counterproductive and damaging linguistic ideologies and to end practices in learning settings that require children to talk in a way that fits a standardized form of English (what we refer to as White Mainstream English). We advocate for teacher education programs and faculty to prioritize equipping current and future educators with the knowledge and approaches necessary to create rich and inclusive educational environments where all children can express themselves authentically and where diverse linguistic practices are valued and celebrated.

In this article, we focus on the language practices of African American children and share about the need for a pro-Black Language perspective to be woven throughout educator preparation programs. In addition, we provide three strategies that teacher educators can use to help teacher candidates explore and examine their views on Black Language. These include identifying biases and examining current beliefs; building background knowledge; and summarizing, synthesizing, and reflecting on learning.

Our Context

We are African American women educators and inheritors of Black Language. We are also former classroom teachers. Combined, we have worked in the early primary grades through secondary education and across the curriculum, including mathematics, language, and literacy. We are currently teacher educators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where we teach math methods and early childhood and elementary education (first author) and 6–12 English and language arts methods and reading across the content areas (second author). Because our professional backgrounds cut across grade levels and content areas, we jointly offer a unique perspective on how language and cultural practices influence learning across disciplines.

We individually identified the need to address equity through a pro-Black lens based on the experiences we have had in our education-related roles over the years, where we have repeatedly witnessed preservice educators, seasoned professionals, and administrators express erroneous views of Black Language. In 2020, we met at UAB and connected over our shared goal to promote pro-Black pedagogies with teacher candidates and to encourage colleagues to do the same in their courses to address the deep issues of anti-Black racism in education spaces (Dumas & ross 2016).

Pro-Black Pedagogy in Teacher Preparation

Early childhood educators are called to operate from the knowledge that “equity in education begins in early childhood and that [they] have a special opportunity and responsibility to advance equity in their daily classroom work with children and their work with families and colleagues.” This includes understanding and being responsive to issues of bias and social justice (NAEYC 2020, 24). However, this responsibility does not belong to educators alone. Teacher educators have a crucial role in supporting current and future educators as they develop their belief systems about teaching and learning and to advance equity, more specifically with marginalized populations. As Sealey-Ruiz (2021) states, “preservice teacher education programs are critical sites for foregrounding the discussion of race and problematizing the ways in which the social and academic behaviors of Black and Brown students are misread” (60). Indeed, “professional preparation programs should work to ensure that they reflect principles of equity and diversity throughout all aspects of their curricula, including related to race, ethnicity, and language” (NAEYC 2020, 27).

Evidence shows that more work is needed to attain these expectations. For example, an experimental study by Gilliam and colleagues (2016) revealed teacher bias in relation to African American boys in preschool classrooms. In the study, early childhood teachers were asked to watch videos of four children in a classroom (one African American girl, one African American boy, one White girl, and one White boy) and to identify disruptive behavior. Unbeknownst to the participants, the children did not, in fact, exhibit problematic behaviors. Yet 42 percent of participating teachers identified the African American boys as demonstrating behavior issues. Eye-tracking results showed that they gazed at the African American boys more than any of the other children, an indication that they perceived the African American boys required the most attention. Similarly, Morris and Perry (2017) found that African American girls in grades 6–12 are three times more likely than White girls to receive office referrals, often for subjective infractions. These studies exemplify a broader pattern of racial bias in educational settings, affecting perceptions and disciplinary actions toward African American children.

In thinking about educator preparation, anti-Blackness is not a separate “special problem” to be relegated to one course on diversity (Green 2024). Culturally and linguistically responsive approaches that highlight the strengths of African American children and the language they use can and should be embedded throughout teacher education coursework. Coupled with the focus on equity in early childhood noted earlier, national organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of English (2022) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2020) identify schools and early learning programs as responsible for creating, supporting, and sustaining a climate of respect and appreciation for linguistic and cultural variation. Teacher educators can address pro-Black Language curriculum and approaches in any course they teach, whether it be math, social studies, play, teaching methods, or practicum seminars (see Boutte et al. 2024). (For more on pro-Black pedagogy at this level, read “Toward Pro-Black Early Childhood Teacher Education,” by Meir Muller and colleagues, in the Spring 2022 issue of Young Children.)

Valuing Black Language in Early Learning Settings

NAEYC’s “Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education” position statement (2019) contends that educators acknowledge the legitimacy of children’s home languages and cultures and understand that they are cognitively, linguistically, and emotionally connected to both. It is crucial to acknowledge that Black Language is not merely a set of rules or vocabulary but an embodiment of identity and a way of making sense of the world for many African Americans (McMurtry 2024). When teachers expect children to speak according to White linguistic norms, they may impose cultural clashes that incite harm (Kochman 1983; Loosen & McMurtry 2019). Thus, educators, programs, and schools must recognize, honor, and be responsive to an African American child’s language and culture.

To be responsive to the linguistic and cultural identities of African American children and families, preservice educators must acknowledge Black Language on its own terms (Turner 1985). This involves understanding Black Language as a rich language system encompassing distinctive grammar, discourse patterns, and narrative styles. African American children as young as 3 exhibit an understanding of Black Language’s distinctive grammatical structures. For example, they can understand that the verb be in the sentence “Cookie Monster be eating cookies” conveys a habitual action, and they know the rules about when and when not to use the habitual be (Jackson & Green 2006). In a 1981 interview for The New Republic, Toni Morrison discussed the grammatical capacity of Black Language and the impact of limiting that capacity in learning settings:

This highlights the need for educators to recognize that in addition to welcoming Black Language, we must also recognize that White Mainstream English may limit students who possess additional grammatical resources for expression (Rickford & Rickford 2000).

In addition to grammatical facility, African American children also demonstrate a range of narrative abilities (Bliss, Covington, & McCabe 1999). Their narrative styles make use of patterns to convey time, sequence, and recurring events. For example, researchers have found that African American children may employ topic-associating narratives, which feature a series of thematically linked episodes or anecdotes, in addition to topic-centered narratives, which feature a linear organization (Champion 1998; Bliss, Covington, & McCabe 1999; Champion 2003). The topic-associating narrative style has roots in African oral traditions and can also incorporate call-and-response patterns, repetition, and vivid imagery (Smitherman 2000). Avoiding erroneous assumptions about the efficacy of African American children’s narrative styles in educational settings requires knowledge of their rich linguistic practices (Bliss, Covington, & McCabe 1999). By moving beyond evaluations of correctness, educators can better understand how Black Language shapes African American children’s complex communications, including their grammatical and narrative structures.

Toward that end, we implement an activity with preservice educators to expose them to the critical issues surrounding Black Language in education spaces and the necessity to recognize, value, and sustain Black Language in their future learning settings. The activity illustrates that teachers who lack knowledge about Black Language can unintentionally practice raciolinguistic ideologies and anti-Blackness. Educators’ misinterpretations of children’s inherited language use can lead to ridicule, humiliation, and unjust disciplinary practices, causing both immediate and long-term harm to children (McMurtry 2021). The activity includes a scenario based on a composite of interactions that depicts a teacher—who does not use Black Language—consistently misunderstanding the communicative attempts of an African American child and even assuming defiance at one point (Loosen & McMurtry 2019). The scenario often triggers reactions of recognition and realization from students, who comment on how frequently they have witnessed similar interactions. Together, we unpack the child-teacher interaction through a process of inquiry: First, we ask students about the observable facts of the interaction; then they discuss their interpretations of the teacher’s misunderstanding and the possible resulting immediate and long-term impacts on the child; finally, we consider ways the teacher could learn about and integrate linguistically responsive approaches to affirm the child, and students rewrite the scenario with these approaches in mind. By sharing activities and approaches like this with our students, we allow them to critically consider past experiences and plan for future practice from a pro-Black Language perspective.

Fostering Pro-Black Language in Teacher Education

In a week-long module centered on linguistic diversity, I (the first author) implement three strategies across 10 tasks designed to support preservice early childhood and elementary educators in learning about and shifting toward a pro-Black Language stance. These tasks are research-based and include both formative and summative assessments, measured through students’ pre- and post-module written reflections to assess the module’s effectiveness. This module is strategically placed midway through courses to provide students with an opportunity to critically examine their beliefs while planning content area lessons.

In this section, I share how I implement parts of this module as well as past students’ responses to activities and discussions.

Identifying Biases and Examining Current Beliefs

Everyone has racial biases (Banaji & Greenwald 2013). It is important to guide preservice teachers toward awareness of their biases to disrupt them and prevent unintentional harm to young children and families. This requires the examination of beliefs regarding the use of Black Language in educational settings. Through activities, discussion, and reflection, preservice educators are positioned to learn about practices that are rooted in anti-Black racism, to unlearn untruths about Black Language and the people who speak it, and to relearn practices for establishing positive rapport with African American children. Overall, the aim is to foster the development of preservice educators’ racial literacy (Sealey-Ruiz 2021), or their ability to locate, discuss, and interrupt racism in education and to continuously work toward culturally responsive pedagogy. The following are two examples I use to help students uncover their biases and beliefs at the beginning of the module.

Learning About Hidden Biases

One of the first tasks that students engage in is a group activity. Students are prompted to identify, examine, and share common perceptions of groups of people. On sticky notes, they document how people in various racial and ethnic groups, economic groups, and those identified with various disabilities and learning needs are viewed. Then they apply their sticky notes to a shared chart. Afterward, we debrief during a whole-class discussion. As we unpack our findings, students are often intrigued by their awareness of how certain groups are seen broadly as privileged, athletic, smart, or hardworking.

After identifying societal perceptions of groups of people, we discuss how intersections of identity can further impact perceptions of an individual. For example, we examine and discuss how the intersection of race, education, gender, and economic status might influence how a young African American boy serviced through special education and living in a household with a lower income might be seen by those around him.

After this task, students engage in an individual activity. I use the Implicit Association Test (IAT) for Race—which has been used as a collaborative assessment by researchers at Harvard, the University of Virginia, and other institutions—as a tool for students to self-assess their possible hidden biases. The test was created by psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald, who wrote the accompanying book, Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People, published in 2013. They contend that well-intentioned people possess implicit biases, even if they believe they treat all people equally, and that their behaviors are guided by these biases.

When I facilitate this test with preservice teachers, most are perplexed to learn that they have preferences toward people of their own race. This realization generates reflections on students’ past interactions with children. For example, in a written response about her time in a classroom, one student recognized that she responded to the challenging behaviors of two children based on their racial identities, which echoed the results of the Gilliam et al. (2016) experimental research study referenced earlier. She wrote, “Even though I do not consider myself to be biased, I know that I am. I have caught myself getting onto a Black student before getting onto a White child.”

Examining Beliefs and Biases About Black Language

In another activity, I invite teacher candidates to uncover and examine their beliefs about Black Language. We begin by analyzing sources, such as those from social media and music, that include examples or discussion of Black Language. Then I ask them to recollect where they have encountered or used Black Language in their own lives. After reflecting, they journal about their views and understandings of Black Language and share their stances regarding its use in the classroom.

It is important to note that even among African American students, I have found that perspectives vary. For example, in one mathematics methods course, a majority of the African American students enrolled expressed comfort and daily communication with Black Language and described it positively as “creative” and “interesting.” One student shared that she felt Black Language was unappreciated, which “contributed to self-doubt in [her] personal abilities,” specifically in classrooms where she spoke differently than her peers. Other African American students discussed the need to distance themselves from Black Language by limiting their use of it to avoid being labeled as “ghetto” or “uneducated.” A few discussed the pressure to switch from using Black Language now that they attended a predominantly White institution.

At this point in the module, I have found that approximately a third of students consistently express strong opposition to using Black Language in educational settings while the remaining express concerns. In associating the use of Black Language with their schooling experiences, students have witnessed teachers harshly correcting African American students’ speech and have drawn associations between behavioral issues and Black Language. Several past students have described it as “slang,” and some have labeled it as “inappropriate” or “vulgar.” Others have suggested that Black Language can be used elsewhere, such as at home, but strongly held that teachers should promote White Mainstream English.

Building Background Knowledge

The second strategy is to build knowledge about Black Language. Teacher educators can provide opportunities for students to read and annotate research-based, peer-reviewed, and foundational publications and reflect on and respond to videos and talks that address fundamental information and ideas about Black Language. Resources that address the history, linguistic structure, pronunciation, and communicative assets of Black Language can lead to shifts in students’ views of Black Language. We have found that by engaging in background readings focused on these aspects of Black Language, teacher candidates often gain an appreciation for the ingenuity of Black Language speakers. For example, several students communicated appreciation for Black Language’s historical and cultural roots of enslavement and Black liberation.

Readings and multimedia resources reinforce the idea that Black Language is not “broken English”; instead, it follows its own set of rules. Through videos and websites, preservice teachers learn about the concept that those who speak both Black Language and White Mainstream English are considered bilingual learners. Taken together, these resources aid preservice educators’ understanding that correcting Black Language speakers is a harmful act of dehumanization and linguistic violence. To support the preservice educators’ use of this knowledge, teacher educators can also share resources that illustrate what pro-Black Language approaches look like in action (see “Resources for Building Background Knowledge” at the end of this article).

Summarizing, Synthesizing, and Reflecting

This excerpt from a teacher candidate’s written reflection demonstrated a shift in their perception and illustrates the journey that many of their peers have taken. As the module concludes, students have engaged with assigned resources and class discussions and gained a nuanced understanding of biases against Black Language as well as an appreciation for the language’s innovation and strengths. From this vantage, they revisit their initial thoughts on the use of Black Language in educational settings and assess how their views have changed or been affirmed. While takeaways have varied, students have consistently expressed appreciation for gaining a broader perspective and deeper understanding of Black Language, with several noting the importance of celebrating the cultural and historical aspects of it. The third strategy provides opportunities for students to distill their learning through summary and synthesis and to reflect on it. This is accomplished through activities that include discussion, written reflection, engaging in scenarios, revisiting key texts, and exploring strategies for creating more inclusive learning environments for children who speak Black Language.

Making Valuable Connections

In addition to recognizing how their beliefs have changed through increased awareness and critical reflection, students consider how they may have internalized harmful ideas about Black Language in the past. For African American students, this is an important step. I have observed African American students, who initially distanced themselves from Black Language, express newfound pride in using it and begin to understand themselves as bilingual speakers. One African American student remarked, “I now recognize the beauty [of Black Language] and feel like I’ve had a history lesson on my own language!”

Approximately a quarter of preservice educators who have taken the module have communicated a recognition of African American students as bilingual. For many, this understanding results from learning about the phonology and grammar of Black Language and concluding that it is its own language, separate from White Mainstream English. Once students gain this perspective of Black Language, they advocate for African American children to be seen as bilingual and for the inclusion of Black Language in learning settings.

Developing Strategies

As we engage in this final stage of the module, students have the opportunity to discuss remaining questions about how or even whether to include Black Language in educational settings. Many have pointed to the complicated nature of embracing Black Language as educators. They often wonder how to honor children’s use of Black Language while acknowledging pressures to speak White Mainstream English in education (and beyond), especially when children are asked to express their knowledge and ideas in written form. To address these questions, I facilitate a debrief discussion, and we revisit key readings to help us address concerns. Then we develop and discuss strategies. Examples include

• using a bidirectional approach by including both Black Language and White Mainstream English texts with children in learning settings
• encouraging children to articulate concepts in both languages
• using audio resources (for instance, during read alouds) if teachers are uncomfortable speaking in Black Language dialects

Applying Learning to Future Practice

To help preservice educators apply their learning about linguistic diversity and inclusion to their future practice, I lead them through scenarios. In one scenario, we explore how a teacher might respond to a child using Black Language to explain a mathematical concept. We reflect on previous material in the module about the impact educators’ responses can have on children’s confidence and sense of belonging, and we discuss how an educator can best affirm the child and support their learning. Ultimately, it is important for preservice teachers to understand that allowing children to express their thoughts in Black Language is key to honoring their identity and cultivating optimal learning and that they can use strategies to recognize and include Black Language in educational settings.  

We have found that it takes time for some preservice educators to process the validity of a pro-Black Language stance. However, many express enthusiasm about creating inclusive learning environments that embrace Black Language. A few have even highlighted the potential of Black Language to exist as a form of protest against oppression, emphasizing speaker agency and highlighting the need for language advocacy.

Creating Learning Settings Where All Children Belong

The pursuit of equity-oriented education where all children belong begins with the integration of a pro-Black Language approach. Teacher educators can encourage their students to reimagine instruction through a pro-Black lens, empowering them to create learning environments that honor the full spectrum of children’s linguistic and cultural identities. We offer the following considerations and guidance to teacher educators interested in implementing linguistic inclusion and diversity in their courses:

• Delve into current research and evolving perspectives on Black Language, and use your developing knowledge to help identify and examine your own beliefs and biases.
• Review your curriculum to ensure it includes diverse linguistic perspectives and authentic examples of Black Language use. Weave discussions about linguistic diversity throughout early childhood education courses rather than confining them to a single “diversity” module or course.
• Because engaging in linguistically inclusive practices is an ongoing journey, take time to engage in deep reflection after completing learning experiences with students to consider what new understandings you have acquired. Invite students to offer feedback about the learning experiences to help you refine your approaches to teaching about linguistic diversity.

Photograph: © Getty Images
Copyright © 2024 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at NAEYC.org/resources/permissions.

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