School is a time for learning and growth. However, racism can prevent some students from attaining this. I will discuss the role language plays in racism and schooling.

AAVE, or African American Vernacular English, is a dialect of English. It is widely used in Black communities and most children learn it in their home. However, when they enter school, many Black children learn the way they speak, their parents speak, and their community speaks is “incorrect.” It is not standard or school English. There have been attempts to integrate AAVE into the classroom where students learn to code switch between the two varieties. In 1996, there was an attempt by Oakland, CA school to integrate Ebonics, however it failed: “But the prospect of encouraging the dialect in the classroom elicited national, and near-universal, censure. As the White House and editorialists for the country’s top newspapers condemned the plan, several states banned the use of AAE in education, and Oakland’s superintendent was called before the U.S. Senate” (Brennan 2018). Many misconceptions occurred. Some believed they were teaching AAVE, that AAVE was a lesser dialect, or that it was a waste of time and money. From the documentary “Do you speak American?” we can see what the goal of using AAVE in the classroom is:

“Noma LeMoine: “Now it our task is to help move them towards mastery of the language of school in its oral and written form but to do that in a way where they are not devalued or where they feel denigrated in any way by virtue of their cultural and linguistic differences because when you begin to devalue youngsters and make them feel that who they are doesn’t count then we turn them off from education.”

Linguistic policing is not the only form of policing that negatively impacts Black children. Racism also appears in the form of discipline in schools. Black students are disportionately disciplined than white students. Oftentimes black children face a harsher punishment than white students. The way we talk about black students is different. Black students are not seen as just students. They go through a process of adultification. When you stop talking about black students as black child and instead talk about them as an adult the punishment changes.

Stereotyping of people of color in media is a phenomenon that has been going on for decades. When stereotypes are used in media, that language generalizes people of color and portrays them negatively. These views will justify oppressive behaviors towards people of color, which becomes an issue of safety and justice. One group that stereotypes within media have negatively impacted is Black women. Examples include the Mammy, Jezebel, and Sapphire, which have roots dating back to slavery. In these three stereotypes, Black women are categorized as loud, strong, angry, and highly sexualized. The stereotypes are obviously not true, but the media is continuously feeding into this “character” that these are the only personalities Black women have. That is why it is essential to understand what the Mammy, Jezebel, and Sapphire stereotypes are and their role in media and Black women’s lives.

A video titled Mammy, Jezebel and Sapphire: Stereotyping Black women in Media by Al Jazeera English goes into detail about the three different stereotypes and their impact on Black Women:

In this video, many esteemed Black female scholars commentate on the stereotypes’ origins and how the Mammy, Jezebel, and Sapphire have changed. For instance, one of the Mammy’s early portrayals is in the movie Gone With the Wind, where Mammy (also the name of the character) is a maid for a white family and puts the family’s needs above her own. She is an older Black woman who is always willing to help her white counterparts selflessly and takes pride in being with the family. Mammy is a problem because it illustrates the racist propaganda that during slavery, Black people wanted to serve and be at the command of White slave masters and their families, furthering the lies of the slave trade.

The other two stereotypes, Jezebel and Sapphire, are still shown in recent media today. As described in the video, the Jezebel is a Black woman who is overly sexualized, who uses her body to influence men. Then the Sapphire is “usually sharp tongue, manipulative woman who emasculates her husband.” She is also considered the “angry Black woman,” and in recent media, the sassy supportive best friend to a White main character.

The portrayal of Black women in this way is damaging and leads to issues of identity and safety. The Jezebel stereotype has led to the hyper-sexualization of Black women and girls, placing them at risk of assault. The Sapphire over exaggerates the emotions and feelings of Black women, making them seem hostile or aggressive. Then, Mammy is slavery propaganda meant to make slavery not seem as bad. More discussions on how media can change positively to showcase people of color are vital to diversity.