Again with Ebonics?

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Ebonics, ebony + phonics. Any one who would term a dialect of a language something like that isn't interested in language for language's sake. And anyone who would come up with this tortured acronym "Students Accumulating New Knowledge Optimizing Future Accomplishment" (SANKOFA see here for the meaning of the word and a movie by the same name) is more interested in scoring points in the identity politics game than making sure that children are fluent in the lingua franca of this country. Honestly I'm tired of this mess.

Avery gives a good break down of what Standard Black Vernacular is and isn't. And after reading his piece ebonics advocates need to answer this, how is teaching black children a primarily oral mode of communication that they already know going to make them more proficient in standard English?

Paul over at Wizbang had some pretty harsh sarcastic commentary that apparently went way over the heads of some folk.

La Shawn Barber remarks on this latest flirtation with ebonics. One of her commenters made this insightful remark,
To insinuate that the reason Black children do not do well in school is because they are unable to assimilate plain English is assinine.

Slaves learned to read with no books, no formally trained teachers, no pencils, no pens, no special education, no electricity...after working all day AND under threat of death or punishment if caught.

Black children were literate and well-mannered in the 30s, 40s and 50s...despite "separate but equal," few books, poor facilities and jim crow.

But the reason Black children can't learn NOW is...language. Or lack of exposure to Black history.

right...

Joanne Jacobs remarks, "Remembering the past is all very well. Why not remember the failure rate of race-conscious school programs?"

Ramblings Journal and dcthornton.com weigh in.

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