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African American English (AAE) is also referenced as Ebonics, Black English, and sometimes African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Many non-linguists will argue that African American English is not a language, but it in fact does follow its own sets of rules and sentence structure just as any other language would.
As a society we need to move towards the acceptance of Black English because it is widely used across a lot of communities. Many students use Black English within their classrooms, and many individuals use Black English in more formal setting instead of just within their homes. Black English is also a way of individuals expressing their identity. Identity in some ways can be seen as just who a person is. However, the true definition of identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks and or expression that make a person. Using Black English is a form of expression that makes a person who they are. When Mainstream English is forced on people, it takes away their way of self expression. It causes them to conform to a standard that is not the only standard of English.
Author and award-winning teacher Brandie Bohney agrees that there should be an acceptance of Black English. She says "mainstream English speakers also need to have an accepting attitude toward other native Englishes, including African American Vernacular English (AAVE), Chicano English, Appalachian English, and so on, to better understand and appreciate other speakers and to reduce prejudice based on language use". Mainstream English is not the only variety of English although it is constantly forced upon those that speak other Englishes as the only proper way to talk and write. It causes a prejudice against non standard Englishes in which those are looked at as uneducated. Black English is constantly evolving, but the history surrounding the formation of Black English comes from a history of slavery. When slaves were first taken and shipped to America, they spoke their own African language. Each tribe had a language that was native to them. Slave owners separated them from each other so that they would not be able to communicate with one another and never be able to fight back or revolt. It was within that separation of languages that caused black people to learn a new way of communicating so that the slave owners would not be able to understand. But they also needed to be able to communicate with the slave owners as well. So Black English essentially formed as a means to communicate with one another absent from their original cultural form of language.
There are so many beautifully written literary works that incorporate Black English in their work and I believe its very important to look at those works in a light that not only show that Black English follows its own set of sentence structure but to show just how individuals express their sense of identity by using it. Some notable titles include Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Margaret Walker’s Jubilee, and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. One title that I believe does a wonderful job of incorporating Black English is Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun. In her play, she uses different characters each with their own identity but they all come together and speak in one accord. Each character goes through different experiences more specifically the changes they face after losing a father. The way that Hansberry uses dialogue between those characters to incorporate Black English allows for readers to not only get a sense of each character's identity but able to understand what it is that they are trying to communicate. Most people often assume that Black English is illegible or incomprehensible that they stray away from attempting to read it. However Hansberry crafts the dialogue so that it is understandable.
American legal scholar Patricia Williams wrote an article that outlines the hidden meanings of Black English. Williams argues that mainstream English is pushed upon everyone as the standard to follow, unfortunately, if you do not use it then you are often looked at with prejudice and seen as uneducated and illiterate. However, many Mainstream English speakers will incorporate Black English into their speech for purposes of entertainment or fitting in. Too often Black English is rejected when African Americans use it but yet is used in the entertainment industry by non Black English speakers. Black English should be accepted as another variety of English because of the history of how the language was started and formed. Everyone should be able to express their sense of identity and their culture by the way they communicate with others in the world. It is different from Mainstream English but it is not wrong and should be more widely embraced.
