It Ain't Just Slang: A Historical and Stylistic Examination of African American Vernacular English and Its Role in Educational Justice
Location
PANEL: Intersectional Perspectives on Education
CELA A019
Moderator: Mary Rose
Document Type
Presentation - Open Access
Start Date
5-1-2026 4:30 PM
End Date
5-1-2026 5:30 PM
Abstract
As this is a time where Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is facing immense censorship and surveillance, it is particularly important for higher education to create an educational environment that acknowledges and addresses systemic inequities. This project, which explores African American Vernacular English (AAVE) as both a linguistically legitimate dialect and richly expressive literary style, advocates for curricular inclusion as a foundational element of educational equity and literary diversity, especially when viewed through the intricate lens of poetry. Drawing on research of notable scholars and the literary strategies of influential Black poets, this essay illustrates how AAVE challenges dominant linguistic norms while offering rhetorical precision, emotional resonance, and rhythmic ingenuity. By utilizing autoethnography, historiography, and content analysis in essay format, my intent is to critically engage with both scholarly discourse and my personal lived experience within three main sections. In doing so, I examine how AAVE operates not merely as a communicative tool but as a mode of cultural permanence, creativity, and resistance. Through embracing this deeply historic and rhythmic linguistic form, it is possible for higher education to create an inclusive literary canon that fosters a more equitable exchange of knowledge, thus redefining the preferential concept of “standard” education.
Keywords:
Educational justice, AAVE, Critical consciousness
Recommended Citation
Knox, Mia, "It Ain't Just Slang: A Historical and Stylistic Examination of African American Vernacular English and Its Role in Educational Justice" (2026). Research Symposium. 28.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/researchsymp/2026/presentations/28
Major
Africana Studies; English
Project Mentor(s)
Caroline Jackson Smith, Africana Studies
2026
It Ain't Just Slang: A Historical and Stylistic Examination of African American Vernacular English and Its Role in Educational Justice
PANEL: Intersectional Perspectives on Education
CELA A019
Moderator: Mary Rose
As this is a time where Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is facing immense censorship and surveillance, it is particularly important for higher education to create an educational environment that acknowledges and addresses systemic inequities. This project, which explores African American Vernacular English (AAVE) as both a linguistically legitimate dialect and richly expressive literary style, advocates for curricular inclusion as a foundational element of educational equity and literary diversity, especially when viewed through the intricate lens of poetry. Drawing on research of notable scholars and the literary strategies of influential Black poets, this essay illustrates how AAVE challenges dominant linguistic norms while offering rhetorical precision, emotional resonance, and rhythmic ingenuity. By utilizing autoethnography, historiography, and content analysis in essay format, my intent is to critically engage with both scholarly discourse and my personal lived experience within three main sections. In doing so, I examine how AAVE operates not merely as a communicative tool but as a mode of cultural permanence, creativity, and resistance. Through embracing this deeply historic and rhythmic linguistic form, it is possible for higher education to create an inclusive literary canon that fosters a more equitable exchange of knowledge, thus redefining the preferential concept of “standard” education.
