I listened to a short interview with actor Keith Powell
(cast member on NBC’s “30 Rock”) and was immediately able to connect with some
of what he had to say, especially his comments about sounding ‘black enough’. I can recall the first time that it was
brought to my attention that I was articulate.
I actually went to interview for a job and when I arrived I was greeted
with “Wow! I thought you were white! You
were so articulate over the phone.” At
the time, I was young and didn’t take offense to it. In fact, I took pride in the statement and relished
in the fact that I had worked so hard not necessarily to ‘sound white’ but to
sound professional as a new entrant into the job market.
Oddly enough, prior to that, the issue of being black, smart,
and articulate wasn’t one. I wasn’t
called a sell out or told that I sounded/acted white because I was grouped in with
the smart kids. Again; no real problem
for me because I was smart. I got good
grades and took school seriously. It
wasn’t until I got to college that people (probably the group of students in
search of their black identity at a traditionally white school) questioned the commitment
to the black race by those who didn’t necessarily associate with all of the
cultural norms of the black community; including embracing what was called Ebonics.
As I ventured into the academic environment, I began to
study something called code-switching, which I believe many African Americans
whose lives are intrinsically woven between their cultural roots and a rich and
demanding professional life become experts in.
Code-switching is defined as the practice of selecting or altering
linguistic elements so as to contextualize talk in interaction. This
contextualization may relate to local discourse practices, such as turn selection
or various forms of bracketing, or it may make relevant information beyond the
current exchange, including knowledge of society and diverse identities.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took heat for making the statement
(2010) that President Obama lacked ‘negro dialect’ and the comment shined light
on the practice of code-switching, when one alters his or her communication
style to closer identify with the audience or setting he/she is in at a given
moment. While some were shocked at the
comment and thought it to be racists, for many African Americans, such choices
about how to talk and present yourself are normal.
Somewhere between high school and college and the first job
interview many of us find that sounding proper, educated, and capable is a
necessity…not sounding white. It doesn’t
mean that you’ve surrendered your “black card” or (any other race card for that
matter) it just means that you’ve been blessed with the understanding that the way
you joke around, fraternize and talk with your peers may not be appropriate for
the boardroom or any other professional environment. The downside is that unfortunately if you employ
dialect or vernacular associated with urban culture there is also the
assumption that you are uneducated, incapable, and more ignorant than most.
Historically African Americans have lived in two worlds and
have learned to navigate them, simply by code-switching. Some may even view the ability to shift
linguistic styles as a survival skill that blacks use to counter stereotypes
and discrimination in a historically dominated white male society.
As an educator, I am an advocate from presenting your best
professional self. I want students to do
this through every form of communication in which they engage. Whether it is a simple Tweet, Facebook post, a
question asked or answered in class or a simple conversation during office hours. Get into the practice of using correct
English and grammar. Learn how to carry
on a conversation with substance and style and know when to deploy tactics such
as code-switching. Like Powell said in his interview, it’s time that we move forward
and change the dialogue about how we actually dialogue.
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