And while educational disparities are easier to openly acknowledge and discuss, classism within our own community is not. Judging by the lightening quick critiques of Ms. Jeantel’s quips and gestures, no one had any problems understanding her. However, what many African Americans in our social media communities secretly wanted was for Ms. Jeantel to code switch, remove the vernacular from her vocabulary directly rooted in this young woman’s experience to make her more appealing to Whites, and less “embarrassing” to the guardians of acceptable Blackness. The notion that Ms. Jeantel was somehow inarticulate perpetuates the stereotype that our youth lack credibility, intelligence, and purpose as their authentic selves. It furthers the stigma that we do not deserve to be the storytellers of our own experiences, in our own voices and languages. We see this manifestation of self-hate again and again in post-slavery and post-colonial societies that rather embrace the language of their oppressor and openly vilify the speech rooted in the historical experience of the African Diaspora. On Facebook, Stacey Patton, the creator of Sparethekids, reminded us about “Mose Wright, the 64-year-old uncle of Emmett Till who was brutally lynched in 1955 in Mississippi. There was that electric moment in the courtroom when he was asked if he could identify one of the men who snatched his nephew in the middle of the night. Old man Wright stood up, pointed straight at the defendant and said in broken English, ‘Dar he.’ His bravery gave others who were semiliterate and felt powerless the courage to stand up and testify.” Let’s remember Mose Wright because, Like Trayvon Martin’s controversial photo with gold teeth, we’ve allowed Ms. Jeantel’s broken English to become a sideshow to the real issue, our children’s right to safely walk the streets, because we are too embarrassed to stand up for them amidst media scrutiny. Ms. Jeantel should not be lambasted for being a product of her environment and education, instead you should be the one who feels ashamed that even after all that has happened to us as a people, you still believe that speaking proper English or dressing and acting less “urban” alone will not subject you to institutionalized racism, suspicion, or a fate similar to Trayvon’s. What Ms. Jeantel has been this entire time is authentic, our community should remain committed to doing the same. Read more at EBONY ebony/news-views/when-you-make-fun-of-rachel-jeantel-you-make-fun-of-us-333#ixzz2XSPs6Tjp Follow us: @EbonyMag on Twitter | EbonyMag on Facebook
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 22:14:51 +0000
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