Jordan

In the beginning of this short essay, Jordan talks about language, black language vs. white language. How the English language does not live up to its standard of geography, and class. In the midst of reading "The Color Purple" with his class, Jordan runs with the idea of teaching the linguistics of Black English. First this is a fun experiment for the class, they turn sentences and phrases into Black English, and they come up with rules and guidelines for the qualifications of the language. They even take excerpts from great American plays and novels and re-write them in Black English for their final. Toward the end of this essay one of Jordan’s students has a run-in with the police. Willie Jordan’s brother was brutally murdered for no apparent cause by the New York Police Station, which turns the class main focus to racism in society. The class tries to find a stand with their Black English, writing letters to the media and to the police station unfortunately getting pushed "under the rug". The message of this essay turns from language to a harsh reality.