June Jordan...

Hey. This post is from Brianna, Danielle, and Glory.
June Jordan was a poet, playwright,essayist and an English professor at the University of California, Berkley. She is a very talented writer in many different areas. She has also had politicial essays published in the year 1985. Her essay gives us a sense that she was also a very inspiring and dedicated teacher. She was always willing to teach and determined to make her students want to learn.

Jordan starts the essay off by telling us that Black English is the language depended on by more than thirty five million Afro Americans. She gives us somewhat of definitions of Black English and Standard English. She then gets in to the class she taught ,' In Search of the Invisible Black Woman.' Jordan takes us back to her past and tells us many great detailed stories of what being in this class was like.The class was assigned to read Alice Walker's The Color Purple. With this reading many issues come up with how different people talk and why.This is where Jordan's students start to really be intrigued by the class and start having the want to learn more.In her class, there is one particular student who sticks out to her. His name in Willie Jordan. THis is where we first hear about Willie. Bringing Willie in to the story shows us how Jordan intertwines the two different stories. By telling us so many facts about Willie introduces the close personal relationships that Jordan has with her students. Not only are they her students but they are her friends. When Willia stops showing up for class Jordan wonders where he is. Jordans question about where Willie was, is answered by Willie. He tells Jordan that his cousin Reggie has been shot. Not only is this essay talking about Black English and how many people look at it differently than some, we also have the case of racism in thought now. By getting deep in to the story about Willie's cousin is shows up just how dangerous racism is, not only in language but in real life action. We believe the main ideas in Jordan's essay were that Black English should we given more respect by people because it is a language in itself. Just like most of us speak Standard English, there are many who speak Black English. Also that racism isn't something to joke about. By tieing together Jordan's class and Willie's story about his cousin shows us that not only does language differ in the world but there still is physical racism.
We said that Jordan writes in first person. It is mostly Jordan narating the essay. At times there is dialect but it involves Jordan herself.