EBONICS IS NOT THE ANSWER Over the pass few months, a controversial subject regarding the education of African American students in the Oakland School District has made its way to the top of discussions across America. “Ebonics” or African American Vernacular English (AAVE), or Vernacular Black English (VBE) has been erroneously called “slang,” “broken English,” instead the full-fledged dialect that it is. Much heated debate, public and private, has brought an opinion from almost everyone …showed first 75 words of 1834 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1834 total…same concept) and it will not work now. Blacks, whites, greens, stripes are all the same and given the same opportunities in life with same histories, backgrounds, etc. can achieve anything anyone else can. Ebonics is not the answer. So what is? The answer may lie deeper than slang or nonconjugated verbs. It may lie in politics… social/economic/historical politics. Much like affirmative action, we can not lower the standards of Blacks or anyone.