stating that African contributions are ignored because society has labeled Black English as slang. Banks sees this society as a racist one where everything black is bad “i.e. blackmail, blacklisted and blackball (Banks. 1997. P. 2).” Banks fails to take mention that not all words associated with "black" are bad. For example, when someone in an economic situation is in the black that is a positive and good factor.There are many other languages in use by students that are considered to be good. Students read Shakespeare in the classroom but Shakespearean English is not portrayed to be slang but theatrical, scholarly and great works to read. Languages such as French, Spanish and Japanese, according to Banks (1997), are viewed as “profitable and chic.” However, Banks suggests that “Black English is not being rejected for its difference, but for its blackness (Banks. 1997. P. 2).”By declaring ebonics as a separate language from English, the Oakland school district has pole-vaulted ebonics from what some have considered a slang language and improper English language to a bilingual issue. Since the school district sees this population as bilingual they feel that courses, curriculums, classes and teachers should be made available to instruct the Black English speaking students. In doing so, the Oakland school district will become eligible for federal funding. According to the Applebome (1997), Oakland school districts are asking for $2 million to be spent over a five-year period on the ebonics program. Many criticize the Oakland school district for exploiting the bilingual program to get federal funding. The formation of one's ideas is very complex and at times it is also related to one's own language capacity and/or dialect ability. However, I agree with may of the educators and people who have voiced their opinion on the matter of ebonics. Students will need to know and use Standard English in...
