DiscoverThe Black British English PodcastBlack Language, white systems: How schools police Black speech !!
Black Language, white systems: How schools police Black speech !!

Black Language, white systems: How schools police Black speech !!

Update: 2025-07-28
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What do a courtroom in 1979 Michigan and a government report in 1985 Britain have in common? The answer: Black language, and the systems that tried to silence it.


This episode dives into why the way we speak is about so much more than grammar — it’s about race, power, and who gets to be heard. From the Ann Arbor AAVE case to the Swan Report in the UK, we’re looking at how schools, governments, and institutions have treated Black English as a problem instead of a culture.


Language isn’t neutral. And in this episode, we’re saying it plainly: language justice is racial justice.

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Black Language, white systems: How schools police Black speech !!

Black Language, white systems: How schools police Black speech !!

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