Smitherman

“God Don’t Never Change: Black English from a Black Perspective” was written by Geneava Smitherman to informs the reader on black English and how it is used in society as well as it being taught in the classroom. There are negative connotations with black English because it can be seen as grammatically incorrect and may cause exclusion amongst people who use  the black language.  She uses various examples to explain what black English  while also giving a few of white English. She states that not all agree with black English and states that most view it as unscholarly. She holds a strong opinion of her own to black English and asks the audience “ Can the concept of God exist in a perfectly logical language?” And replies with the answer of “God don’t never change.” She also states that just because black English has grammar errors doesn’t mean it is not language. She argues that conformity isn’t the answer and people should be more understanding of others differences.

After reading the article, I felt compelled to agree with Geneava. Language is being able to communicate a message between others. Whether it is black English or white, both get the point across just as well the other. I can see why others look down upon black English because of the grammatical errors, but those were just rules set by old stingy people way before our time. The rules realistically don’t mean anything. Yes they can affect your grade on a paper, but as long as you feel you got your point across that’s all that matters. I believe that people should be able to express their language in any way they want. People will always be there to judge its just our job to learn on to not let it affect us.