The passage "Nobody Mean More to Me Than You and the Future Life of Willie Jordan"​​

reveals that Black English, although commonly used in verbal communication among the black
population, does not often appear in written speech. According to author June Jordan, the near
extinction of Black English can be attributed to the predominance of a homogeneous American
culture. Blacks, then, "either hide their original world habits or completely surrender their own
voices, hoping to please those who will never respect anyone different from themselves." The
author notes that, despite the fact that English is the leading Lingua Franca in the world, spoken
by hundreds of nationalities, "standard English" and "white English" are practically
interchangeable. This is accepted by blacks and whites alike, and demonstrated by the fact that
black students are not taught how to read or write in "Black English." The author, however,
believes that Black English is a cultural distinction that must be preserved. Therefore, she taught
her students how to use Black English in writing. She emphasized that its syntax is different than
standard English; for example, it is written in the present indicative. This attests to the
conversational nature of Black English, which is written as if two people are in active discourse.
Furthermore, Black English opposes conventional grammar rules. For instance, it is correct to
neglect the use of apostrophes to indicate possession; the verb “to be” is never used; double
negatives are encouraged; plurality and verb inflection are nonexistent; the indefinite article “an”
is never used; creating new words is acceptable. Using Black English in writing demonstrates
respect to black culture, and it gives value to the black race. On the other hand, the failure to
teach Black English provides a glimpse of society’s efforts to suppress cultural heterogeneity.
Even if the use of Black English becomes culturally acceptable, racial justice must extend
beyond rhetoric. When student Willie Jordan’s brother was brutally slaughtered by the hands of a
policeman, he lost hope that such justice could ever be achieved. In a letter to his professor, he
wrote, “oppression of my people both at home and abroad attests to the fact that inequality and
injustice are serious problems whereby Blacks and Third World people are perpetually
shortchanged by society. Something has to be done about the way in which the world is set up.
Although it is a difficult task, we do have the power to make a change.”
I agree that changing acceptable rhetoric to acknowledge different races is a positive
change. I also agree that this is a small victory in a larger fight for justice. While police brutality
is not always a result of race, racial prejudice does contribute to the tendency of police to
“overreact” to potentially dangerous situations. Racial injustice is seen everywhere to varying
degrees; America should continue its efforts to combat such injustice such as prejudice.
Developing countries that still use slavery as a social construct must move beyond this practice.
On an individual level, we must realize our tendency towards “in-group bias”, in which we are
partial to those who are similar to us. This impulse can result in discrimination or prejudice
towards those who are part of “outgroups.” When we overcome this impulse, we can better
understand those of different cultures, and we can make them feel loved, valued, and appreciated
for their differences.