AUTHORS: Vershawn Ashanti Young, Rusty Barrett, Y’Shanda Young-Rivera, and Kim Brian Lovejoy. SERIES: Working and Writing for Change edited by Steve Parks. With a new Foreword by April Baker-Bell and a new Preface by Vershawn Ashanti Young and Y’Shanda Young-Rivera, Other People’s English: Code-Meshing, Code-Switching, and African American Literacy presents an empirically grounded argument for a new approach to teaching writing to diverse students in the English language arts classroom. Responding to advocates of the “code-switching” approach, four uniquely qualified authors make the case for “code-meshing”—allowing students to use standard English, African American English, and other Englishes in formal academic writing and classroom discussions. This practical resource translates theory into a concrete road map for pre- and inservice teachers who wish to use code-meshing in the classroom to extend students’ abilities as writers and thinkers and to foster inclusiveness and creativity. The text provides activities and examples from middle and high school as well as college and addresses the question of how to advocate for code-meshing with skeptical administrators, parents, and students. Other People’s English provides a rationale for the social and educational value of code-meshing, including answers to frequently asked questions about language variation. It also includes teaching tips and action plans for professional development workshops that address cultural prejudices.
Vershawn Ashanti Young is a scholar, writer, and performance artist who specializes in four areas of African American studies: language, literature, masculinity, and performance. He values collaborative academic work and in recent years has published with Frankie Condon a special issue of Across the Disciplines: "Anti-Racist Activism: Teaching Rhetoric and Writing" (2013); with Julie Naviaux, "Snap!: The Marlon Riggs Bibliography" (African American Review, 2012); with Bridget Harris Tsemo, From Bourgeois to Boojie: Black Middle-Class Performances (2011); and with Aja Martinez, Code-Meshing as World English: Pedagogy, Policy, Performance (2011).
Rusty Barrett is an associate professor in the linguistics program and the English department at the University of Kentucky where he teaches courses in general linguistics, sociolinguistics, and linguistic anthropology. His research focuses on the highland Mayan languages of Guatemala, language revitalization, and language and sexuality, gender, and ethnicity. He is co-author (with Jung-Tae Kim) of Classroom English in Use (2011). He is the author of From Drag Queens to Leathermen: Language, Gender, and Gay Male Subcultures (Oxford UP, 2017).
Y'Shanda Young-Rivera is an independent educational consultant based out of Chicago. She holds an MEd from Loyola University Chicago and a BA in Elementary Education from Northeastern Illinois University. Y'Shanda has held numerous positions within the Chicago Public Schools: classroom teacher, associate principal, and dean of students. She has over 20 years of teaching and administrative experience in both secular and nonsecular/nonprofit sectors. She specializes in education in urban settings.
