Rev. Jackson Eases Opposition to Ebonics

After many telephone conversations with Oakland school officials, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Thursday that he is softening his position on the district’s plan to incorporate black English into its curriculum.

“Reaching out to find our youth where they are and to building a bridge is the thing to do,” Jackson said in a telephone interview from his home in Chicago.

Last week, Jackson harshly criticized the Oakland school board’s decision to recognize black English, saying the district should not teach students to “talk garbage.”

On Thursday, Jackson said he originally thought Ebonics would be taught much like Spanish.

“It’s not a language. It is at best a dialect and not a very representative dialect at that,” Jackson said.

But school officials, who have stood their ground on the matter, said they never intended to teach Ebonics, a combination of the words “ebony” and “phonics.” Instead, they said, teachers will be trained to use black English as a way to teach standard English.

“The district just wants its opportunity to outline what it’s legislative intent is and was,” said Darolyn Davis, a spokeswoman for the Oakland schools. “There was clearly a rush to judgment.”