Here at DePaul University’s Writing Center, we believe that anyone who writes anything is a writer. With that belief comes the implicit connotation that every writer, and every individual piece of writing that comes into the Writing Center, deserves respect and an objective analysis.
Part of being an objective tutor is to understand the ways that language and writing are affected by macro-level practices around the world. Language, and the way that some languages and forms of writing are valued over others, is deeply rooted in systemic racism and colonialism. As history goes on, these forms of oppression have become more pervasive, and more invisible. April Baker-Bell (2020) states:
“People’s language experiences are not separate from their racial experiences. Indeed, the way a Black child’s language is devalued in school reflects how Black lives are devalued in the world. Similarly, the way a white child’s language is privileged and deemed the norm in schools is directly connected to the invisible ways that white culture is deemed normal, neutral, and superior in the world” (p.2).
Vershawn Ashanti-Young (2010) expands on the examination of Black English and White Mainstream English, noting that specific languages or dialects or style do not inherently equate to prejudice – it is the attitudes that people, especially in academia, adopt about these languages, dialects, and styles of speaking. If “mainstream” language is something that is socially constructed, then that means that it can be UNCONSTRUCTED, too, however permanent and ubiquitous it might seem.
A suggestion on how to start teaching linguistic justice awareness in the Writing Center and at the University writ large is through presentations and examples of linguistic racism, such as through this artifact. In the classroom, every WRD, ENG, HST, HON, PSC (at the very minimum) class, especially at the introductory level, should include at least half a class dedicated to discussing linguistic racism and how to be aware of it. In the Writing Center, tutors and employees are required to go through Linguistic Justice training, and each training addresses different facets of linguistic justice. Tutors should also approach every appointment ready and willing to listen, adapt, and avoid generalization or assumptions. Ask informed questions to your writers – as our Writing Center Handbook suggests, questions such as “Is there a style and usage guide you want us to use as we discuss your writing? What do you know about your audience—professor, admissions committee, etc.—and their standards for language use?” (The Writing Center Handbook) are particularly great ways to approach linguistic justice in your appointments.
Additionally, I think that the Writing Center plays an important role in its position as both a “department” that interacts with University administration, and with the student body. Leaning into this position is important, as “writing centers… will need to build strategic relationships with other administrators who can lend support to their efforts, such as department chairs and campus deans” (Grossman, 2013, pg. 54).
The Writing Center could be a leading voice in developing a Writing-Fellows-esque “outreach” program for university professors and staff, that hosts workshops throughout the University, perhaps in conjunction with the Provost’s DEI training, for professors and staff to be aware of linguistic justice. After all, if we at the Writing Center are practicing forms of linguistic justice, and the professors who are ultimately grading our writers’ work, are not, then we are ultimately culpable in the increased subjugation of students’ of color written work.