In the midst of the water crisis: language and resistance in Flint

ABSTRACT

Because racism is permanently woven into the fabric of American society, the fight for Black equality and liberation is a constant struggle of resistance. Traditionally, a strong method of resistance utilized by oppressed people has been the use of language. Language is a form of symbolic power, a political force utilized to empower those who make use of it. Language is far more than just use of words, however; it is the way meaning is provided to communication. Using data collected from an ethnographic study of school board meetings, this paper will discuss how the educational community of Flint, Michigan, uses language to resist current socioeconomic and sociopolitical oppressions, specifically focusing on their resistance to the Flint water crisis. The findings of this research show that Flint educational members use features of African American Language to resist social, political, economic, and educational oppressions and injustices. Especially evident is their use of cultural values, community consciousness, and field dependency.

KEYWORDS:

• African American education
• urban education
• resistance
• education
• structural inequity
• African American Language
• Flint water crisis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).