A Washington state community college released a statement saying it acknowledged “racism” existed in American English and is seeking to address it.
Located in Olympia, South Puget Sound Community College issued a statement listing several ways that it is dedicated to addressing racism in an effort to “disrupt and dismantle white supremacy” on its campus, Young America’s Foundation reported. Among the ways, the college said that “Standard American English” marginalizes people of color and other forms of communication.
“Standard American English, the default of academic communication, masquerades as neutral and objective but in fact marginalizes other ways of communicating, often those used by people of color,” the statement read.
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The college explained that it is committed to fostering an environment on campus “where every student feels safe, respected, and heard,” adding that part of its vision is to create “empowered learners,” and “inclusive learning spaces.”
“We recognize that at all levels of society — including SPSCC and our own Writing Center — racist ideas, practices, and policies work together to threaten, disparage, and silence people of color,” the college said. By remaining neutral, the college asserted, it will only “perpetuate the problem.”
Other ways that the college plans to “address racism” is by recognizing that there is no “superior” or “correct” form of the spoken or written English language and acknowledging that the use of “multiple languages and dialects” is a bonus.
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The National Council of Teachers of English released a recent update of its standards, which stated that teachers should “apply and demonstrate knowledge of learners and learning to foster inclusive learning environments that support coherent, relevant, standards-aligned, differentiated, and antiracist/antibias instruction.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to South Puget Sound Community College for a statement but did not receive a response.
