Code-switching is something I’ve experienced for as long as I can remember. One vivid memory is from second grade, when I attended a predominantly White private school. I was the only Black kid in my class. It quickly became clear that who I am in my all-Black neighborhood wasn’t reflected in my classroom. To fit in with my classmates, I shifted my behavior during school hours and then switched back when I was with my neighborhood friends. As a second-grader, my first response was to change who I am to be what seemed acceptable.
Vershawn Ashanti Young’s article, “Nah, We Straight: An Argument Against Code Switching,” Young critiques the practice because he sees it as reinforcing linguistic hierarchies and marginalizing cultural language expressions. He advocates for “code meshing” as a better alternative. Young points out how teachers are often taught to avoid mentioning race in conversations about code-switching, but he insists, “code switching is nothing if it ain’t about race!” (p. 51). Unlike code-switching, code meshing doesn’t ask people to split their identities; instead, it encourages blending diverse ways of speaking. The article is structured into two parts: “The Problem of Linguistic Double Consciousness” and “Code Meshing, Not Code Switching,” drawing on sociolinguistic theory and Young’s personal experiences to show how embracing linguistic diversity can be empowering.
This article connects directly to my project. I plan to use Young’s ideas on code-switching and code meshing to explore how Black women feel pressured to show up as someone else in their workplaces. While code-switching is often framed around language, I’ll also examine how it parallels the Eurocentric beauty standards Black women navigate in professional settings.
This week, I haven’t made concrete progress yet, but I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on what I want this project to become. I’m weighing the pros and cons of making a documentary versus a podcast. I also want to research some faculty members I’ve identified as potential committee members but don’t know well yet. I’m hoping to reach out soon and start building my committee. The more I think about this project, the more excited I feel. It’s a joy to work on something I’m truly passionate about, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Young, V. A. (2009). “Nah, we straight”: An argument against code switching. JAC: A
Journal of Composition Theory, 29(1/2), 49–76.
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