{"id":10,"date":"2025-09-07T08:40:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T12:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/aniyahpinkney\/?p=10"},"modified":"2025-09-07T08:40:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T12:40:37","slug":"nah-we-straight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/aniyahpinkney\/2025\/09\/07\/nah-we-straight\/","title":{"rendered":"“Nah, we straight.”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Code-switching is something I\u2019ve 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\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vershawn Ashanti Young\u2019s article, \u201cNah, We Straight: An Argument Against Code Switching,\u201d Young critiques the practice because he sees it as reinforcing linguistic hierarchies and marginalizing cultural language expressions. He advocates for \u201ccode meshing\u201d as a better alternative. Young points out how teachers are often taught to avoid mentioning race in conversations about code-switching, but he insists, \u201ccode switching is nothing if it ain\u2019t about race!\u201d (p. 51). Unlike code-switching, code meshing doesn\u2019t ask people to split their identities; instead, it encourages blending diverse ways of speaking. The article is structured into two parts: \u201cThe Problem of Linguistic Double Consciousness\u201d and \u201cCode Meshing, Not Code Switching,\u201d drawing on sociolinguistic theory and Young\u2019s personal experiences to show how embracing linguistic diversity can be empowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article connects directly to my project. I plan to use Young\u2019s 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\u2019ll also examine how it parallels the Eurocentric beauty standards Black women navigate in professional settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, I haven\u2019t made concrete progress yet, but I\u2019ve spent a lot of time reflecting on what I want this project to become. I\u2019m weighing the pros and cons of making a documentary versus a podcast. I also want to research some faculty members I\u2019ve identified as potential committee members but don\u2019t know well yet. I\u2019m hoping to reach out soon and start building my committee. The more I think about this project, the more excited I feel. It\u2019s a joy to work on something I\u2019m truly passionate about, and I can\u2019t wait to see where it goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young, V. A. (2009). “Nah, we straight”: An argument against code switching. JAC: A
Journal of Composition Theory, 29(1\/2), 49\u201376.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Code-switching is something I\u2019ve experienced for as long as I can remember. One vivid memory is from second grade, when I attended a predominantly White…<\/p>\n

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