Why we have to teach the language of power

2. One student asked, “Why do we have to discuss teaching minority children the language of power? Why not just teach everyone acceptance?” Respond.

It's wishful thinking to just assume that teaching everyone acceptance will deal with the issues facing minorities as they communicate in a world dominated by the 'language of power'. The fact of the matter is, not everyone is going to be accepting, and it would serve minorities much better to teach them how to survive in society by teaching them the language of power than to teach everyone acceptance. Just as in sports, where every foul or illegal block is not called, not everyone in society is polite and forgiving.

Delpit suggests giving minorities the tools to survive in a society where the ability to communicate determines a person's success by teaching them formal english, the 'language of power'. It's the nature of society to establish one way of communication, one language for everyone to use. Although people could be accepting of other forms of communication, they still would be hindered by their lack of communication skills. The language of power exists in our society, whether we like it or not, and the best way to make sure everyone is on the same page is to educate them equally about the language of power.