For the Culture Pedagogy

This piece insists upon pedagogy for the culture to meet the needs of Black student athletes who were in a First Year Writing class that rejected their Black language and literacies. FYW instructors must honor students’ literacy skills and refuse standardized language practices that punish Black English. Decolonized FYW courses even the playing field for Black student athletes ready to engage in more stimulating assignments; but in this case they were punished by a FYW teacher who upheld colonized standards. The writer insists upon decolonization as more than lip service, but intentional practices to unleash Black student brilliance. The writer demands we hold mirrors to ourselves and our pedagogies to ensure our students’ needs remain prioritized. Teachers must think critically about their approaches, especially when students are arriving with linguistic variances so they can have a fair and equitable engagement with literacy.