“You can trust me, I love you”: recovering the counterstory of Black Language in education research

Purpose This paper is addressed to Black scholars doing Black Language research in the PK-12 setting. This paper aims to interrogate how dominant narratives about Black Language get reproduced in multicultural streams and to explore new avenues for centering Black Language in the education of Black Languaging students. Design/methodology/approach Critical race counterstory methodology is used to highlight the varied experiences of language and class within the educational experiences of Black Americans through the example of the author’s family. The author uses ethnographic interviewing and critical autoethnography as methods to map the impact of those experiences on her career. The resulting reflection, rooted in bell hook’s theory of marginality (hooks, 1990, 2015), models how critical self-reflection helps Black scholars develop a praxis of Black Language. Findings To take a truly liberatory stance, Black Language must be more than an object of research. It is not only a language, but an epistemological stance and methodological approach necessary for transforming the education of Black Languaging students. Originality/value This paper repositions Black Language as epistemology and methodology in education research.