African American Vernacular as Cultural Resistance: An Analytical Study of Sonia Sanchez's "blk/rhetoric"

This study examines the use of African American Vernacular as described in Sanchez's "blk/rhetoric" as a form of cultural resistance in the Black Arts Movement. While previous studies have examined Black identity and feminism, the use of African American Vernacular English as a cultural resistance in this poem has not been explored extensively. The study employs qualitative textual analysis guided by theories of Language and Power, Black feminist criticism, and Minor literature. The analysis focuses on Sanchez's use of irregular spelling, broken syntax, and oral speech patterns to subvert the power of Standard English and to assert Black identity and community consciousness. The findings indicate that Black Vernacular is a literary and political weapon of cultural resistance that aids in the comprehension of how language, identity and power are connected in African American literature.