ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we use empirical qualitative research to explore how an Afrocentric-focused, critical language awareness (CLA) college writing curriculum influences African American Language (AAL)-speaking students’ writing skills and development. We focus on the need for college writing instructors to adopt and implement such curricula and offer them guidance on how to design and deliver Afrocentric-focused, CLA curricula to AAL speakers. Additionally, we consider the ways that Afrocentric-focused, CLA curricula can be adopted and implemented in broader K–12 writing contexts and with broader Black student populations, with a particular focus on the Ghanaian, Akan language speakers. This chapter offers a “best practice” approach for dismantling longstanding issues of AAL discrimination in K–12 and college writing contexts. It concludes with future research directions for pedagogical interventions on Black languages.
