U.S. Black Vernacular Spanish(es)

Over the past fifty years, language and education research activists have worked diligently to define and promote the practices of African American languagers. As a result, terms like Ebonics or African American Vernacular English have become a shorthand for the validation of home language practices for Black identifying people. While this tradition has provided a foundation for the validation of Black Englishes, similar ones have yet to be established for other dominant languages, such as Spanish. This book argues for the existence and vitality of Black U.S. varieties of Spanish, which has been called "Black Vernacular Spanish" in public spaces. It traces the varieties’ development through transnational hemispheric Black language processes through extensive discursive analysis of social media content, music and performance, and community interviews. The study asks two primary research questions: First, what linguistic features and processes are indicative of a Black variety of Spanish across three unique U.S. contexts? Secondly, how are these processes drawn up in the development and performance of identity for Blaxican, Afro-Caribbean, and Black Latinxs in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami respectively? The exploration of Black Vernacular Spanish can and must lead to the destigmatization of certain language practices such that Black Spanish speakers are less harshly evaluated as heritage speakers, can fully participate in the benefits of bilingualism, and are able to perform their identities without reproach.