In addition to offering one-on-one consultations, the 91探花 Writing Center is鈥痙edicated鈥痶o鈥痮ffering support and resources on鈥痶he theories鈥痶hat inform our practice.鈥疻e鈥痑im to鈥痓e鈥痶ransparent鈥痑bout鈥痮ur current鈥痯ractices as well as how we facilitate our consultations.鈥疻hile鈥痺e are often asked for help鈥痺ith鈥痝rammar, we would also like to direct attention to鈥痑n anti-racist, anti-colonialist, and inclusive鈥痜ramework.鈥疉t the Writing Center, it is extremely important to continuously discuss these issues and to be as inclusive as possible; however, these discussions are critical outside of the Writing Center in class and in鈥痚veryday鈥痩anguage as well.鈥疶he following resources are helpful in providing insights into the why鈥s and how鈥s鈥痮f resisting dehumanizing, marginalizing, oppressive, or otherwise harmful and offensive language.鈥鈥
Included are various style guides typically used in journalism, though they can be used to help direct other types of writing. We encourage their use鈥痳egardless of discipline because they can help with word choice and the general theory behind why some language may be changing.鈥疶hey cannot, however, capture every point of view, so we have included further resources鈥to explore a wider range of theories and lived experiences.鈥疶his is an ongoing project that will continue to be monitored and added to. If you have any suggestions or recommendations, please contact us at our email, writingcenter@seattleu.edu.鈥
Many of the resources listed below are called style guides and are often used in journalism. They can help with word choice and why some language may be changing regardless of discipline. We encourage their use for all students, especially if you have any questions on certain terms or topics. Of course, they cannot capture every point of view, so if there is anything you feel has been left out or have a recommendation to make for a possible resource, please contact us at writingcenter@seattleu.edu.
鈥溾,鈥&苍产蝉辫;Asian-American Journalism Association
鈥溾, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, August 2020
"", National Center on Disability and Journalism
鈥溾, Freedom for Immigrants
"", Research and Training Center on Independent Living, University of Kansas
鈥溾, National Association of Black Journalists
鈥溾, Native American Journalists Association
鈥溾, the Mental Health Foundation
For information on gender-inclusive language and personal pronouns, we have included multiple resources below. A few are from MyPronouns.org, a website dedicated to producing informative information for any confusion around gender-inclusive language or personal pronouns.
鈥溾, MyPronouns.Org
鈥溾, MyPronouns.Org
鈥鈥, MyPronouns.Org
鈥鈥鈥, Purdue University Online Writing Lab
鈥溾, MyPronouns.Org
Our staff here at the Writing Center has also created wonderful resources on using inclusive language. These are linked below. If 测辞耻鈥檇 like to request a specific worksheet that is not yet available, please email us at writingcenter@seattleu.edu.
鈥How to Use Inclusive Language: Gender Pronouns鈥, 91探花 Writing Center
鈥How to Use Inclusive Language: Respecting the LGBTQIA Community in Your Writing鈥, 91探花 Writing Center
For more personal perspectives on the use of inclusive language and its impact on multiliteracy, we have included select resources from past discussion groups. We will continue to add sources to this list, but if there are any that you would like to see, please email your suggestions to writingcenter@seattleu.edu.
鈥溾 by Jamila Lyiscott
Jamila Lyiscott, in her TEDTalk 鈥3 Ways to Speak English鈥, walks through her experience with code switching, identity, and microaggressions as an African American woman. To communicate with her friends, her parents, and her classmates, Lyiscott celebrates the three Englishes she uses. We鈥檇 recommend this source if you want to hear not only more about the freedom language can provide, but also the restraints of Eurocentric language ideals.
鈥溾 by Gloria Anzaldua,鈥Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza鈥
In 鈥How to Tame a Wild Tongue鈥, Gloria Anzaldua switches between English and Spanish to discuss how her languages are constantly evolving and changing. Anzaldua asserts that her language is her own and that it will endure, despite academic standards that terrorize students of multiple literacies. This source is an interesting look at the fragility of our academic standards and the freedom that could be allowed for students of multiple literacies if those standards are deconstructed. It鈥檚 also an inspiring look at writing and how unique every writer鈥檚 language is.
For a more in-depth look at linguistic justice in our classrooms and our languages, below are some resources that explore the implications of Standard American English and the harm it has had on students of color and students of multiple literacies. Included are also celebrations of multiliteracy; however, a commitment to linguistic justice is needed to subvert white supremacist education practices. For any requests or recommendations for further resources, please email us at writingcenter@seattleu.edu.
鈥溾 by Asao Inoue
In this essay, Inoue discusses how college professors can engage in antiracist teachings and writing assessments with their students. The normalization of white supremacy in classrooms has dangerous implications for all students, and teachers are in a unique position to subvert this normalization. Inoue introduces antiracist techniques and teaching methods that could be used in the place of more commonly used methods so that classrooms can be more friendly to students of color and students of multiple literacies. This source, as a whole, is an interesting read for a more in-depth look at the classroom and the theories that govern it.
鈥溾 by Vershawn Ashanti Young鈥痑nd 鈥淭he 鈥楽tandard English鈥 Fairytale鈥 by Laura Greenfield, Writing Centers and the New Racism: A Call for Sustainable Dialogue and Change
From Writing Centers and the New Racism: A Call for Sustainable Dialogue and Change, Ashanti and Greenfield both discuss the history of racism and white supremacy in Standard American English and how it is taught in our schools. Young switches between African American Vernacular English and Standard American English, proposing that, instead of teaching code-switching, 鈥渃ode meshing鈥 be recognized as a legitimate form of communication. Greenfield goes into more depth on the language diversity present in our students and how language can never be standardized without assigning one to be 鈥渟uperior鈥 and stigmatizing the others. For more information on the implications of Standard American English in writing centers, these two essays as well as the rest of this book are a great place to start.
鈥鈥 by April Baker-Bell, Chair, Bonnie J. Williams-Farrier, Davena Jackson, Lamar Johnson, Carmen Kynard, and Teaira McMurtry
This source, 鈥淭his 础颈苍鈥檛 Another Statement! This is a Demand for Black Linguistic Justice鈥, is a call to action to start recognizing anti-Black linguistic racism and white linguistic supremacy in American schools. Published in the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests during the summer of 2020, the authors list their demands for linguistic justice, stating that they are needed to see systemic change for Black students.
鈥溾 by Jamila鈥Lyiscott
In this TEDTalk, Lyiscott discusses how our individual languages are full of history, but that the ways in which they are approached in our current education systems are deeply connected to racism and white supremacy. In order to resist the policing of Standard American English and bring justice for students of color, Lyiscott argues that we must legitimize and honor every language a student uses, both spoken and written. This source makes sure to advocate for what she refers to as 鈥渓iberation literacies鈥 and their power to disrupt the harmful structures in our education systems.
鈥溾赌樷 by Yanar Hashlamon
Hashlamon, in his chapter from Wellness and Care in Writing Center Work, calls for writing centers to recognize how writing center practice furthers institutional ableism and prevents access to students of different levels of ability. Instead of focusing wellness on self-care, Hashlamon instead argues for recognition and advocacy for students facing systemic issues as well as creating a network of community support as a method of resisting these structural systemic.
Wellness and Care in Writing Center Work features many more essays similar to 贬补蝉丑濒补尘辞苍鈥檚 that focus on the importance of care in writing center work. If 测辞耻鈥檇 like to read more, provides access to the rest of the book.
鈥溾 FIT Keynote from Neisha-Anne Green, May 2018
Neisha-Anne Green, the Writing Center Director at American University, discusses the issues of racism and discrimination in writing centers as a Black woman and a Black academic. It鈥檚 not just that Black Lives Matter, but that Black lives should be included and prioritized in all spaces, especially higher education.