Language as the ultimate currency | Ashley Davis | TEDxBostonCollege
-
0:08 - 0:12Since elementary school,
words have always turned me on - -
0:12 - 0:14the affectionate sound of
-
0:14 - 0:16"move one more again,
and I'm gonna pop you," -
0:16 - 0:18while getting my hair braided;
-
0:18 - 0:22the sultry way
that "ladies love cool jams" -
0:22 - 0:25rolls off the tongue when his music
is introduced on the radio; -
0:25 - 0:31the inspirational lessons detailing
the literary devices of onomatopoeia -
0:31 - 0:34and synecdoche in high school.
-
0:34 - 0:38For 29 years, words
have been my very best friend. -
0:40 - 0:45Since elementary school,
words have always ostracized me - -
0:45 - 0:51the envious eyes of my non-black friends
as my black friends and I used jeers -
0:51 - 0:56and culturally insensitive slurs
to express our love for one another; -
0:57 - 1:00the covert corners I found a home in
-
1:00 - 1:03as I chose poetry writing
over lunch room gossip -
1:03 - 1:06for most of my educational career;
-
1:07 - 1:13the demanding obligation I felt
to withhold my feelings and questions -
1:13 - 1:17out of fear that my white colleagues
and white teachers -
1:17 - 1:20would misinterpret my intention;
-
1:20 - 1:24the inevitable nature
of hearing the "N" word -
1:24 - 1:28in almost every single space
I've ever encountered, -
1:28 - 1:31regardless of the race of its occupants.
-
1:32 - 1:37For 29 years, words have
been my most archenemy. -
1:37 - 1:39The problem is clear.
-
1:39 - 1:43As a society, we take
language for granted. -
1:43 - 1:47The reason why this problem
persists is even more crystal. -
1:47 - 1:49People are really stupid.
-
1:49 - 1:51(Laughter)
-
1:51 - 1:57We assume, naively, that wealth
is best measured by bills and coins, -
1:57 - 2:01also assuming that any other form
of currency is inferior, -
2:01 - 2:03and thus, secondary.
-
2:03 - 2:07Kofi Annan, a great Guinean diplomat,
-
2:07 - 2:11once said that education is the
great equalizer of our time. -
2:11 - 2:13Now, again, Kofi is brilliant.
-
2:13 - 2:16He's amazing, so no shade to him.
-
2:16 - 2:19But with this one, Kofi was wrong.
-
2:19 - 2:23Words are more of a lever
than education will ever be. -
2:23 - 2:28We just don't give words a chance
to do their thing often enough. -
2:28 - 2:33Travel with me on a three-anecdote
journey through my adulthood, -
2:33 - 2:35and you'll soon agree.
-
2:36 - 2:39I've been discovering, rediscovering,
-
2:39 - 2:44and re-rediscovering myself
for as long as I can possibly remember. -
2:45 - 2:49One of the most powerful moments
on my journey to self discovery -
2:49 - 2:55dates back to 2016 when I was forced
to reconnect with language. -
2:56 - 2:58I remember the first half of my 20s
-
2:58 - 3:02being characterized
by a very fast-paced lifestyle. -
3:02 - 3:06I had just recently moved to Boston
from my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. -
3:06 - 3:08And I was very proud of the way
-
3:08 - 3:13that I fearlessly and brazenly
navigated the world, -
3:13 - 3:17until I found out
I was two months pregnant. -
3:17 - 3:21Life had a very funny way
of telling me to slow down. -
3:21 - 3:23I was distraught.
-
3:24 - 3:28I remember announcing my pregnancy
to everybody I cared about -
3:28 - 3:32with a text message
that said, "I have bad news." -
3:32 - 3:33And that was that.
-
3:33 - 3:36My ex-boyfriend at the time,
my child's father, -
3:36 - 3:38responded very graciously.
-
3:38 - 3:40He was very supportive.
-
3:40 - 3:44So my bad news turned into just news.
-
3:44 - 3:47And then when my grandma
offered some positive words, -
3:47 - 3:49I was like, OK, now, we have good news.
-
3:49 - 3:50So I was excited.
-
3:50 - 3:51I now had good news.
-
3:51 - 3:54It was a good thing
that I was having a baby. -
3:55 - 3:58I remember when we found out
the birth of Amir, my son - -
3:58 - 4:01I'm sorry, the gender of Amir, my son,
-
4:01 - 4:04and we were so excited
that we immediately went shopping. -
4:04 - 4:08We sifted through so many
sale and clearance racks, -
4:08 - 4:11as many as the green line
could take us to. -
4:13 - 4:17At six months, Amir stopped kicking.
-
4:17 - 4:21He didn't live beyond
his six months in my womb. -
4:22 - 4:23I cried.
-
4:24 - 4:26For days, I cried.
-
4:26 - 4:30For days that turned into weeks, I cried.
-
4:30 - 4:34For weeks that turned
into months, I cried. -
4:34 - 4:37For months that have now
turned into three years, -
4:37 - 4:40I still find myself crying sometimes.
-
4:40 - 4:43Of course, all of the very
loving people in my life -
4:43 - 4:48use their words to try
to dry my tears and soothe me. -
4:48 - 4:52So I got a lot of "I'm so sorry, Ashley,"
-
4:52 - 4:58and some well-meaning,
"He's in a better place now, Ashley." -
4:58 - 5:01You know, the kind of words
we use to soothe people -
5:01 - 5:03because we don't know what else to say,
-
5:03 - 5:06even though we know that our words
probably aren't working. -
5:07 - 5:14It wasn't until I met my therapist
that recovery actually felt possible. -
5:15 - 5:19My therapist said, "It's OK to cry.
-
5:19 - 5:21It's OK to grieve.
-
5:21 - 5:25It's even OK to criticize the way
-
5:25 - 5:29that other people give you permission
to do those things." -
5:29 - 5:35And so within weeks,
I suddenly stopped crying. -
5:36 - 5:37I don't know why.
-
5:39 - 5:42Fast forward to 2017.
-
5:42 - 5:46So as was stated, I'm an educator,
something I'm very proud of. -
5:46 - 5:50And I started my educational
identity, if you will, -
5:50 - 5:53with the Charlie Sposato
Graduate School of Education, -
5:53 - 5:56which is a teacher residency program
-
5:56 - 5:59that's housed through Match,
a charter network. -
5:59 - 6:03Specifically, I worked at Match
High School in Brighton for five years. -
6:04 - 6:06I often give back to the graduate program
-
6:06 - 6:09because I feel like
they did so much for me. -
6:09 - 6:14And one notable way that I give back
is by speaking on their panels every year. -
6:14 - 6:17At my most recent talk, I remember
being asked a question -
6:17 - 6:23about the way that my identity
informs my practice as an educator. -
6:23 - 6:25Now, anybody who knows me
-
6:25 - 6:27knows that I was very excited
about that question -
6:27 - 6:32because anything related to race,
identity, affirmation, culture, -
6:32 - 6:34that's my jam.
-
6:34 - 6:35That's my topic.
-
6:35 - 6:39So my excitement came clear in my answers.
-
6:39 - 6:42I started by reflecting on the tension
-
6:42 - 6:48that I often feel as a black woman
educating black kids. -
6:48 - 6:50Ironic, right?
-
6:50 - 6:54I talked about how I'm often conflicted
-
6:54 - 6:59because even though I share the identity
with a lot of my students, -
6:59 - 7:03I work in a space - or at that time,
especially, I worked in a space - -
7:03 - 7:05that was very white-dominated.
-
7:05 - 7:09So I felt like I had to
constrict who I really was. -
7:10 - 7:14I talked about how my hoop
earrings are a statement. -
7:14 - 7:19I talked about how my then-much more
intricate nail designs are a statement. -
7:19 - 7:24And I even talked about the fact
that people's typical reaction -
7:24 - 7:27to my tattooed aesthetic
is a statement too, -
7:27 - 7:29just of a different kind.
-
7:29 - 7:30I talked about a lot.
-
7:31 - 7:35And I culminated my talking
by saying something like, -
7:35 - 7:39"It's a black woman thing, though,"
with a sort of dismissive pride. -
7:40 - 7:46In response, an eager white
resident raised her hand. -
7:46 - 7:49And she said, "It's actually
not just a black girl thing. -
7:49 - 7:52I've experienced that too."
-
7:52 - 7:56And she proceeded to project
her privilege and her story -
7:56 - 7:57onto my narrative.
-
7:57 - 7:59Now, although I didn't appreciate that,
-
7:59 - 8:03I responded in a way
that I don't think was rude. -
8:03 - 8:06And I said, "So sure, yes.
-
8:06 - 8:12Womanhood in patriarchal
America is one thing, indeed. -
8:12 - 8:18However, black womanhood
in white patriarchal America -
8:18 - 8:19is an entirely different thing."
-
8:19 - 8:24And it's something that, namely,
she had no right to speak on. -
8:25 - 8:29In response to the words
that I offered to the white woman's words, -
8:29 - 8:31I got a lot of praise from people.
-
8:31 - 8:35My most favorite praise
was from one of my students -
8:35 - 8:37who accompanied me on the panel.
-
8:37 - 8:38Let's call her Maya.
-
8:38 - 8:44And Maya said, "Yes, Davis,"
and she hugged me, very tightly. -
8:44 - 8:48Maya hugged me tighter
than anybody had ever hugged me before. -
8:48 - 8:52I still don't fully understand why.
-
8:53 - 8:57Fast forward to October 2018.
-
8:57 - 8:59So I am a principle fellow this year,
-
8:59 - 9:02which is fancy verbiage for saying
-
9:02 - 9:07that I'm an underpaid assistant principal
studying to be a principal. -
9:08 - 9:11I work at a beautifully
intimate elementary school. -
9:11 - 9:15It's a kindergarten through third grade
school, the Shaw, in Mattapan. -
9:15 - 9:20And we serve a school
full of beautiful students of color. -
9:20 - 9:2530% of our student body,
about, identifies as Latinx. -
9:25 - 9:30Notice that I chose to use the word
Latinx as opposed to Hispanic. -
9:30 - 9:34One of the things that
I'm most proud of about my school -
9:34 - 9:35and about Boston alike,
-
9:35 - 9:36and one of the things
-
9:36 - 9:39that is actually convincing me
to continue to endure the cold, -
9:39 - 9:45is the fact that Boston
is so linguistically diverse. -
9:45 - 9:48Many of my students
speak English, of course, -
9:48 - 9:51but they don't speak English
as their primary language. -
9:51 - 9:55And they're multilingual
in ways that I wish that I were. -
9:55 - 9:58So that's something
that I am incredibly proud of. -
9:58 - 10:03However, on the day
that this story revolves around, -
10:03 - 10:05I was very unproud.
-
10:06 - 10:09So one of my students,
who identifies as Latinx, a girl - -
10:09 - 10:12let's call her Taj - is a second grader.
-
10:12 - 10:14And she's amazing.
-
10:15 - 10:18Now, all of my students are amazing;
I don't have any favorites. -
10:18 - 10:20But the thing that makes Taj most amazing
-
10:20 - 10:24is that no matter
who's around, she's the same. -
10:24 - 10:26And she's in second grade.
-
10:26 - 10:28So I wanted to share that with her mother.
-
10:28 - 10:31And I sort of practiced
in my head what I was going to say -
10:31 - 10:33because as you guys know,
I really like words. -
10:33 - 10:40So I would say something like,
in class, Taj answers questions like this. -
10:40 - 10:44And then when we're in cheerleading,
Taj shows leadership like this. -
10:44 - 10:48And when she thinks
nobody's watching and she's by herself, -
10:48 - 10:50Taj does this -
-
10:50 - 10:54because I really wanted to capture
for Ms. Garcia, Taj's mother, -
10:54 - 10:58the full beauty of Taj's personality.
-
10:58 - 11:01So when my rehearsing
in my head sort of ended, -
11:01 - 11:04I went on to playground dismissal duty.
-
11:04 - 11:06Of course, I was
paying attention to everybody -
11:06 - 11:09and making sure that everybody
went home with the right person. -
11:09 - 11:13But I was really just looking
for Ms. Garcia, Taj's mom. -
11:13 - 11:17When I saw her approaching,
I waved very frantically, -
11:17 - 11:19like a kid in a candy store almost.
-
11:19 - 11:22And I sort of rushed over to her.
-
11:22 - 11:23I just started talking.
-
11:23 - 11:26We didn't even greet each other,
I just started talking. -
11:26 - 11:28And then in the middle of my talking,
-
11:28 - 11:32she interrupted me,
and said, "Hola, Ms. Davis." -
11:32 - 11:34And I froze.
-
11:35 - 11:37It wasn't until then that I realized
-
11:37 - 11:41that my "perfectly rehearsed"
English speech -
11:41 - 11:44wouldn't resonate with Taj's mom.
-
11:44 - 11:46I was embarrassed.
-
11:46 - 11:53Taj, in her brilliant innocence,
jumped in and began translating. -
11:53 - 11:56She would turn to me
and ask me a question in English, -
11:56 - 12:01and then she'd resort back to her mother
and answer that question in Spanish -
12:01 - 12:04with grace and immediacy.
-
12:06 - 12:12Ms. Garcia, Taj's mom, said,
"Gracias, Miss Davis," and began crying. -
12:12 - 12:14And all I could do was smile.
-
12:15 - 12:20In reflection, I realized
that another thing that makes Taj special -
12:20 - 12:24is not the fact that she speaks English.
-
12:24 - 12:28It's also not the fact
that she speaks Spanish. -
12:28 - 12:32But it's that, in that moment,
she knew very astutely -
12:32 - 12:38which language she needed
to unite us all - the language of love. -
12:39 - 12:42I now understand why.
-
12:43 - 12:44I chose these three stories
-
12:44 - 12:49because each of them highlights
the theme that semantics matter. -
12:49 - 12:53The way you say things,
the why behind your saying of things, -
12:53 - 12:58and the impact of those
said things carry weight. -
12:58 - 13:02You are your you-est you
because of the words you choose -
13:02 - 13:05and because of the words you don't.
-
13:05 - 13:09Your words are your power
and your words make you resilient. -
13:09 - 13:13The question, then, is not about
whether or not you have access -
13:13 - 13:15to the resiliency of words.
-
13:15 - 13:19The question instead should be
about your relationship with words. -
13:20 - 13:23Are you like the members of team Amir,
-
13:23 - 13:26simply repeating words
and phrases over and over, -
13:26 - 13:29because you don't know what else to say
regardless of how they make people feel, -
13:29 - 13:32just because somebody
repeated them to you? -
13:33 - 13:36Or are you like the naive resident,
-
13:36 - 13:39negating the words in other people's words
-
13:39 - 13:43out of a selfish desire
to project your own words onto them? -
13:44 - 13:47Or perhaps, maybe you're like Taj,
-
13:47 - 13:50affirming the word currency in others
-
13:50 - 13:54regardless of race,
status, bias, or creed? -
13:56 - 14:01Since birth, our words
have defined and fed us: -
14:01 - 14:04the shady way we say "Good morning!"
-
14:04 - 14:07with more cheer to our boss
in promotion meetings -
14:07 - 14:09than we do to the people
-
14:09 - 14:12who serve us coffee
at Dunkin' Donuts every morning; -
14:13 - 14:17the flirtatious way we lead
a new friend into our lives -
14:17 - 14:23by detailing certain traits
about ourself and omitting others -
14:23 - 14:25because it's only the first date;
-
14:27 - 14:31the fact that, as a child,
I read a dictionary religiously - -
14:31 - 14:33I studied it;
-
14:33 - 14:35and the fact that now, as an adult,
-
14:35 - 14:38I have a protected list of words
-
14:38 - 14:41that I'm collecting
in the back of my planner; -
14:42 - 14:46the fact that most people of color
have to rehearse and rewrite -
14:46 - 14:50what they want to say
in their head at least three times -
14:50 - 14:54before raising their hand
to offer those words aloud -
14:54 - 14:58in a setting that white America
would consider "professional." -
14:59 - 15:04Our entire lives, words have equalized us
and made us resilient. -
15:05 - 15:07Words matter.
-
15:08 - 15:09Let them.
-
15:10 - 15:13If you take nothing else
away from this talk, -
15:13 - 15:15I urge you to reflect -
-
15:16 - 15:18word work is deeply personal.
-
15:18 - 15:19It's very private.
-
15:19 - 15:25So find a way to ask yourself:
What is my relationship like with words? -
15:25 - 15:29Use that answer to coach
yourself into improvement -
15:29 - 15:31and ultimately into resilience.
-
15:31 - 15:33You got this.
-
15:33 - 15:36And if you don't,
you'll always have words. -
15:36 - 15:37Thank you.
-
15:37 - 15:38(Applause)
- Title:
- Language as the ultimate currency | Ashley Davis | TEDxBostonCollege
- Description:
-
Words are necessary, and so words prevail. It is common knowledge, of course, that language binds people; however, language is more than just a form of power— it’s a currency like no other. In her talk, Ashley Davis explores the unmatched privilege that linguistics affords across culture, race, socioeconomic status, and creed.
A Cincinnati, Ohio, native, Ashley has identified as an educator for her entire life. In her current role as a Boston Public School principal fellow through the Lynch Leadership Academy, Ashley serves as an assistant principal at the Pauline A. Shaw Elementary School in Mattapan, where she focuses on building stakeholder capacity through culturally responsive instruction and practices. Before this school year, she served for five years as a ninth-grade English teacher, cheerleading coach, and mentor at Match Charter Public High School. In 2016, Ashley's classroom was profiled by the New York Times in an opinion piece titled "More Awkward than a 9th Grader." In 2015, Ashley graduated with her Master of Effective Teaching from the Sposato Graduate School of Education and in 2013 with her Bachelor of English Literature & Journalism from Kentucky State University, a historically Black institution. She is also affiliated with the Breakthrough Collaborative, Minds Matter: Boston, and is a lifelong member of the prestigious Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 15:42
Rhonda Jacobs approved English subtitles for Language as the ultimate currency | Ashley Davis | TEDxBostonCollege | ||
Rhonda Jacobs accepted English subtitles for Language as the ultimate currency | Ashley Davis | TEDxBostonCollege | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Language as the ultimate currency | Ashley Davis | TEDxBostonCollege | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Language as the ultimate currency | Ashley Davis | TEDxBostonCollege | ||
Will Trammell edited English subtitles for Language as the ultimate currency | Ashley Davis | TEDxBostonCollege | ||
Rhonda Jacobs declined English subtitles for Language as the ultimate currency | Ashley Davis | TEDxBostonCollege | ||
Rhonda Jacobs edited English subtitles for Language as the ultimate currency | Ashley Davis | TEDxBostonCollege | ||
Will Trammell edited English subtitles for Language as the ultimate currency | Ashley Davis | TEDxBostonCollege |