Sonja Lanehart's Interview: Words Matter
In this video Prof. Sonja Lanehart is interviewed about the work she does as a Linguist. Words have power, and how we use those words matter. Words are part of how we form communities. Sonja talks about her work with putting together the dictionary of African American English, as well as how terms and ideas have changed to reflect the changing understanding society has of itself. I've included a link below so you can check out the video.
"Dr. Lanehart focuses her scholarship on language and education in African American communities. She examines identity, sociolinguistics, and African American education from Black feminist and Critical Race theory perspectives. Dr. Lanehart is on the advisory board for the Oxford Dictionary of African-American English and has authored several books. She tries to guide the students in her classes to understand that language and words can construct barriers or take them down." - Video synopsis