MSU Denver Writing Center calls ‘Standard American English’ a tool of white supremacy

Metropolitan State University of Denver flags “Standard American English” as a concern for “anti-racist” initiatives on a web page dedicated to “Linguistic White Supremacy.”

The page appears on the school’s Writing Center section and prompts professors to counter white supremacy in the classroom through initiatives such as “Grading with Equity,” “Restorative Justice Approaches to Plagiarism,” and an “Anti-Racist Book Club.”

“Consider how you can design assignments, pedagogy, response/grading practices that acknowledge that racism exists in our assignments, pedagogy, response/grading practices,” the center says.

[RELATED: ASU professor calls traditional grading racist, suggests ‘labor-based grading’ instead]

The university also warns against “Standard American English,” which is “a social construct that privileges white communities and maintains social and racial hierarchies.” 

“The MSU Denver Writing Center rejects the notion that Standard American English (SAE) exists for many reasons,” the website says. “We fully support students in using their English (whatever that may be) in communicating their thoughts and ideas.”

“Standard American English (SAE) is a version of English that is often expected in professional and educational settings,” the page continues. “Employers and instructors may believe there is a common set of rules that govern SAE, but that is not in fact true. What is true is that different people have different assumptions about what SAE is.” 

The website also recommends that professors ask about assignments: “Is this antiracist?,” “How does this prompt fight white supremacy?,” and “Does this prompt exploit the students in any way?” 

The Writing Center names an example of an assignment that may exploit students: “Write About the Biggest Obstacle You’ve Overcome in Life.”

“This prompt is alienating because the biggest struggle some of your students may have faced is losing a pet, while others may be refugees from war-torn countries,” the page says. “Provide prompts that will not force a student to relive trauma.”

The page further advises that professors should “[a]void assumptions of American cultural knowledge.”

[RELATED: English prof: ‘No such thing’ as ‘correct and incorrect way to speak’]

College English departments often promote “anti-racist” ways of teaching and grading.

In 2022, the University of Maryland at Baltimore sought writing consultants with “[p]revious anti-racist coursework or activism.”

“For students committed to anti-racist action in your own professional practices and communities, the rigorous preparation will be a major benefit of this campus job,” the job description said.

Professors at a 2021 “Antiracist Pedagogy Symposium” at Towson University in Maryland argued that grading students for grammar reinforces “white supremacy.”

“The repeated references to ‘correct grammar’ and ‘standard language’ reinforce master narratives of English only as White and monolingualism and a deficit view of multilingualism,” one professor said.

Campus Reform contacted MSU Denver for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.