How to Foster Equality in the Language Classroom

Abstract

As part of a vast interconnected ecosystem, we indeed thrive when we can live harmoniously and interact with others. However, this is not always the case, as we often face challenging times that make us question the fundamental values on which we base our existence. The past year's brutal events, such as the police killing of Black citizens in the United States, have highlighted the profound division that affects our society, feeding the plague of systemic racism, and has brought more attention to Black's representation throughout the world. The purpose of this chapter is to take a step in the right direction toward the elimination of systemic racism and inequality, at least in our language classroom. The author believes that defeating systemic racism by promoting a rhetoric of peace and equality and equipping students with the right sociolinguistic competencies could help our society overcome the concept of crisis. The author also argues that introducing Culturally Responsive teaching might be the best way to fight racism. Indeed, it allows students to share their heritage and linguistic knowledge and compare their cultures with others to learn about commonalities and differences.