Can Non-Minorities Code-Switch?

Sometimes being the only person of color in a room can lead to fascinating conversations. One such conversation happened just yesterday ...

I was chatting with a group of friends, all White. Two of them are educators who were recounting the different experiences and challenges of teaching at predominantly White schools vs predominantly minority (Black and Brown) ones. And among other topics of concern like the wealth distribution, access to resources and funding, etc, one particularly piqued my interest ...

My friend was talking about being woefully unprepared as a White teacher at a predominantly Black school and his challenges with navigating the cultural differences. Although he had willingly taken the position with good intention, his inexperience was underscored by the fact that he was just coming off a teaching gig at one of the wealthiest and least diverse schools in a different city.

He was frustrated at the lack of conversation or training around racial and socio-economic factors and how they should inform teaching styles. To make things worse, his superiors at this new school were of little help. So he started to shadow another White teacher at the school to see what he could learn. One of the first things she told him was that he had to learn to "speak the students' language". This was their world and he had to play by their rules. He didn't quite understand what that meant. Did he have to look up the latest GenZ slang and start peppering his sentences with terms like 'yeet' and 'mid'? And how does a 40-something White man do that without letting his soul die a little and getting a warranted "OK Boomer" in response?

For further clarification, he watched his new mentor in action and was surprised (if not a little horrified) to see her adopt a speech pattern bordering on a "blaccent" when talking to the kids. But here's the kicker -- weirder than seeing his colleague suddenly start her sentences with "girrrl" one too many times was the fact that the kids were actually responding favorably.

The mentor was clearly code-switching. But why did this feel different?

It really got me thinking ...

Most conversations I've had about code-switching have been through my own lens -- a female ethnic minority in largely White or White male-dominated environments. There's no question about the dominant culture in those situations, and code-switching to blend in is entirely accepted, if not encouraged.

But what happens when the majority-minority equation is flipped?

In my friend's case, he was used to Black and Brown students doing the code-switching to sound more White. At this school, however, they didn't feel the need because the simple fact was, they weren't the minority. His mentor seemed to recognize that and adapt accordingly.

Here's the rub ... the practice of code-switching has so much to do with context and what we PERCEIVE as the dominant culture in that situation. But I also recognize that as the minority in most scenarios, I've never had to deal with the reverse. My friend was grappling with an important question: As a White person in a majority Black environment, is it more racist to code-switch or to not attempt it at all?

Is it worse to adopt speech patterns synonymous with Black culture in order to create psychological safety for your students? Or by resisting it, are you inherently racist for assuming your culture is the dominant one?

I felt ill-equipped to offer a solution, but what about you? What would you have done in his situation? I'm curious to know.

PS: I understand we can get into dangerous territory with this topic, but I want to reassure you, dear reader, that this is a curiosity-abundant, no-judgment zone.