African American English (AAE) has been derided since it was established in the coordinated, collective torture of my ancestors in this land. It is a code that is shared by many, but not all, Black descendants of enslaved Africans in the US. It is a part of our heritage; it is the story of our shared struggle. It is a cultural marker--a way of showing solidarity with a community that has been subjected to unspeakable oppression (past and present) in this country. Instead