from the river to the sea

i cannot speak my dialect around white without havin’ to assimilate unless i want people to mock me or just laugh at everything i say, even if i’m actually mad. other times, i just feel like i come off as rude to white people. in english i see examples of my native dialect be used as a “incorrect examples” of Real English. the reason i write in my dialect is so i don’t lose it bein’ surrounded by so many white people who only tolerate me as long as i throw my culture away. usin’ “is” instead of “are” in African American English (AAE) is the most common feature in the dialect i’d argue it’s part of what make it so distinct, along with the accent as well. i will not be fooled by white people bothered by grammar, cause 99% it’s racism they probably don’t even know of.