Beginning with her commitment to equity and justice, Wright argues that “keeping the name of ‘English’ in so many of our departments, journals, and programs does little to address systemic racism.” Wright claims that “naming is never neutral but instead shapes meanings and ideologies. When we keep the name ‘English’ department” we reflect what she called “the ideologies of the dominant group, therefore, reifying existing inequities.” Liz calls, instead, for us to consider reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the United States as we think about the names for our departments, majors, and more.
For more information about the Writing Studies major in which Dr. Wright teaches, please visit: academics.d.umn.edu/writing-studies-ba