“Y’all means ALL” - Marci claims Southernspeak on behalf of the marginalized
Growing up in San Antonio since second grade, “y’all” was part of the culture I inhaled. Then, in the spring of my junior year, at age 16, I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and changed my life trajectory in every way.
Including my educational trajectory. Instead of my plan to go to Dallas to attend SMU (Southern Methodist University), I quickly pivoted to BYU in Provo. This full-body immersion in LDS culture was “as cold waters to a thirsty soul” (Proverbs 25:25). But I didn’t hear “y’all” mentioned much in Utah as I did in Texas, and quickly dropped that part of my vocabulary to fit in.
My “y’all” became “you folks” during the next 3 years in Utah and then 43 years in Boston. It worked well, until I returned to San Antonio a few years ago.
I thought about picking up “y’all” again, but it felt pretentious and fake — until I found the image above from the esteemed Southern Poverty Law Center, proclaiming: “Y’all means ALL.” Timothy D. used this image to maintain anonymity in his book endorsement and last week’s blog post.
That image gave me the boldness to claim “y’all” for my own and define it for myself. Now when I say “y’all” in social and church situations, it’s a subtle message of radical inclusion. It’s saying I’m an advocate for the marginalized, and they are ALL included, regardless of skin color, gender identity, gender expression, ability status, or any other divider.
FYI - for those not raised in the South, y’all can indeed be singular or plural. If you want to be absolutely clear that you are referring to a group, “all y’all” is perfectly acceptable. 😊