‘This is how I speak’: The influence of the Black Chicago accent

‘This is how I speak’: The influence of the Black Chicago accent

From Curious City by WBEZ Chicago

April 23, 2026 · 19 min

About this episode

The episode explores the Black Chicago accent and its cultural significance through the experiences of journalist Arionne Nettles.

A person’s accent can influence the way they are perceived. When it comes to broadcast journalism, the way a person talks is front and center and can open the door to both praise and unsolicited criticism. In our last episode, contributor Arionne Nettles looked at the Southern roots of the Black Chicago accent. It goes back to the Great Migration. Even though many Chicagoans are generations removed from their Southern relatives, some aspects of the accent persist for three main reasons: Black Chicagoans tend to live close to each other, they maintain relationships with family in the South and they like how the accent sounds. Today, we get personal with Nettles, who grew up on Chicago’s South Side. She’s a journalism professor at Florida A&M University, a culture reporter and author. As a person with the Black Chicago accent, she considered changing the way she spoke to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. She talks about what the accent means to her, and why she ultimately decided not to change it.

People in this episode

Guest: Arionne Nettles

Topics covered

  • Black Chicago accent
  • broadcast journalism
  • Great Migration
  • cultural identity
  • Southern roots

Keywords

  • Black Chicago accent
  • broadcast journalism
  • cultural identity
  • Great Migration
  • Southern roots

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Florida A&M University

Places: Chicago, South Side

More episodes of Curious City

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Curious City podcast page.