ebonics.....oh boy
people tried to push ebonics into schools here in the South, and teach it as some kind of second language, but that idea failed thankfully.
It's more than just slang, or maybe it's really intricate slang, i don't know, but I hear it everyday around here and it's acceptable speech. Plus it's so popular in hip hop music and culture. But again, you wouldn't bust out in Ebonics in a college essay or speaking with the president or something
As for the African roots....learning a real African language or culture is better than just street slang, right? I think the African connection is just reaching for straws to make it sound more intellectual.
People can speak and butcher a language however they want, I don't see the problem with Ebonics as long as people know how to speak better English too.