Is the term Ebonics negative or positive?

I see ebonics as no different than any other dialect of the English language. It's neither positive or negative. When I moved to the southern United States for the first few months I had a hard time understanding what anyone was saying black or white. I would constantly be embarrassed because of having to ask them to repeat themselves. They would use terms I was unfamiliar with. I have trouble sometimes understanding what people from England are saying and they're the ones supposedly speaking it properly.