My late grandfather, God rest his soul, could barely read at a 7th grade level. He had to drop out of school in order to work and contribute to the general household (this was a popular choice that our forefathers made because they had a strong sense of work ethics, one which we desperately need to adopt nowadays). He was still able to make an excellent salary in his adult years, thus leaving my grandmother quite comfortable now as his benefactor, because he was able to secure a job at a road paving company. Those blue collar jobs, which were so plentiful thirty to fifty years ago, are all but nonexistent in the year 2007. The good jobs that are available now all require some type of higher education (2-year associate’s degree, certificate, or 4-year bachelor’s degree). So, in order to compete in the job force, one needs to be equipped with strong reading skills. When one has developed his/her reading skills at a high level, his/her speaking improves likewise as does his/her writing. An interviewer, who has a choice between someone who is well-read, articulate and well-written and someone else who is illiterate, inarticulate and a poor writer, will always select the former. I often inform my students that education is truly the key to a brighter future for them and their future seeds. And the core educational skill they must develop, I insist daily upon them, is READING LITERACY (in my class we call is LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY because our class is a combination of writing + reading together, no longer taught in isolation like when “I” was in school).

Our forefathers, who were slaves who worked on plantations and were beaten if they even touched a book, did NOT endure whippings, hangings, and degradation just so that we, their ancestors, could be an illiterate race. Specifically, the problem I see it one of “functional illiteracy”; our children of color are reading but BARELY SO. Also our urban school districts, often pressured by the lovely “No Child Left Behind” mandate by our illustrious President Bush (sarcasm here), accept this functional illiteracy in order to just pass our children on to the next grade. I know for a fact that this issue of illiteracy is a more prevalent problem in our urban school districts vs. suburban or rural districts because I studied this discrepancy while working for the U.S. Department of Education. More importantly, I have lived this reality for the past ten years as an urban education advocate.

Why, you ask, is this so blatantly obvious in our urban school systems? From experience and from studying research on the topic, it is my understanding that many times, many low-income parents in the urban areas feel as though they do not have power or a “voice” within the schools, so they let the “school” handle their child’s education instead of taking their rightful place as their child’s FIRST ADVOCATE/TEACHER. Also, many urban parents may feel that if they haven’t had the proper education themselves, they are not apt to help their child with homework, etc. (This is a misconception; my parents only finished high school but I earned a Master’s degree). This is not a judgment on my part, please understand me. I work in this type of environment BY CHOICE so if I didn’t believe in urban education I surely would’ve worked in a suburban district by now. Instead, I “stay” and I work WITH my students’ parents, not AGAINST them. I encourage them to write me letters, call me, visit the classroom, and stay on top of their child’s education as much as they can; and most importantly, I offer them my assistance. Many of my students’ parents work nights, or work 2-3 jobs just to put food on the table, so I stay sensitive to their special circumstances and try to incorporate their support by working within THEIR constraints. It is my prayer that the parents I work with will become EMPOWERWED to continue to support their child through high school, staying in touch with the teachers and encouraging literacy within the HOME. Without the parents’ support, I am sorry to say, LITERACY IS NOT POSSIBLE.

Notice how I said “we” as in EACH ONE TEACH ONE or IT TAKES A WHOLE VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD. First, I believe that if we help parents, especially those who are either illiterate or functionally illiterate, become better readers, they in turn can help their children. It’s a cycle, ILLITERACY, one which can be broken but it takes each of us to encourage the next person. You can volunteer at the YMCA/YWCA, your local library, or other volunteer reading organizations, to help a fellow adult learn how to read or improve their reading. Our school district is doing that at the high school—they offer night classes for adults. However, I am going to speak to my principal about offering such a class at our PreK-8 school. Second, if you are a parent/godparent/aunt/uncle/grandparent or simply an adult who cares for children’s literacy, then volunteer at your local urban school (yes even at the high school, you’d be surprised) to help a student who may be struggling with reading or to help your own family member (child) who may be struggling. For instance, the other night I helped my friend’s son who is in the 1st grade and struggles with his reading. I sat with him just for fifteen minutes or so and helped him with his homework, sounding out letters and blends with him. I felt good that I empowered him to take his time and really learn to sound things out; he has ADD and often in schools the teachers get impatient with that type of child (Attention Deficit Disorder). So, it is up to his VILLAGE to give additional help at home. His mother helps him every night, but she looked so distraught/tired I felt compelled to lend a hand. Third, purchase some new books and donate them to your local urban school. Funding is being cut in my state of New Jersey and from what I understand it is being cut around the country in our urban school districts. Fourth, parents especially, GO TO YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND MEET WITH THE READING TEACHER. Ask him/her what their curriculum is, how does he/she encourage extra reading, and what does he/she do with those students who are struggling with reading? You are your child’s first advocate for education, exert your power and position with authority.

My mother and father are literate because their parents made sure they read every night. Parents make sure your child reads every night for at least fifteen (15) minutes (no matter what type of school district you are in, but especially in the urban districts because unfortunately I find that the extra “push” for reading is not there. Literacy is our key to financial, mental, educational and emotional empowerment as a people; so let’s do our BEST to make it a priority with our children NOW. They are our future and our future will be bleak if we neglect this foundational concept now. We can not rely solely on our schools, especially urban schools, to do this for us. Their mindset is often a “let’s just get them out of here, graduate them regardless of whether they are functionally illiterate or not," because of the pressures from the government. So, we must ban together to make sure ALL of our children of color, all ages, are highly literate and thus in the running for the BEST colleges and occupations available to them in the future. God bless.