Conversation 7

Has the Black community truly been afforded equal access to literacy necessary to be successful in contemporary America? Reference Richard Wright’s “The Library Card” and any other sources, including your own experience, if you wish.

I feel like the black community does not really have access to equal literacy opportunities, and in “The Library Card” Wright’s thirst for knowledge and a broader view of the world led him to borrow a white colleague’s library card and enter a public library, which was a common practice during segregation Times were off-limits to black people. Nowadays, all races can freely enter and exit public places, and black people also enter public libraries, but they still have racial discrimination in this society. The legacy of unequal school funding, unequal access to resources, and discriminatory practices continue to affect them. Black communities, limiting their access to literacy and education. So, I think as long as this gap between rich and poor, racial differences and discrimination still exist, everyone in this society will not be able to obtain equal literacy opportunities.

How is literacy used as a hegemonic tool/ tool of power? By whom? Against whom? Reference at least 2 of this week’s course materials.

Those who control economic resources may intentionally limit others’ access to education and literacy, thus perpetuating economic disparities. “Literacy enables them to understand their situation and protects them from scammers who often dispossess illiterate people of their land and other assets. For these families, literacy is a form of social capital that can be passed down from generation to generation. Phase In contrast, illiterate families are particularly vulnerable to apartheid policies and social exploitation” (Brent Staples). Being restricted by others in their ability to acquire literacy and reading skills, they are unable to obtain knowledge from books and are unable to obtain the latest information from society. Will be controlled by those who have mastered literacy.

In “With COVID-19, The African-American Literacy Crisis Will Get Much Worse,” the author writes, “Schools around the country are shuttered. Education is supposed to have moved online, but for the many students who don’t have Internet access, learning has simply come to a halt.” Opportunities to acquire quality education and literacy skills are not evenly distributed. Powerful people can use their influence to maintain this disparity, ensuring that certain groups, often marginalized groups, are denied the opportunity to acquire these skills. This maintains an imbalance of power.

How can we help establish more equality for the Black/ African-American community in the US?

This is a very serious and challenging issue; racial discrimination against Black Americans in the United States has persisted for centuries. Although slavery was abolished in 1865, racial discrimination did not disappear; it has evolved into various forms of institutional and societal inequalities. First and foremost, we need to gradually eliminate this discrimination and injustice from our society. Advocating for policies that combat systemic racism is essential, as evident by the misleading test questions that appeared in our Activity 4, which would be unacceptable in any contemporary examination. It is crucial to promote economic opportunities for Black/African-American communities through measures such as job training, affordable housing, and small business development. By reducing income inequality and providing assistance to disadvantaged families, they can alleviate their daily financial struggles, allowing them to focus on learning and improving their knowledge and skills.