1.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.
From “The Library Card” and current times, it appears that stereotypes and racial bias still exist for Blacks. They are denied from literary groups that hold racist ideology. The beginning of the video showed whites being too scared to allow Richard into the library. There were racist comments when he finally got inside. Contemporary times show the same beliefs being substantial for African Americans. Schools and universities prefer to enroll whites over blacks and Latinos. Also, Surveys show that blacks to white racial discrimination found in schools are 75% vs 53%. www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2016/06/27/on-views-of-race-and-inequality-blacks-and-whites-are-worlds-apart/
2.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.
White supremists may want to lower literacy levels of minorities to remove them from communities or areas like schools, libraries, and seats such as within courts or police. Brent Staples mentions in “Why slave-era barriers to literacy still matters” that Blacks lose assertiveness and prosperity when they do not have enough capacity to read and write. Races who want to have dominance within a country may want to diminish that ability so to easily assert control and remove any threats that come from different cultures The other article “With COVID-19, The African American Literacy Crisis Will Get Much Worse” shows that Africans are suffering the most from low literacy during present Covid-times. If the disease was intentionally sent out, then more Blacks becoming illiterate may be a motive of it.
3.How can we help establish more equality for the Black/ African-American community in the US?
Using group talks and electing more blacks into government offices are some methods as found in www.pewresearch.org. Bringing Blacks to community leaders to give voice to their grievances is a path to finding solutions. Furthermore, using seats of power as an elected official should bring more assertiveness and available opportunities for change.
