Nicolle Carela – 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.

The black community has not been afforded equal access to literacy in order for them to be successful in contemporary America, also they have not been provided with the necessary tools in order to achieve literacy. Over the years they have been denied the opportunity to get a decent education in fact the black community have been judged as not being able to read or write without even getting the chance to do so. With this said, there is room for one question: How can one be classified as “unable” when the same society is making this assumption with tags and stereotypes that are not right.

How can we help establish more equality for the Black/ African-American community in the US?
One thing to do in order to help establish more equality for the Black/African American is to stop repeating the same nonsense histories and assumptions that have been told since centuries ago. We will not see a change if there is no change in the way we project our society as a whole.

What is the argument in the article titled “With COVID, the African-American Literacy Crisis will get much worse”? Support your answer with evidence from the text, and with your own thoughts on this topic.

The argument in the article titled “With COVID, the African-American Literacy Crisis will get much worse” is that the pandemic has exacerbated the existing racial disparities in literacy among students in the U.S., especially for African-American students who are more likely to lack access to online learning and face other challenges. The article supports this argument with evidence from various sources, such as:
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which found that only 18% of Black eighth-graders and 17% of Black 12th graders reached reading proficiency in 2017 and 2015, respectively. Also, The lack of sex-disaggregated data and racial data on COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S., which indicates a reluctance to address the issue of health inequities.

My own thoughts on this topic are that this is a serious and urgent problem that requires immediate action from policymakers, educators, and communities. I think that literacy is a fundamental human right and a key factor for social and economic development. I believe that all students deserve equal opportunities to learn and thrive, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status. I hope that the article can raise awareness and inspire solutions to address the literacy crisis among African-American students and other marginalized groups.