The Impact of Literacy

Racial tensions from slavery and during segregation created a line that made people of color unequal to Whites. Blacks were not given the same rights as White people in America. The South has written and unwritten laws that separated the races from each other. The culture in the South included being knowledgeable about the history of the relationships between Blacks and Whites in the rural South. “Lessons From Down Under: Reflections on Meanings of Literacy and Knowledge From an African-American Female Growing up in Rural Alabama” discusses how the level of literacy impacts how groups develop educationally.

The Reading starts with going into detail about strategies used by slave owners to discourage slaves from obtaining reading and writing skills. It describes how the enslaved used modes of communication and transmitting traditions orally. The oral traditions preserved the history and memories of African-American peoples.

The Civil Rights Movement, born in Alabama in the 1950’s consisted of boycotts and marches. It discusses the role of Black Churches and the role of religious leaders. Leaders helped the Black community understand the rules of the South, both written and unwritten. Speeches focused on trying to change America and the Negroes’ struggle for equality. African Americans fought to change the suffrage laws that prevented Blacks from being able to vote. This change came under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

House-Soremekun talks about the changes her school went through during integration. The African American teachers were good, but the materials were inferior to those of white schools. However, the integration caused her to learn less about African American history. She felt as if her voice was never heard and she was invisible. She goes into detail about how the storytelling was important to her family. The stories she heard from her grandmother enhanced her literacy development. The stories shaped her worldview and encouraged her to pursue a degree in education.

African American literacy came in an oral form. From the era of slavery to the Civil Rights Movement, storytelling was fundamental to the lives of African Americans. The South’s rules had an impact on the lives of Blacks and Whites, impacting the thought process of both racial groups.