Literate on the Big Screen

Reel Women: Black Women and Literacy in Feature Films focuses on black women and their roles in cinema. Joanne Kilgour Dowdy discusses in detail what it means to be literate. ”Being a Black woman who is literate in writing, acting, and videography, my interest in the literacy levels of Black women informs the way that I look at films and read novels and other literature that include the stories of Black women” (Dowdy 163). Reading this statement, I began think about what Dowdy was actually trying to say. After understanding it, I can see and agree with her point of view. Being literate makes you think about how women are being portrayed in all forms of art. It requires one to revaluate our roles in films and the level of education the women had.. Dowdy uses variations of movies that involve Black women to explore her thesis.

            Movies help give perspectives of Black culture and traditions. “…movies provide an opportunity to witness the everyday experiences of literate Black women within certain sociocultural contexts” (Dowdy 164). The film “Losing Isaiah” with Halle Berry and Meryl Streep is an example that Dowdy uses to present the connection between Black women and literacy in movies. Although Halle Berry’s character cleans herself up, she is still illiterate. It makes you contemplate on how important literacy can be to not only a person, but also a family. Who should the child go with? The one that is his biological mother or the person that can encourage him to read and achieve in school?  

            I enjoyed this reading, because I had not fully explored how the education of Black women in films. Reading this made me realize that Black women should be depicted as intellectual and educated beings in some movies. Our roles should not have to conform to being in one box, it can be expanded. 

The Silent Woman

“Silent women, do not view themselves as learners at all” (Belenky et al., 986). In the story “The Color Purple”, the main character Celie, was considered a silent woman. Celie was abused physically, emotionally, sexually, and psychologically. Being abused by only the men in her life, she grew to hate men. At one point, she even described God as a man, so she did not trust him either.

While reading, “Women and Literacy”, I became familiar with the, “Subjective Women”. A subjective woman has negative attitudes toward specific men in their past which becomes generalized to all men, whom they perceive as controlling demanding, negating, and life suppressing. Eventually, their attitude becomes, “I can do it without men” (Belenky et al., 1986).

After hearing the statement, “I can do it without men”, I began to think about how some Black women in the media today are portrayed with this state of mind. I have personally heard grown women say those exact same words. In the story of, “The Color Purple”, Celie trusted no man, not even God. So as of a result, she stopped praying, and started to write to her long-lost sister, Nettie. Celie began to use her writing skills which were taught by her sister, Nettie, about her struggle of a lifestyle with Mr. ____.

Being enrolled in English this semester, I have just noticed how much of a large role literature, writing, and literacy played in the story of, “The Color Purple”. Silent women are voiceless and selfless, Celie had to write in order to express all of the feelings she had while living with Mr.___. It was good to know that Celie had developed a sense of love and confidence for herself at the end of the story. “Celie has come to accept all that she is or is not, knowing that being whoever she is surely is more than enough” (Walters, 142).

Not Your Ordinary Sunday School

After the Civil War, African Americans were determined to get an education. African Americans ran their own schools affiliated with their churches. Sabbath schools began to grow in the Black community, ran by the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In the reading of, "Going against the Gain", by 1885, the AME Church reported of having 200,000 children in Sunday schools for "moral and intellectual" instruction (Royster, 153). One thing that stuck out to me the most is that these "Sunday School" classes were not devoted to mostly Bible Study, but also Universal education.

I began to do more research on if the AME church still has a presence in today's higher education world. I was so surprised on what Institutions were founded by the AME Church. Part of the Atlanta University Center, Morris Brown College was founded by the AME Church in 1881. Also, HBCUs such as Allen University, Livingstone College, and Wilberforce University are just a few named institutions who were founded after the Civil War to educate Black people.

Large missionary groups were the backbone of educational enterprises for African Americans. The American Missionary Association (AMA), supported more than 5,000 teachers in the South between 1861 and 1873. Being a Spelman Woman, my institution of higher learning is surrounded by institutions founded by the Black church. As I began to read, “Going against the Gain”, I realized that Spelman College has a strong history on educating Black females based on a Christ-background.

From the Civil War, to the year of 2011, Black high learning Institutions still stand strong today. I am just grateful and honored to be able to attend a college whose history is based upon uplifting and inspiring young Black women to achieve the most high.

The Price of Education (Literacy Opportunities after 1800-The Opening Doors of Opportunity)

Being able to go to school from elementary school to college is something that I have never seen myself being able to do. Although, at one point in time in my life college seemed far away and costly, I knew I was going to make it some kind of way. Reading Going Against the Grain, put into perspective the struggles that African-Americans went through to receive an education.

The reading talks about how the African-American community itself was responsible for literacy in the community. “In this way, the African American community itself was largely responsible for laying the fertile foundation for universal literacy in African American communities. This stood out to me because, it seems as if literacy in African American communities is not deemed valuable. The African American is still a vital backbone, but the focus is not literacy. In my opinion, I believe that literacy is one of the keys to being successful in life. Most of the prominent people in the world today view literacy as a component that has helped them thrive. Literacy was important the most when we were not given the opportunity to read or write. However, if we want to continue to flourish and grow as a people it is mandatory that our communities stress the importance of being literate.

Reading the about the impact that Atlanta University Center had in educating African Americans in the South was interesting. From opening the first public school for African Americans to creating an environment for students to learn in. The history of Spelman College was also refreshing to read. Even though, I already knew the history, it was gratifying to see it mentioned in the reading. It reminds me of the importance of the Atlanta University Center and the significance of the schools. The reading even included Morris Brown College, which is today not acknowledged. However, the reading reminds us that Morris Brown was pivotal in the community.

The African-American community was an important element is supporting literacy in our people. Literacy in the past should still be seen as important today. If we stress the importance of literacy in our kids, the future of the African American community could be prosperous. 

Going Against the Grain

       In the beginning of the Chapter “Going against the Grain” the reader gets a historical perspective of African Americans and the role of literacy in the fight for equal rights. The chapter also explains the role of the African American women in the black community. These women served as the glue that kept the family together; she was nurturer and the doctor to the family when people were sick. These women were essential to the village by solving people’s issues and essentially becoming the providers for their families. Black women were seen as the survivors of the community and could help others do the same. They held a certain mindset through the struggle in which authors Loewenberg and Bogin referred to as sustaining“wholeness” through such tough times.

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Although African Americans were fighting for equal rights in America it was proving to be a very difficult task throughout time. African Americans wanted to be viewed as human beings rather than just black people. America’s flaws began to show after the American Revolution as the Declaration of Independence claimed to demand equal rights for all mankind but failed to include black people as human beings. Jefferson elaborates on this as he suggest that black people should have human rights but goes on to say that they should not be equal to whites. I view Jefferson as a hypocrite because he claims to agree that black people should be respected but he continues to keep slaves on his plantations which rob them of their freedom and self-respect.

Benjamin Franklin was also a major advocate for equal rights of African Americans towards the last years of his life. Franklin was president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society and used this role to take initiative and write a letter to the congress with his concerns. Franklin explains in the letter the seriousness of slavery and its effects on its principles on the nation.

Black people's freedom was a controversial topic for the people of America, some people felt that they should be free and some saw no problem with them remaining slaves. Some political figures felt the need to stand up against them as a whole but some of them wanted to avoid controversy within the newly formed country. 

The Need To Make Black Women Literate

“Women are frequently viewed as second-class citizens. The media, literature, and schools all portray women as second-class citizens, which help acculturate individuals to accept the roles women can and cannot undertake” (Darling, 19).

Having to read the quote above, I find nothing but truth. When you look into the media especially, you’ll find the majority of the women’s standards and behavior lower than men. So, when you see the latest movie, or read the top-sellers list book about the women who” can’t find a man”, or who has “baby mama drama”, you automatically believe that women are like that in real life. Don’t get me wrong, there are women who fit into those categories, but all are not that way.

“ It is a fact that a Black woman is more ignored in schools than her White counterparts, she is more ignored in society, and she is born into situations that put her at risk for failure from birth” (Darling, 19)

Being a Spelman woman, I am 100% sure that Spelman College is preparing me, and my sisters for the real world. Based on the quote above, we are not ignored by our school, wit that being said, we will have a better foundation when it is time to go into the real worlds.  I will do whatever it takes to graduate from Spelman College, and not become a statistics among black or women in general.

Education is so important. The world will be so much better if the World’s foundation, the WOMAN, every woman would have access to a proper and equal education. Being a black illiterate female, you have so many obstacles in your life. THE NEED TO MAKE BLACK WOMEN LITERATE IS ESSENTIAL!

A New Perspective

Joanne Kilgour Dowdy ‘s interview with Christina McVay’s gives a new perspective on Black literature and what it means to someone who is not of the African-American race. Her views on the Black oral and written works are interesting and give light to the thoughts of African-American students.

The interview begins with McVay talking about how she began to teach in the English Department. She says, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” (McVay, Kilgour Dowdy 88). This statement caught my eye, because it gave me a glimpse into who McVay was as a person. English teachers are usually seen as being uptight and straitlaced. From this point into the interview McVay changed my mind about the English teachers. It also surprised me when she said she felt uncomfortable teaching Black literature in front of White students, being a White teacher. Going to a predominantly White school, I felt as if some of my teachers felt uncomfortable teaching Black literature in front of the few African-American students that they did have.  Reading her interview gave me insight into a White educator who felt the opposite of what I was accustomed to.

Christina McVay goes into detail about the relationship she has learned to develop with her students. “Students frequently say that they come away from my class with a new and different perspective on things” (McVay, Kilgour Dowdy 89). McVay taught her students that African-American dialect is an oral tradition from Africa and that the Black community is creative. She strives to show Black students that they like English. She explains that the school system has “brainwashed” Black students that they don’t like English. McVay presents English in a way that her students both come to appreciate their own literature and heritage and learn something about themselves. She also she learns something from her students in the process.

Christina McVay gave me a new perspective on English teachers and White educators. She teaches Black students to value their traditions and learn to love English. Just by reading her interview I am inspired to read more Black literature. Her quote, “So to me literature is not just an academic thing. It really is not. It’s a life thing”(McVay, Kilgour Dowdy 94), says a lot about her teaching style and encourages me to delve into more literature.