Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j8QKCZG26922; Mon, 26 Sep 2005 16:12:35 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 16:12:35 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <1127765466.768c237cdshareef1@student.gsu.edu> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Danielle S Shareef" <dshareef1@student.gsu.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:1555] Re: race and literacy X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" X-Mailer: NetMail ModWeb Module Status: O Content-Length: 1799 Lines: 8 There is some truth to this, but don't make the assumption that just because a student comes from a low-income household and urban area, that literacy/education isn't valued in the home. (Those same implications exist in rural areas as well). I was born to a 20 year old mother who had to drop out of college to take care of me and herself. My father didn't complete his B.A degree until he was well in his thirties. We were a low-income, sometimes single parent household, yet my 2 siblings and I are college graduates, with 2 of us having graduate degrees; of those 2, one of us is pursuing doctoral studies. My mother came from a household in which her mother only had a sixth-grade education, and none of my mother's seven siblings are college-educated, though many are successful & property owners. Still, their mother valued education and literacy. I think for some of my relatives and maybe other people in general, there has to be a desire to improve yourself, even if it means temporarily working with whatever means you have, even if they are not the best. It is not beneficial to rely on what one does not have access to as an excuse for not trying to learn or take advantage of what is given in some urban environments (This does not include those with no access to resources for learning disabilities or deficiencies). Many indigenous people and low-income communities have made history by succeeding despite the disadvantages they faced. I know that I have been blessed with opportunities & resources that many do not have access to. I also believe collaboration between the haves and have nots is essential to combating the cycle of illiteracy. This can only take place if we are honest about issues of race and poverty on a national and global level. Danielle Shareef
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