The Power of Literacy

"Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories...Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential." ~Kofi Annan, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

In American society, we lose sight of the power of literacy. Literacy is a problem, sure, we all know that. But it's a small, isolated problem. It only happens to "them". It doesn't affect "us".

If you had to guess, how many people in a group of 100 have low literacy levels? Would you guess 3? Would you guess 10? Maybe 20? It's higher than that. 33 people out of 100 have low literacy abilities. One-third of us. One-third of Memphians have trouble reading a newspaper or filling out a job application.

When I first started working at the Memphis Literacy Council, I was astounded at how big the problem is. I realized that there were adults who couldn't read but I had no clue that low literacy is so pervasive in our society. Now I know just how big the problem is before us but I don't feel despair. I don't look at the situation as hopeless. I know that this problem, while big, can be solved.

First, we've got to get parents reading to their young children. Hands down, that is the single most important activity a parent can do to help their child to succeed in school. We need volunteers to go into schools and churches and day cares and Head Starts. We need volunteers to stand before parents and give them the information they so desperately need. Time is of the essence if we're going to catch these kids before they get to school.

Second, we have got to provide education for the adults who slipped through the cracks of the educational system. These folks want to learn and to improve their life (and that of their family's) and need all the support they can get. We need volunteers to provide instruction in one-on-one settings, in the classroom and in the computer lab. We need financial support to provide the supplies, program overhead (after all, you can't learn to read in a building that didn't pay the MLGW bill), and to provide new computers and computer programs for learning.

We cannot fight this battle alone. If you would like to join us in our fight or know someone that would, please call MLC at 327-6000 or visit our website at www.memphisliteracycouncil.org. We're waiting for you!

~Debra