Dear LitWorld Friends,
2020 has been a year of huge turmoil. On top of the continuing global pandemic, these last few weeks have brought an entirely different crisis into focus, one that has been brewing in our country for centuries: the inequities and injustices in our systems that disproportionately affect Black people. These inequities can be found in our courts, our jails, our businesses, and especially our schools.
Here are the facts. Black students experience lower teacher expectations and disproportionate disciplinary action. 54% of Black fourth grade boys in the U.S. cannot read at even a “basic” academic level — more than twice the rate of their white peers — and are four times more likely to drop out of school. Schools with more Black students have fewer books; more regressive curricula; and fewer opportunities for students to share their perspectives or engage in complex analysis and critical thinking.
This is why, now more than ever, I am proud to be a member of LitWorld’s board. LitWorld advocates that access to literacy and supportive learning environments that see kids’ true potential is a shared responsibility, and a means to advance all human rights. Literacy and storytelling have the power to transform lives, and by giving marginalized children a joyful space to learn and grow, LitWorld is creating change and equity on a global level.
Join me in supporting LitWorld today. Together, we can fix this broken system and bring kids everywhere equity, opportunity, and hope.
Our children deserve a world where they can share their stories freely, regardless of country or color. You can help create that world.
In solidarity,
Ernest Morrell, Ph.D.
Director, Notre Dame Center for Literacy Education
Director, NCTE James R. Squire Office for Policy Research
Board Member, LitWorld
