Standing Up Against Racism In Our Education Systems

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.

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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

Read Ernest’s article in the Chicago Tribune now.

Black Lives Matter

LitWorld believes in the power of listening well, especially to children and young people who are traditionally marginalized and kept quiet. We believe in the power of amplifying the stories of their lives, their hopes, their fears, their needs, their goals, and greatest dreams. These stories and the young people who share them, full of strength and potential, have the power to build a world of equity and freedom.

Listening and amplifying are not enough. While LitWorld has always put the voices of those we serve first and foremost, this is a time when we must all stand by what is right and use our voices to call out the racism, anti-Blackness, and White supremacy embedded in our global society. To affirm that Black Lives Matter.

We believe that access to literacy and the power of stories lays the foundation for equity and human rights. We call upon you to consider alongside us how we can all take action more fully for Black children every day. This is the only way that we can support all children and ensure every voice is heard. Young people cannot change the world with their stories if they cannot breathe.

Education will never look the same after this pivotal moment in history, and in the midst of this devastation and heartbreak, that gives us some hope.

Our only path forward is to continue standing up for Black lives and amplifying Black stories because as a society, we need to do so, so much better. Our future depends on it.