Return-Path: <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g04Lnp015821; Fri, 4 Jan 2002 16:49:51 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2002 16:49:51 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <119.a69e2df.29677ce3@aol.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Freemannola@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-fobasics@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-FOBASICS:488] Re: New Topics X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: AOL 6.0 for Windows US sub 10552 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="part1_119.a69e2df.29677ce3_boundary" Status: O Content-Length: 3756 Lines: 48 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I would be very interested in seeing FOBASICS do an issue on "Literacy and Racism." At both the national and local levels, there are practitioners and policymakers who promote an anti-racist approach to literacy education. Having an analysis of racism (what it is, how it was constructed, where and why it manifests itself in our society, who benefits from it, etc) has helped many of us sharpen our program goals and practices. At the literacy program I work with in New Orleans, our anti-racist perspective helps us better account to our students for what we do and how we use our resources. Understanding racism has pushed us to focus on developing student leadership: We understand from history that a movement for justice and equity in this country needs adult new learners in its leadership! Over the last 6 years, I and several anti-racist literacy colleagues have offered workshops, roundtables, talks in diverse settings (Laubach conferences, Literacy Volunteers of America, American Library Association, Literacy South, etc.). We have promoted anti-racist analysis as a vital and effective approach to literacy education. In our adult and famiy literacy program here in New Orleans (YMCA Educational Services), we require staff, encourage students and volunteers, and expect board members to complete a 20-hour "undoing racism" workshop so that we can have a common language with which to organize around literacy as key to social justice. Perhaps FOBASICS could interview students, practitioners, policymakers who could speak to the inextricable connections between illiteracy and racism: Each needs the other to keep it in place! Margery Freeman
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