“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Fredrick Douglass
I recently saw a video that went viral. It was a teacher who was in tears because it was the second day of the new year, and he had seniors in his class that struggled to put their thoughts down on paper. They struggled to write a simple paragraph. This is scary to me that we are creating a generation of children that will go out into the world without the fundamentals that will help them to navigate the challenges that life will present them. The ability to be able to put your thoughts down on paper is a liberating feeling. Reading allows you to get lost in a story or even help support the opinions and beliefs you have. Audio books are great when you are in your car on a long drive, but there is nothing greater than reading those words on a page yourself.
I was one of those students who struggled with reading and writing. I know it may be hard to believe since I have been writing this blog since July of 2020, but when I was in school the words on the page made no sense to me. I struggled to write and spell the simplest words. I was teased at school. When we had reading assignments in class, I found ways to learn just enough to pass the test. Everything was handwritten back then. I would write in a way that the teacher could barely read it. I think they would pass me because they felt sorry for me and I used that to my advantage. Back then I did not know I had dyslexia but in my heart, I wanted to read, and I wanted to understand what I was seeing on those pages.
I love books. I lived at the Copley Square Library and many of the bookstores in downtown Boston as a kid. I brought books and I would open the pages and try to read them. There was something deep inside of me that wanted to get lost in those stories. After I graduated from high school and went to college, it became evident that I was not ready. I struggled in all my classes to the point where I just gave up.
I wanted to learn but the shame of reading at an elementary level in my twenties was too much to overcome. When I had kids, I would try to avoid reading to them or I would skip pages. Reading allowed brought me great anxiety. I didn’t want my children to think I wasn’t smart. It wasn’t until a Berkshire Community College (BCC) professor challenged me and helped me believe in myself. I learned that I had dyslexia. I learned tools to help me improve my reading and writing and when that happened a whole new world opened for me. I would read anything from Shakespeare to Steven King to nursery rhymes. Even those boring books I had to read for nursing class brought me joy. The freedom that this new knowledge brought me was truly amazing. I didn’t have to depend on others to tell me what those words on the page meant. There is a saying about the journey of 10,000 miles, begins with the first step. Well, a small community college and a dedicated teacher helped me take that first step, and I haven’t looked back.
I cry for those students like that teacher did. I cry because I understand. Fredrick Douglass was right; reading is freedom. It is why they did not allow slaves to learn. Many risked their lives to be able to read and when that happened the desire to be free grew exponentially because holding back knowledge is a dignity violation. We can no longer allow this trampling of people’s dignity to continue.
Our hope for the future lies with this next generation and it is our responsibility to help prepare them for the future. We want to give them a chance just like someone did for us. This responsibility cannot fall on just our educators. It takes a community to show our young people the opportunities they can have to be successful and reach their highest potential.
“For me, literacy means freedom. For the individual and for society.” LeVar Burton, Reading Rainbow
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 