A Lesson in Literacy: Reading Is A Political Act
In elementary school I had a hard time learning how to read. Reading aloud on the multicolored rug in my kindergarten classroom evolved into a mix of subtle traumas. It was not until my mother emphasized the power of words that I felt empowered to read. Soon weekend trips to the Enoch Pratt public library on Pennsylvania Avenue became my favorite weekend activity with my mother. Her love, guidance, and patience drove me. She never gave up (and still her love is unwavering). By second grade I grew into my book nerd identity. I devoured stories of Junie B. Jones and Nancy Drew. At the core of my love for reading was my mother's emphasis: reading opens worlds to you.
My mother's lesson was a political act. She was teaching me valuable lessons about the ways people are kept in the dark. By giving me books my mother gave me the world. It gave me social capital because books taught me how to play the game. Books taught me code-switching, dog whistle politics, and Black feminisms. Without books I would not know bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Maya Angelou, Marsha P. Johnson, and Janet Mock. Reading is a crucial step in liberation.
Attacks on public libraries, public schools, and prison libraries must be understood as violent. The intential censorship and removal of knowledge is violent. Banning books is an act of war. Disarming Black and Brown people, especially Black and Brown children, through the banning of books is criminal, but we rarely highlight these atrocities. We cannot minimize the impact of these things.
Banned books teach the most important lessons. Across the United States incarcerated folk are not allowed to read a variety of books from The Color Purple to The New Jim Crow. The politics of which books are banned and which books are not is a conversation about power. Banning books removes power and agency. It silences the marginalized. It reinforces oppression.
I will never forget my mother's lesson. I will continue to fight for the freedom of Black and Brown people. The freedom to read without the threat of violence is crucial to Black liberation. We must rally together as a community to uplift marginalized folk. Donate to activists and advocates doing the work to educate us. The revolution does not happen one leader at a time. Revolutions are collective acts of resistance.
One organization I am supporting this year is Justice 4 Black Girls. Their commitment to advocacy for the education of Black girls is directly connected to the fight against mass incarceration. You can follow them on Instagram at @justice4blackgirls and follow @brie.b for daily doses of knowledge on how to better protect incarcerated Black girls.
