Going Against the Grain

Reading this text had me very intrigued. I was intrigued for the perseverance of black people trying to obtain literacy. Whether it was learning from their masters, standing outside a school house, or passing down culture to each other; it was very inspiring.

However, becoming aware of my ancestor’s struggle to gain access to all of the literate amenities that white people had formed a disappointment towards my own generation. I realize that most of us hardly take advantage of all the resources given to us; we take them for granted. Black people in earlier times had to fight for an education and for equality. Even when they had education, it was segregated and of poor quality compared to whites. I believe that over the years, the black community has become lazy. Why is this?
For one, I believe the household contributes to this lack of literacy devotion. If there aren’t any literate family members, or members who encourage literacy, what can we expect for our future? My parents were always introducing me to new things to build on my literacy skills, and still manage to do it to this day while I’m in college.
In the text, it stated how the enslaved taught each other by passing down information they obtained to the youth. In some or most cases, this tradition still continues today, no matter what race or culture, however in my opinion I believe this action only takes place in literate households.
What can we do to change this? Can we encourage parents and other family members to become more involved with the younger communities, and not just their own families? Unfortunately, some families do not have access to certain resources, so when will we step up together and better our younger generations for the future?
To me it’s like how Obama wants to have more dedicated teachers in the school system so they can teach students more effectively. Also, so the students can become more interested in the math and science areas.