Critical Literacy

Void of context, quite literally, literacy means just four words: READING, WRITING, LISTENING, SPEAKING.  But there is much to unpack here.

So if I only had one word, I would say literacy means COMMUNICATION.  This definition links all of those elements (reading, writing, speaking, listening), suggesting a relationship that leads quite nicely into the discussion of the added qualifier: Critical Literacy.

To me, being critical suggests thoughtful action- actively engaging with the vast variety of texts in society. I use “texts” to include books, articles, advertisements, speeches, poetry, pictures, movies, art, even situations.

I would say people characterize writing and speaking as the more active roles, having voice and authorship to speak your piece. Writing and speaking can be perceived as acting upon the reader or listener.  Their job as audience may be perceived as merely the receiver of information.  Reading is often portrayed and practiced more passively.  But “reading into” a text suggests much more engagement. 

Critical Literacy is about “reading into” a text to recognize who is granted authority and agency in their authorship.  It’s about equity and access- challenging and holding people accountable to their representations of people, places, history, etc.    It’s about exposing bias, interrogating motives, and holding people accountable.

But firstly, and maybe most importantly, we have to hold ourselves accountable too, not just as speakers and writers, but as listeners and readers too.  Reading Toni Morrison novels has changed the way I read forever.  Toni Morrison forced me to recognize my own stakes in every text, helping me to identify what biases I might bring to the table and recognize how that might change my own interpretations of what I “read into…”  

Mt. Pleasant Library Observation

They devote the entire upstairs to a huge Children’s Room at the Mount Pleasant library. One side of the room has books resting on low shelving or even in crates on the ground.  The low tables have books already laid out as well as puzzles or other such tactile games.  There are a couple of nooks and crannies with oversized pillows or bean bags good for curling up comfortably and reading a book.  This side has more picture books and is clearly geared towards younger children.  The other side of the Children’s Room has computers where students can access the internet or search for particular books.  It also has a few tables where students can read or study.  The shelving is taller with more advanced books, organized by topic: sports, science, history, math, nature/animals, etc.  This side is clearly geared towards older kids.  There is also a large empty space that is easily filled with chairs for special programs like poetry readings.

There are many, many diverse books available at this library.  They have a pretty large bilingual section, mostly in Spanish.  They have clearly considered the population in the neighborhood where there is a large Hispanic community, particularly Salvadorian.  But I also noticed a smaller, but still nice collection of books in Vietnamese.  Having worked in the neighborhood for four years, I began to question how much I actually know about it, wondering if there is a Vietnamese community I haven’t noticed.  It was pretty cool to see one of my own favorite books, Toot & Puddle, written in Vietnamese.

I had no doubt that the books at Busboys & Poets would be diverse since it is run by an organization that promotes “anti-racist, multi-cultural, activist” book titles.  But I thought I would find more biased and out-dated books to interpret critically at the library.  I found it surprisingly difficult. 

I picked up, Exploration ad Conquest: The Americas After Columbus: 1500-1620, by Betsy & Giulio Maestro.   The story of how Christopher Columbus “discovered” America is the most classic misrepresentation of history.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to read the first line of the book explain how Christopher Columbus was not the first to “discover” America.  I was even more surprised to read about the savage treatment of the natives already inhabiting the land, pictures too... shocking!

So I turned to sports books, thinking they would surely be geared more towards boys. Right away, I was drawn to an instructional book about basketball with a boy on the cover.  But once I opened the book, I saw a relatively equitable representation of boys and girls.  I saw a woman on the cover of Volleyball For Fun, by Darcy Lockman.  I thought about how much this is portrayed as a “girls sport,” but like the book about basketball, I saw plenty of photographs of men playing the sport.  In fact, I learned a thing or two about this sport I thought I was pretty familiar with.  The sport was first created for men as an adaptation of basketball.  Who knew?!

Some other diverse books I found:

Jamari’s Drum, by Eboni Bynum & Roland Jackson

(Co-written by master-drummers & illustrated by native Malian artist depict the importance of drumming traditions in Africa.)

We Belong Together: A Book About Adoption and Families, by Todd Parr

(The child-like illustrations portray family members as diverse and unrealistic colors, like blue, yellow, and purple. This quietly addresses issues of race, not only for adoptive children, but also children with bi-racial parents.  This book thoughtfully and simply addresses the question, what makes a family?)

Children Just Like Me: A unique celebration of children around the world, In Association with UNICEF & the United Nations Children’s Fund

(Every two pages profiles and interviews a single child from countries that span the globe, helping make diverse cultures both real and relevant in the similar and different daily activities.)

Fa Mulan: The Story of a Woman Warrior, by Robert D. San Souci

 (Illustrated by Jean & Mou-Sien Tseng- This Chinese husband/wife team heavily researched the historical time period to ensure they accurately depicted costumes, armor, and weaponry in their illustrations)

The Princess and the Beggar: A Korean Folktale, adapted & illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien

(Though not Korean herself, the author has a strong understanding of the culture.  The daughter of a medical missionary spent thirteen years of her childhood living in Korea.  She gives a feminist perspective in her retelling of the Korean Folktale that already engages the discussion of class and social status.  The back of the book provides an author’s note at the end of the story explaining the historical context of cultural depictions in her illustrations.)

 

Bookstore Observation

Busboys & Poets Books is a part of something greater than itself in more than one way.  Dedicated to the Black Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes, Busboys & Poets is a very popular social gathering place.  The large dining area of its restaurant and bar is always bustling with crowds of people and the stage in its ballroom hosts a variety of community events such as movie screenings and live performances that include poetry, music, and dance. The bookstore occupies less than a quarter of the physical space. 

Though the bookstore takes the name Busboys & Poets Books, it’s actually managed by a separate organization, Teaching for Change.  Teaching for Change is an organization that provides families and schools with tools to build social justice into their teaching in order to give students the skills to become more active and global citizens in the real world.  (For more information, visit: www.teachingforchange.org)

I love this Busboys & Poets Books!  Although small and somewhat crowded, I find its collection of books rich and refined.  The affiliation with Teaching for Change ensures thoughtful and deliberate selection of books.  However, the book selection clearly attracts a very particular audience- progressive teachers and social activists are the first that come to mind.

 The children/young adult section is situated near the front of the bookstore consisting of two, large, double-sided bookcases that form a single island.  Though this bookstore offers incredibly diverse books for children, the bookstore itself is not geared towards children.  Aside from the fact that it’s situated directly next to the bar, the bookstore is crowded and lacks any real comfortable area to sit and read.  I think the children’s section is geared more towards parents and teachers who will purchase books to bring back home or to school for children.  A note posted on the shelving reads: Anti-bias, activist, multi-cultural titles and even provides title recommendations.  Most of the books are shelved tightly, with book spines showing, rather than the cover.  As a 1^st/2^nd grade teacher, I know that the picture on the cover of a book often persuades students to choose it.  But they just don’t have the space to display all their books that way. 

However, the children/young adult titles are great.  A few titles that display the book cover:

•Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, by James Sturm & Rich Tommaso

(a graphic novel about the legacy of the legendary Negro League pitcher, Satchel Paige)

•Barefoot Gen series, by Keiji Nakazawa

(A graphic novel series of stories from the perspective of a young Japanese boy post World War II)

•Why War is Never a Good Idea, by Alice Walker

(A beautifully illustrated and poetic plea against war, discussing its vast global consequences)

•Those Shoes, by Maribeth Boelts

(A great picture book that identifies a common socio-economic story about one boy’s quest to own a pair of “those shoes” that every kid in school wears when his family really can’t afford them.)

•I Love My Hair, by Natasha Tarpley

(The title speaks directly to the shared story of many young, black girls and their relationship with their hair, addressing the significant social issue regarding perceptions of beauty and how it affects self-esteem.)

•Visions for the Future: A Celebration of Native American Artist Vol. 1, Published by the Native American Rights Fund.

(The title pretty much speaks for itself)

•A Life Like Mine: How Children Live Around the World, published by UNICEF

(This photographic informational book can be used as a reference book, displaying real children around the world in daily life)

•Beautiful Warrior: The Legend of the Nun’s Kung Fu, by Emily Arnold McCully

(Set in 17^th century China, this realistic fictional story breaks gender stereotypes with the cultural legend of a young female warrior)

One entire shelf in the children/young adult section is dedicated to bilingual stories, mostly Spanish/English.  Nearby, a large Latino/Hispanic community still lives in the Mount Pleasant/Columbia Heights neighborhood.  But the U Street/Cordozo neighborhood is definitely changing.  More and more expensive condos have been built, catering to the diverse, urban, young, single, middle-class, liberal, professionals changing the neighborhood.

Though I love this bookstore, I rarely make purchases from Busboys & Poets Books.  More frequently, I spend hours looking through books and writing down book titles to look for on Amazon.  Books are too expensive brand new!  I wonder how they can make ensure these fantastically diverse, “anti-racist, multi-cultural, activist book titles” are accessible to everyone.