Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and work is a beacon of hope for the future of education.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and contemporary civil rights leaders have made great strides since the civil rights movement began more than 50 years ago. However, there is still work to be done to expand educational equity and opportunity to minority students. An Education Department report that surveyed “50 million students in 95,000 schools during the 2013-2014 school year showed that African-American and Latino students still lag in terms of opportunities.” According to the CNN article, “nearly 800,000 students were enrolled in schools where 20% of the teachers didn’t meet all of the requirements for a state license.” Black and Hispanic students were more likely to be attending those schools.
The READ Center is witness to these disparities in education: More than 80% of READ’s adult literacy students are African-American. READ’s tutors and teachers help our students, many of whom faced challenges in public school, take steps forward to achieve their goals. When individuals learn how to read, write, and do basic math, they have the power to lift themselves out of poverty, lower health care costs, find and keep sustainable employment, and ultimately change their lives. May Martin Luther King, Jr. Day serve as a catalyst for change so that adult literacy programs become obsolete in the future.
It’s clear that the Richmond community takes Martin Luther King, Jr.’s commitment to service to heart. Many community service activities and community conversations were held yesterday. The READ Center received an influx of volunteer applications over the weekend! We are honored that so many choose to spend their time tutoring our students. Thank you!
