"Going Against the Grain: The Acquisition and Use of Literacy"

This article described how black women prevailed in gaining literacy despite being oppressed. I found this article very empowering and I felt it was one of the most positive readings we have read so far. My favorite part of the the article is when the author described how oral storytelling is one way in which women prevailed in regards to literacy. Even after the post slavery era woman have been second class citizens making it more difficult for women to receive a proper education. Especially in the south, black women were shunned from educational opportunities and did not obtain equal education as whites. I found most interesting that in the article African Americans had an easier time finding an education in urban areas rather than rural. In the article a woman named Maria W. Steward is described as one of the pioneers who was a trailblazer for African American women and literacy. Steward began to advocate for African American women’s rights when her husband died and she was left with almost nothing because of her status as a black woman. She published a collection of her writings which were used to show white society that blacks were under served and uneducated. Steward used her writings to create an interest to educate black women. Her writings inspired many women to strive for education to dispel myths about African Americans by becoming literate.I think that today we still have problems with African American children in school not becoming literate because of the negative way whites view African American. Despite many obstacles black women overcome to obtain the literacy even when it is denied to them. Even today the journey is not over for literacy among African American women. Women of African descent are the least educated worldwide so something must be done. I believe that there needs to be more advocate for African American women and literacy.