The educational narrative of Leonie C.R. Smith displays the story of a young Antiguan girl and the social and academic barriers she overcomes throughout her lifetime. Both her mother and her father taught her about the importance of education and she did exceptionally well in the Antiguan School system as a student in “A classes.” After losing her mother at a young age and also dealing with the devastation of a Fire, Smith moved to New York to live with her older sister. Immediately the school system in New York as well as her peers rejected her learning style and physical appearance. Smith’s intelligence was underestimated being that she was not only a foreigner but a young black female. She was ignorantly placed into classes of lower academic standing just as many African American Students are in America today because of the notion that the African American community as a whole is not expected to succeed. However remarkably, these typical setbacks did not interfere with Smith’s motivation to excel academically and left her temporarily unmarred and ready to succeed. Yet soon after graduating high school and now a college freshman at Hamilton College, she was not accepted in the predominately white community. She suffered emotionally and began to realize that “the path to acquiring an education and advanced academic literacy is fraught with difficulty, and opening the door to success comes with a price (smith).”
Despite the fact that receiving the proper education can be difficult when you are of African descent, it is important to have the strength and will power to overcome the obstacles laid before you. My parents worked to instill that mindset in me just as Smith’s even if I was the only or one of three black kids in my honors classes and I too “felt compelled to represent black people or make sure we were not being misrepresented,” by taking advantage of every opportunity that came my way. The African American community and African American women specifically have to come to the realization that literacy is the key to success and regardless of what others do we have to stick with our goals in order for them to be accomplished and allow no one to get in the way of our success.

-Saba Tesfamariam

Woman To Woman

While in a remarkable interview, Christina Mc’Vay gives her inputs and thoughts about black women and literature. Mc’Vays expresses her opinions and thoughts about working with the African descent in the Pan – African department. She preferred working with the African American minority rather than her own ethnic race because she felt no connection when she taught black literature. She described it as talking about an “alien universe.”McVay talked about how languages in the black community could be so creative. She believes that our language, which we call “slang” comes from slavery as well the as the Jim Crow laws and the oral tradition. However, the current generation uses to shorten words or phrases. Some instances she make to help black women feel comfortable with their literature, is they have to make them feel a connection with their inner man, and heritage, beauty, and historical background and tradition. I made to connections with McVay. She first started off with a song by John Lennon, that her students believed were the Temptations, that stated, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” McVay had a conversation at a bar with the coordinator of Communications Skills. She ended up working in the Pam African English Department. I felt a connection with her circumstance. I look at it as, when you have something else on your agenda, and it’s not what God has set for you, then you can’t go against his will. While in high school, I had my mind set for attending Clark Atlanta University. I only applied for two schools which were Spelman College and Clark Atlanta. Being accepted into Spelman and not Clark left me confused. However, attending Spelman has open up many doors for me. I have turned my life around, and has become more verbally, and religiously literate. Another connection I saw in the interview was that Joanne gave back to her students. As they were sowing knowledge into her, she was also giving them knowledge, opportunity, and wisdom. While growing up, my great-grandmother raised me. The things she showed in me, still rubs off as a young women. Now, I am able to give wise advice, wisdom, and skills to anyone who I see struggling in those areas.

Literacy and the Black Woman by Sharon M. Darling is an interesting piece about Black women and their struggles with literacy. This chapter is split into different sections starting with the historical perspective. From the beginning, Black women in this country have never gotten the same opportunities as white women. Black women were not allowed to learn to read and write at one point. When they were allowed it was often looked down on because these women had other responsibilities, such as marriage and taking care of the household. Black women were burdened with so many things and were able to overcome. I believe that we can push forward and overcome our problems with literacy as well.

Schools that were designed for Black women were often below par for the simple reason that education and literacy were not their main goals. These schools wanted to “engrain feelings of inferiority” into Black women. The women that attended these schools and later went to college are a small percentage of Black women. Our black women are plagued with issues like teen pregnancy. At a young age these women must take on these responsibilities and do not bother with education.

The Need to Make Black Women Literate is a very important section of this chapter. Black women need to be literate for several reasons. Possibly, the most important reason is to end the cycle of illiterate black women. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves so that we can educate our children. This will expose them to positive experiences that will ameliorate their situation. Sharon M. Darling writes, “Achieving literacy as a vehicle for social change is not an easy task.” In order to have social change we must push each other to educate ourselves and work together.

~ Writers of the Quilt
Alaina Walton