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