Why reading matters

Reading is the most fundamental tool we have at our disposal. And yet it remains a lethal kryptonite for Black boys and Black men. Literacy or the lack of literacy can cause big-time issues in life. 

When you go to vote, you have to read the names of the candidates listed on the ballot you have to choose from. You read the manual to try to pass the driver’s license test. You have to read the stop lights and signs posted at intersections.  

When we go to the grocery store, we read the labels of the products we are looking to buy. Participating in online shopping requires reading what you are purchasing. When we’re on our phones and punch in the Instagram or X/Twitter buttons, we catch up on the latest news and gossip because we’re reading what other people are posting.

Literacy is a must in order for us to survive. But for some reason, the lack of literacy has pushed Black boys and Black men to the back of the bus. A report was done in 2023 by the U.S. Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys (CSSBMB) and the study does not paint a pretty picture. 

According to the CSSBB study, Black people represent close to 40 percent of Americans who are homeless. Sadly, Black men make up 61 percent of that number. Black children are 83 percent more likely to become homeless compared to their white counterparts, the report states. 

Black children from 18 to 24 make up nearly 78 percent of the homeless. If we move over to the housing market, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many Black renters with 1 in 4 being behind on paying their monthly rent.  

In turning our attention to the criminal justice system, the CSSBMB states that Black boys are three times more likely to be arrested at school than their white peers. 

These societal ills are a reflection of a lot of things, not just one dynamic. However, the great equalizer to these problems I believe is learning how to become literate and getting well-versed on the laws of the land, whether in an educational system or being self-taught.  

Improving one’s literacy can open doors beyond our imagination. I firmly believe this. When we read we arm ourselves with intellectual wealth.  

There is a reason why those who owned slaves forbade their subjects from reading.  When you read and become literate you see the world differently. Reading is freedom. It is the ultimate gatekeeper to your freedom, how you want to live, and how you see yourself. Illiteracy is a form of bondage and we must break away from this captive mentality. 

According to the Education Statistics’ National Report Card in 2019, just 15 percent of Black eighth graders could read proficiently.   

I recently wrote an op-ed article about attending Howard University and how that changed my life. Well, in that article I wrote that I became a high school dropout. I didn’t leave school because I could not read or write. I became an unwilling participant in a sad statistic nevertheless. 

When I fell out of the education system, I was an abused kid who wanted to end his life. I didn’t feel I had anything to live for, and consequently, I gave up on myself and everything else around me. But in going through that dark period in my life I read. 

I read everything, from comic books to the sports section of a newspaper to National Geographic magazines to encyclopedias. I read because I wanted to free my mind from the beatings I always got and the humiliating tauntings. I always knew I wanted to tell stories that would impact and bless people. 

God has given me that platform to do just that. So, I would encourage others to go out and read. Push your children, and help that nephew or niece if they are struggling to read, be that advocate for them. By reading, they not only enhance their life, but they can become a role model for others. 

Dennis J. Freeman is the editor and publisher of The Bulletin