Throughout history, literacy for Black American children has functioned as a form of resistance, freedom, and triumph. Despite significant advancements over the 20th century, inequalities in school quality and finance remained, affecting Black children's literacy proficiency rates during the Jim Crow and segregation era. Black literacy rates rose from 10% in 1870 to 34% in 1880, despite the provision of subpar, segregated education. Child illiteracy had drastically decreased by 1930. During reconstruction there was a strong, pervasive yearning for education after independence. Literacy evolved become an individual, family, and community act of fortitude. Black children's literacy rates considerably increased. Before the 1860s, during the Antebellum Era, literacy was frequently prohibited in the South, especially after 1831, since slave owners were concerned that reading would encourage insurrections and intellectual independence. Children who were enslaved frequently received their education covertly or through neighborhood initiatives, with literacy being seen as a means of achieving freedom.

Currently, students are in the middle of the 2026 school year facing disruptions and dangers of illiteracy. This literacy crisis is not isolated to African American students. It is a national crisis. According to USA Reads, 40% of fourth graders have "below basic" reading skills, the lowest level in two decades. Based on U.S. Department of Education NAEP data, only 43% of fourth graders read at or above a proficient level, with significantly lower numbers for minority students (17% of Black students, 21% of Latino students). Additionally, 64% of eighth-grade students are not reading proficiently. Nearly two-thirds of students graduate high school reading below grade level and more than 30 states saw lower average reading scores for fourth-grade public school students in 2022 compared to 2019. 

More than 80% of American teachers express concern about their students' poor reading skills, and many feel unprepared to help them. This indicates that the country is experiencing a serious literacy crisis. Due to a lack of resources, time, and, in certain situations, adequate training in the "science of reading," teachers are frequently compelled to teach fundamental abilities like phonics in middle school.

Children should learn to read from pre-k to 3rd grade. They should practice reading from 4th to 6th grade, and they should read to learn, beginning in 7th grade and
continuing through 12th grade. Parents, families, community organizations, and churches can play a part in combatting the crisis. How can our children find God if they cannot read and comprehend what they are reading. This is what families can do.

1.  Use the reading resource at michellerhnea.com to teach phonics to your child. If you can’t be your child’s reading tutor, find someone who can.
2. Be a Reader: Show your children that you read books and articles.
3. Reading and writing go hand in hand. Create an Environment Rich in Printed Words. That means writing should be everywhere around your children.
   Emphasize text on cereal boxes, labels, items purchased at stores, and signs.
4. Label Items: Use sticky notes to label objects in the house (e.g., "door," "chair").
5. Turn the captions on when they watch movies and videos. Turn the sound off.
6. Find a bookstore near you
7. Put a small bookshelf in their bedroom.
8. Make library visits a part of their schedule
9. Get your child a library card and allow them to check out books regularly, making sure they return them and restock. Stock shelves with magazines appropriate for children.
10. Help your children bring words to life. Engage in activities and provide explanations that
    illustrate the meaning of individual words. Point out interesting or unfamiliar words you or your adolescent encounters while reading or playing word games, and talk about their meaning. Work on crossword puzzles together and play word games like Scrabble and Boggle.
11. Discuss the meaning of important terms from the news, parents’ careers, and
    family finances. Be sure they take notes.
12. Partner with your adolescent’s school. Advocate for your child. This is how you do it. Keep in touch with your adolescent’s teachers to ensure they are working on grade level. If you think your adolescent needs extra help, speak with school counselors, administrators, and/or teachers to determine the best intervention materials and instruction to meet their needs. Ask content area teachers and interventionists how you can support literacy development at home.

From birth to age eight, parents shape a child's early brain development, language abilities, and emotional intelligence, making them their first and most important teachers. Parents lay the groundwork for future academic success by modeling behavior and participating in daily routines that teach literacy, social skills, and fundamental values. During adolescence, parents continue to be important educators, but their responsibilities change from direct supervision to mentoring and guiding. Parents must change from controlling everyday activities to encouraging decision-
making, offering emotional support, and serving as role models as teenagers strive for independence. While still depending on parental guidance, this “sensitively attuned” approach assists teenagers in navigating autonomy.

If your child can’t read, there is something you can do!