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Literature was imprinted in me when I read “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. My uncle had given it to me for my birthday. I was turning 12. I thought it was a children’s book. Although I was intrigued from the dedication page, to the illustrations, to the last page. As I was …
“Filled with the determination to learn to read at any cost”
Reading these passages reminded me how ungrateful I have been for not taking any more advantage of my education in the past. I have been a part of those diseased with laziness. Perhaps, it is because being literate has become so common in our own little worlds, that we no longer feel special about being able to read.
Although I have never been the book loving type of person, I have read a number of great books like The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. However, the very particular moment in my life in which I became aware of the importance of literacy and the power of knowledge that I can hold within my hands, happened about two years ago.
I was working weekends as a hostess at a steakhouse. One week they asked me to work for a Wednesday during lunch. Wednesday afternoons happens to be the day of the week in which they offer job applications and carry out the interviews. Therefore, I was the one handing out the applications. Suddenly, a man asked me very humbly in a low volume, to please help him fill out his application because he does not know how to read. This was very sad for me, but not as sad as two others followed, asking me for the same assistance.
That moment really hit me. It proved to me that I was not aware of how fortunate I have been. Those men looked at me with admiration and shame at the same time. So many do not have the same opportunities and would love to not lack the right to knowledge. Meanwhile, so many others misuse what is granted to them and live life in ignorance by choice. Just like Frederick Douglass, I refuse.
– Jessica Riascos
There are many people who are able to get by simply on good looks and charm; I am not one of them. I made a conscious decision to return Hunter College after five years. I am the oldest person in my classes, the elevators and bathrooms are still a hot mess, but I feel like a six-year-old who is eager to read for the first time. As I reflect on my earlier years at Hunter, I see such a radical transformation in my attitude toward learning and completing the work that I am given. Although I have had a few melt-downs, I feel adjusted.
After reading the required readings, I sat and reflected on my own experience. Like Tasnuva, I was reminded of the significance and power of literature. Ironically, I experienced a very deep sense of satisfaction, fulfillment and empowerment this past Friday. I was required to read the multi-layered novel, Divisidero by Michael Ondaatje. It was the first time that I was I able to focus and get lost in a book. We were analyzing the text as readers and writers: dissecting sentences, rearranging commas, periods and twisting words around. Ondaatje’s unique and intricate style is not easy to read and understand; I not only understood the text, I connected as a reader and writer. I am so happy I went back to my future.
-Erika
Yes, I took this today at work. No, my manager doesn't know I did.
When I was four years old, my eldest brother taught me how to read. Like my classmate, Stephen Lemon said, I was unmoved by reading back then to say the least. My brother would drill me and he would refuse to leave me alone until he was satisfied. I thought up every excuse in the book to not sit outside with him in the hot sun with that godforsaken ‘Hooked on Phonics’ book. I probably said “I gotta pee” or “my head hurts” 5 times in every reading session. My four year old mind was dying of boredom and I’m sure all I could think about was getting inside the house and consuming a couple of the Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies that come in the red packaging.
I am still in love with those cookies, by the way.
Irrisistably delicious indeed.
I always read, but I absolutely fell in love with reading when I was 18. Every book was like a new experience for me, a new perspective gained, and new insight to share with people. I chose Frederick Douglass’ quote “Education and slavery [are] incompatible with each other” because that means to me that one cannot be controlled by ANYONE or ANYTHING if knowledge is acquired, or at least sought. I asked a few coworkers to take the picture with me because some of them (not necessarily anyone seen in the picture above) have shown me just how hard it is on those who have come to the U.S speaking a different language at an older age and try to attain the “American Dream” the rest of the world has been sold. Earnestly, I do not believe America is kind to people who do not speak English, but that’s a whole ‘nother blog post.
One day at work I was sitting at the bar with my laptop resting beside my order of Churrasco and Rice and Beans when the bartender asked me what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. “Journalism!?” he said, “that’s my dream, baby.” So the next time I came to work, I brought him some information from Hunter’s Media department for his review. (He wants to be a sports anchor.) I thought back to my internship and how easy it was for me to get the position at a top women’s magazine and wondered if it would be as easy for some of my coworkers to attain some of their short term goals. I see some of them reading short novels, working in their notebooks and I smile to myself because no matter the adversities myself or any of my coworkers face, we are seeking to learn, to become bigger than what we already are, and to push past whatever struggles we are in to gain enlightenment. Reading and learning created dreams for all of us, and there is nothing greater than having dreams.
-Simone Sylvester
From elementary school to all the way to high school, we’ve been trained to read numerous books. Ofcourse not all of us absorbed every piece of knowledge given through the books.Though not at the same time, I’m sure everyone comes across at least one piece of writing that they claim is life changing. Whether its Shakespeare or J.K. Rowling, every author teaches their readers something.
The novel that grabbed my attention when I read the assignment was Carol Plum Ucci’s What Happened to Lani Garver. It isn’t a complicated book. Its straightforward, probably an eighth grade level book. It came across to me as an empowering work of literature because of the message it was trying to send out. The author tries to teach her readers to keep an open mind and accept everyone and not discriminate. She sends her message through a simple story that anyone can relate to .Despite being such a simple book, the message it has is so strong and powerful. To me, literacy shows empowerment through knowledge and acceptance. Literature teaches people of things they’ve never heard or seen of and shows them to accept them.
“…the Strike of the Readers.” – John Ross
When I was growing up, I attended a school which was founded upon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideas and beliefs. We were always pushed to put our best foot forward when it came to our education. Reading, of course, became a vital source for expanding our knowledge. We read a wide range of books, including a few of King’s pieces. One reading that stood out was, A Letter From Birmingham Jail. When I first read it, a lot of the information flew pasted my head, but just reading his words mesmerized me. The backstory about his letter was stunning. He didn’t write on a piece of lined paper, next to a warm fire. He wrote on anything he found in a cold jail cell. King was able to articulate his words in such a manner that you felt a powerful presence while reading his letter.
Reading John Ross’s piece reminded me of Fahrenheit 451. The main point of both readings was to never to take for granted the ability to read. It is something that is over looked, especially in our day in age. A perfect example is why we are in the economic crisis we are in. While many factors played into our current state one, we cannot over look, is how people did not read the fine print on their home mortgage plans. I believe, both Ross and Bradbury wanted to warn us about the posibilites..
I grew up in West Harlem but spent my early teenage years in Queens and Connecticut (which were safer areas for lack of a better term). I had forgotten most of my roots and had learned the customs of a more suburban area. Schools were simple: listen and learn. I never questioned much because I didn’t really care. I didn’t care until I moved back to West Harlem during my junior year of high school and attended one of the worst (if not the worst) public high schools in Manhattan.
I experienced being treated like a delinquent (literally). I had to put my bag through a scanner, walk through metal detectors and be rushed by belligerent security guards to keep the line moving. There was a line to get into this D grade school. Much to my surprise, the quality of education I was getting was not as bad as I expected it to be. I paid very close attention to the way teachers conducted their lessons and I was actually learning. It lead me to believe that the teachers wanted to teach, the students just couldn’t learn there.
However, it is not as simple as students not wanting to learn. There are many schools in which this lack of interest in education exists. It inspired me to research the pattern of the education system in the U.S. and I learned about how, in many cases, students (mostly minorities) are “pushed” through the system without being prepared for the next step in their academic prospects. They are the silenced readers in this case, silenced by false hope rather than getting the help that they need. This is how I learned how important the power of literacy is. The only way to get out of this trap is by putting self education first . Once actions begin to follow questions in search of an answer, learning is taking place.
“I saw nothing without seeing it, and I heard nothing without hearing it. I do not exaggerate when I say it looked at me in every star, it smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind, and moved in every storm.”
-Frederick Douglass
Knowledge can be seen as both a blessing and a curse. As we open our eyes to the realities and complexities of existence, one may feel elated with the wide-open potential of life, while another is overwhelmed with anxiety by the same train of thought. As Frederick Douglass explains, “it opened my eyes to the horrible pit, and revealed the teeth of the frightful dragon that was ready to pounce upon me” (Douglass, p. 75). The more he pursued the truth, the more the truth hurt. He begins to wish that he had maintained the ignorance exhibited by his fellow slaves-mates, a blissfully oblivious state in which he once lived. Yet the fact that we are reading his incredible story for this class is an example of the timeless power of knowledge. In order to overcome our biggest fears, we must first shine light upon them, and face them for what they are.
When I read Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, the book became a flashlight into my soul— a tool with which I would discover things within myself that initially terrified me, but would ultimately lead to an inner transformation. By using simple, concise language rather than scientific jargon, Tolle effectively shines light upon the complexities of our consciousness— a mysterious, intangible subject that most never chose to face. He explains his own mind-made discontentment as a product of the ego which “lives between the unsatisfying past and the fearful future” (Wikipedia). Upon reaching this realization, his anxieties effectively dissolved. As I read, I felt like I was regaining control over my mind and body. For the first time in my life, literature made me feel empowered. Literature has always felt forced upon me. As I read the other blog posts, I realize I am certainly not alone. I feel similarly to Christine, who says, “I’m still waiting for the day that a book evokes emotions in me that music has already done ten-fold.” Since I read A New Earth, I’ve been more present in my everyday actions, and I have more respect for literature and it’s power. Ultimately, without knowledge, we are simply living without making choices.
By Calvin Pia
“The child’s eyes lost their brilliance”-Jean Wheeler Smith
♥I’m still waiting for the day that a book evokes emotions in me that music has already done ten-fold. Being forced to read the most idiotic “classic” pieces of literature throughout school definitely played a major role in my dislike of books. While this stands true to this day, being able to read is of the utmost importance. Not so much being able to read, but being able to absorb what it is that you are reading and make sense of it. The only novel that still holds a place in my heart is Lord of The Flies by William Golding. That is one novel that can genuinely be applied to life, as we know it, and truly understanding it made me feel like a genius. Reading is so one-dimensional, and it really takes an excellent author to remove you from your conscious life and place you within the setting of his own story, which is why I think it is so difficult for a novel to capture my attention. Literacy is empowerment to the extent that without it, one cannot be an active member of society. In today’s world of witty remarks and sarcasm, having a broad vocabulary is only but a tool to use to your advantage. I guess many take the skill of reading for granted because we don’t see a life without it, I mean how could you not read.
♥ I agree obviously with Stephen, Lord of the Flies is a fantastic novel, but I also agree with Robert (in a sense) that most people these days lack the motivation to expand their vocabularies and mind since there is no reason to go above and beyond what is required. Most people can read just enough and get by, unlike Frederick Douglass who needed literacy to figuratively and literally (perhaps?) free him from slavery. Society makes it so easy for people to just “get by” knowing the bare minimum reading and writing skills. My grandma has been in the United States for 20 years, and she still can get by without knowing how to speak properly if even at all. Society is cradled by the idea of “help” from others and people are pulled away from independence when it comes to knowledge. There is no motivation to empower yourself with literacy when just around the corner is a translator waiting to hold your hand while you fill out a form.
-christine : ) ♥♥♥♥♥
“I instinctively assented to the proposition, and from that moment I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom.”
– Frederick Douglass
When I was really young reading was nothing but a tedious, mandatory requirement that I had to fulfill in order to graduate to the next grade. Just like jlt5391: Jessica, I never really enjoyed reading as much as I felt I should. I always wondered why some of my friends LOVED to read while I wanted to do anything but that. Later I realized that you had to find that perfect author that really entranced you when you read their books. A way in which, their words could take you to a whole different place. When you read their words you see things in a way in which you’ve never seen it before. I realized I didn’t hate reading when I was in the 4th grade when I started reading books by Roald Dahl. When I started reading his book The BFG: Big Friendly Giant I fell in love with everything about it. The way he wrote, the way he described things and the fact that it was so creative made reading this book extremely fun and not even a bit tedious. I’ve realized that if you find an author that speaks to you beyond the words they write then, anyone can fall in love with literature.
After reading, Learning to Read and Growing in Knowledge by Frederick Douglas I was truly amazed at how much one person can go through and how much they’re willing to do, to get the education that they rightfully deserve. Sometimes we take for granted the fact that we are offered education from the moment we are born when others like Frederick Douglas didn’t even have a choice but to follow whatever his authorities told him he should do and what he should believe in. Yet, Douglas fought for his rights and he taught himself in whichever way possible because he knew in himself that he deserved it just like everyone else. This reading really reminded me how much significance and power education and literature holds. I believe anyone, no matter where you come from and where you’ve been, deserves to have the right to an education and they have the right to learn how to read and gain an endless amount of knowledge through books. When everything else fails, books can be an escape.
– Tasnuva Mojib
I think my earliest memory of reading for the 25 book campaign in the first grade. If you don’t know about the 25 book campaign, it was a mandatory reading program where students vowed to read twenty five books before the school year was over. While many six year olds would rather run around and play in the yard, I relished the idea of reading. Although I first found reading as a form of escapism, I never really thought of it as knowledge. I enjoyed reading, taking in the stories like a sponge. I soon learned though, the power that reading truly had until later on in school.
My parents were immigrants who knew nothing of English. To them, English was garble of words that neither of them could understand. I didn’t see their struggle with them trying to help me, trying to combine words that neither of them could pronounce. I remember their emphasis on me to keep reading; they encouraged me to learn on my own since I had no one else to help me, no older siblings or cousins. I remember when I didn’t understand something, their answer was “Go to the dictionary.” It felt like a lonely battle. I knew plenty of kids who had older siblings who helped them or parents who knew English. In a selfish way, I believed I was on my own with reading, never noticing that my parents tried their best to check my work to make sure it was correct. At some point, they both tried to sign up for English classes but were forced to give them up in order to work and go home on time. When I saw them give much effort to reading English, I learned how powerful reading was. They didn’t want to learn English to move up in work or to be able communicate with other people. They wanted to learn English to help their young daughter move forward in life and be successful. I learned at that young age of eight of how important reading was and that it was more than just distracting oneself from reality. It was key to bigger and brighter things than we can comprehend.
-Sherlyn Aldas
I discovered just how empowering books can be from a very young age. I would say that love for the written word is in my blood because my grandfather collected a large collection of books that were later passed on to my mom. When I was a little girl, just around three or four, my mom read me my first book which was “Pippi Longstocking.” She always tells me just how excited I was to hear about the crazy adventures that Pippi and her friends experienced, even when she read the book aloud a second and a third time. I would retain all of the stories in my head and whenever I came by a place or a situation that was described in the book, I would ask myself, “what would Pippi do?” Before I even knew how to read myself I would look at books, my eyes scanning the page and wondering what stories were written there. That is why I was so dedicated to learning how to read and I successfully did that before I started attending school. The books that I read when I was a child definitely encouraged me to use my imagination and see things not only for what they are at a first glance but what they could be if I used just a tiny bit of imagination.
In high school, I was exposed to different books than I was used to before. Reading between the lines, interpreting characters` inner dialogue and discovering the symbolism behind a red hunting hat or ducks was a brand new territory for me but I loved it. Texts like “The Awakening,” “The Great Gatsby,” and the many works of Shakespeare opened my eyes to different ideas and points of views, in turn helping me shape my own opinions. Holden Caulfield in “The Catcher in the Rye,” although extremely sarcastic, made me jump in excitement so many times and say “this is exactly what I was thinking!” I can definitely relate to Frederick Douglass` experience of having scattered thoughts and opinions in his head but not being able to put them in full sentences, and then discovering that these thought might already have been voiced, and they can be found in books. That is what books do for me. Often when read a book, whether it is a cheesy romance novel or a classic, I come across a sentence or a piece of dialogue and find something that I was thinking or feeling, nicely summed and packaged in a coherent thought. I also definitely agree with Stephen in the sense that a book can do wonders if you feel like it was written for you and you can relate to it.
Growing up, books were something I hated. In elementary school, I would dread having to do “book reports”. In middle and high school, I realized I could get by on a test on a book if I just read summaries online or on Sparknotes. Everything seemed to bore me, but really, it was just because I was lazy. It was not until freshman year of college that I turned over a new leaf, and decided I was actually going to get the most of my education that my parents are paying for. I took a class called Fairy Tales with the most amazing professor. I thoroughly enjoyed going to class to listen to her insight on the books, and I read each one from cover to cover. We read books like the Jungle Book, the Wizard of Oz, and Peter Pan-all stories I knew from movies during my childhood. Reading these brought me back to my childhood years, and it was interesting to learn about them at a college level and all the symbolism and meanings. It was then I realized how important literature is. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities and imagination. Now, there is nothing more I enjoy than curling up with a good book. It is sort of like an escape from reality for me, because you will never know what you will find-anything is possible.
I enjoyed all of the readings this week, especially the Frederick Douglass piece. It was amazing to me how eager he was to learn how to read in write, even though during that time period, it was forbidden for an African-American to do so. I believe knowledge and literature go hand in hand. It saddens me to know that there are many children in under developed countries today that will never learn how to read or write. This year, I volunteered at an after school program for elementary school children that come from low income households. I help them practice and strengthen their reading skills. I have grown to love these kids and enjoy watching them grow and their passion for learning-they have strengthened my belief in the importance of literature.
-Jessica Trento
Frederick said it best
Years ago I had received a ticket for parking overnight on a suburban street. Feeling extremely frustrated because there were no signs posted, I decided to fight the ticket. After a few hours of research on the parking laws in the village, I was ready to explain to the officer he had actually made several mistakes in issuing the ticket. First, the winter parking laws did not apply to the area in question. Second, the time he issued the ticket was before 2:00am when the law came into affect. Third the court time he issued me didn’t even exist, the court didn’t not have proceedings at 7:00pm in the evening.
While waiting in the lobby before being ushered in, I happen to over hear the officer bragging to the bailiff that this was going to be a slam dunk. On que in walks the lawyer for the county and I over hear him say “I just drove by it and it actually is on the other side.” “Oh Shit!” says Officer Slam Dunk. After they spoke for a few minutes, the lawyer came out and told me it was my lucky day and they were dropping the charges. I have to say I was rather perturbed that he acted like he was doing me a favor. I can really relate to the way Frankie Mae felt when she realized that it didn’t matter if she was right our wrong. The world doesn’t see things that way, and even if one happens to be correct, the people in power still treat you like your lucky they are letting you slide. She was punished for being right and speaking up for herself. How terrible to learn a soul crushing truth at such a young age.
“They can’t take your education”
Jamie Jones
I became truly aware of literacy as an important source of empowerment when I was 15 years old, shortly after reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Previously, I would read mostly fantasy books for entertainment. Those books do wonders for expanding your vocabulary or imagination, but they lack an element of depth and self-reflection that fiction or non-fiction classics based on reality have. After reading The Grapes of Wrath and indeed experiencing a feeling of wrath that needed to be quenched, I started reading other classics, each of which had their own specific message to deliver.
At this point, I gained a full realization of how books work to empower people and exactly why they were banned in cases where a population needed to be subjugated. Starting with the simplest reason of them all, literacy is useful because it cuts out the middle man when trying to understand something. In the Middle Ages, few people outside of the clergy and nobility were literate. As a result, priests provided biblical teachings to those who could not read the Bible for themselves, and they often would take advantage of their literacy by deceiving people into believing ideas that were not in the Bible, but would instead benefit the individual priest or the clergy as a whole. One who is illiterate is automatically inferior to a different individual who happens to be literate because of this fact alone. The second path that literacy takes to empower someone is by granting them ideas that they have not previously known, and by putting them into a format that is much more complete and illustrated than any other form of media. Whatever you read grows on you, and you soon assimilate it subconsciously into your mind.
My personal experience is similar to the cigar makers portrayed in my reading of “Exercises: In the Restoration of History” by John Ross in the regard that we both experienced a growing anger about not having received a satisfactory taste of real literature, and instead having to read words on paper which possess little value (fantasy books for me, communist propaganda for the cigar makers). The differences between me, an upper-middle class kid growing up in Brooklyn, and cigar makers in Florida during the Great Depression, are so vast that simply listing a few would just accomplish nothing. I read a “fun fact” some time ago, somewhere that went something like this: “For every million words you read in a book, your IQ increases slightly”. I don’t know about the scientific accuracy of such a statement, or even if it’s possible to fully quantify such a discovery, but let me tell you, they’re unto something.
-Igor Bronz
Picture by Naomi Bullock
The power of reading is one that unfortunately to this day I can not say I have yet experienced. One could say I may not say I am making enough initiative, while I say that the writers aren’t writing for me. I have come a long way from Roald Dahl and Judy Blume to where every topic was perfect for you. There was never a book that was too easy or too hard, while still being just interesting enough for you to stop counting the page numbers so you could just meet the required amount of pages read. My memories of reading span throughout my entire school life, mainly from elementary to middle school where reading really became integral in my day to day life. It is as small as my memory of the first book I ever finished, not only was it done in one day, but completely on my own want and free will, that book being one of the books in the Captain Underpants series, similar to robertpj under me. It also goes to reading and completing “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding. While I was reading it for a class, could honestly say that I would have read it for my own interest.
Unlike robertpj, from reading “Lord of the Flies”, I did come to realize that there was empowerment in reading. After reading “Lord of the Flies” I felt that I knew something, it granted me a feeling that I’d never had before after finishing a book. I actually wanted to discuss and give my opinions on what I read. It’s seems strange to me how far I have strayed away from that mentality in the 3rd grade, but I have come to notice that my wants and desires for reading come in cycles where I am completely motivated to read and learn something new through writing, but then there are other times where it is the farthest thing on my mind. I hope to gain the motivation of Frederick Douglas one day, the motivation and drive to gain as much as I can through the means of reading.
Stephen Lemon
I do recall one piece of advice my sixth grade teacher gave us when she was helping us craft our writing skills. She said, “always go with your first instinct, since it’s probably the best choice.” While this may not necessarily be true all the time, her words have helped me to be less hesitant when it comes to writing. I don’t think there was any particular point where I felt that literacy was a source of empowerment. I hated reading during elementary school probably because it was mandatory. I remember there being around 25 books which you had to read and I would make 20 of them different Captain Underpants novels. These books in particular shaped my critical thinking skills the most.
Frederick Douglass’ motivation to learn how to read and write contrasts my own due to different qualities of life. He was in a position where his motivation to learn was detrimental to the people who owned him. His mistress stopped teaching him because she realized he was trying to liberate himself from the social identity ascribed to him. I think it is generally fair to say that most people in the United States have it much better than Douglass did. I think multiple factors including insatiability in our society lead to the apathy that a lot of adolescents express when it comes to learning. My mom recently told me about how her cousin’s son in Kosovo gets to work everyday. His father died in the war and to support his family he walks two hours back and forth to work construction in the city of Gjakova for 6 euros a day. I can only imagine how it is now, now that the country is seeing the most snow it has ever got in 25 years. I try to refer to that to keep me in perspective. As far as grey879’s experience goes, Mr. Valentine did a noble thing by letting the students choose what they were to learn, but I was too satisfied with the stranger in the seventh grade to really care about contraception.
Most can remember their times in elementary school as a carefree time where they learned their ABC’s and got to take naps in school. Most recall that they learned valuable life lessons i.e.: treat others as you would want to be treated, don’t tattletale, etc. I think that I learned one of the most valuable lessons that one could learn: the power of the pen. I was in the seventh grade when I realized how important it was to have the ability to express your beliefs eloquently on paper. My English teacher, Mr. Valentine, showed us a memo that the principal had sent to all teachers after a staff meeting. The principal was trying to make all the teachers leave out contraceptive information in the sex ed classes. It was ultimately left to the individual teacher to decide but it was “frowned upon”. In the seventh grade it didn’t occur to me the importance of the issue at hand, it didn’t occur to me that I wouldn’t have had another health/sex Ed class until my second year of high school and the teachers that chose to omit certain information were doing more harm than good.
Mr. Valentine showed our class the memo the principal sent out and told us to always read the fine print. The principal had written in very small print at the bottom of the page that some of the parents who donated to the school didn’t want a comprehensive sex Ed course. Mr. Valentine then asked the class, which type of class we would prefer; after all we were the ones who needed the information. After a unanimous decision we chose to learn about contraceptives, we wanted the truth. The school administration had tried to stop Mr. Valentine and a few other teachers from including that information into the class. So, all the seventh and eighth grade classes started a petition to include all relevant information in the class.
Mr. Valentine taught us to read in between the lines, he said that there will always be a different message in anything someone says. The principal left the decision up to the teachers but still mentioned that certain people would not like it, thus not giving the teachers a choice. I realized the power of the written word because our petition worked. The school administration couldn’t risk all the parents angry at the school instead of few who had donated money in the past. Like the cigar makers of Ross’s Restoration of history, we questioned what was being done to us and stood for what we believed was right. In the end, we caused an uproar, created controversy, pissed some important people off, and still got our way with just a single piece of paper.
(Click on the image to read the quote by Frederick Douglas)
A student in my other section mentioned that he felt empowered when he started to write for the newspaper at the Queensborough Community College. I had a similar experience when I started to put out short video documentaries about ongoing struggles in society. Media literacy is not very different from traditional forms of literacy – both forms allow us to be heard, to position ourselves, and to encourage others to take action.
In the context of this blog, I want to share the most recent instance in which I became aware that (media) literacy is an empowering tool. My example refers to the immediate environment in which we encounter each other: Hunter College.
I applied to study Integrative Media Arts at Hunter College when I was living in Berlin. The only images I had of Hunter were the ones that were provided on its official website. When I finally came to New York, I was pretty shocked about the ugliness of the building, the never ending bureaucracy, and the persistent dysfunctionality of the restrooms.
It took me some time to discover that Hunter College and other CUNY colleges have a remarkable history of resistance and class struggle. In 1969, Black and Puerto Rican students at City College fought for and won an unprecedented opening of admissions at the City University of New
York that resulted in a radical transformation of the university. The student body doubled within a year and within seven years the almost all-white student body had become majority
students of color.
Read The Struggle for CUNY by Christopher Gunderson to learn more about CUNY’s radical history.
CUNY has always been a place where folks from different backgrounds come to together – not only to study but also to organize against capitalist oppression. The board of trustees – which consists of the “1%” appointed by mayor Bloomberg is systematically raising tuition for students and cutting wages for adjuncts. These budget cuts are a clear attempt to deprive students from low income families and people of color from their right to education. Those who are lucky enough to make it into the system, leave college enslaved by student loans.
Many of you made reference to the Occupy Wall Street protesters in the previous blog assignment. I was surprised that none of you mentioned Occupy CUNY. I strongly recommend to check out the following resources and to find out how to get involved:
The Time for Action is Now – Short documentary on Occupy CUNY
Occupy CUNY News
Written by Martyna Starosta
Fire in the Basement 