[NLA] Thursday Notes, 3/14/02

[LitNetJose@aol.com]

Gloria and partners--

I don't believe that corporatations and corporate interests sit around and 
"conspire against literacy."  I don't think they have to.  We have more than 
a sufficient number of adults in the nation who have to take jobs that don't 
pay.  These individuals lack basic literacy skills...for various 
reasons...but mostly, by my observations and information, because of 
socio-economically based conditions....which tie into cycles of illiteracy 
and lack of role models and lack of family pioneers who somehow managed to 
break out of the cycle, went to college, succeeded in becoming educated, took 
jobs that paid more than $6.50 an hour, and made sure that they read to their 
children every night.

I live near the Mexican border.  I can see here how "under-education" pays 
for some.  And there is such a thing as "institutional racism".  From my 
viewpoint (and the viewpoint of my next door neighbors who never went to 
college and studied political science and economics and theories of 
education), in my part of the country, percentage wise, given individual 
ethnic groups, it primarily falls upon under-educated, low income ethnic 
minorities (and many, many low-income Whites), to do jobs that pay for 
farmers, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, etc....and to fill our 
prisons...which are real money makers...for some.  When things are 
institutional, no one has to conspire towards anything.  This all his origins 
from long ago...and all of us are working together to fix it...the best that 
we can.  My education teachers in college made it clear to me that there were 
two eduational systems to fill different kinds of jobs.  How consciously is 
this being done? Who knows?  All I know is that, we have a freeway that cuts 
across the center of the city called  I-8.  How odd, but consistent, that the 
best schools...with the most  resources and highest achieving students and 
teachers are north of I-8.

And who lives south of I-8?  And who lives north of I-8

You know.  

Is this a strategically planned and verbalized conspiracy?  Probably 
not...but it sure looks like it.

Jose Cruz
Network Director
California Literacy
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