Since 2015, I have written many columns for The Observer on behalf of the Newberry County Literacy Council, describing the council’s efforts to promote greater literacy in our community. We appreciate The Observer’s support of our work in publishing these columns and covering the council’s events. This has been a long-standing commitment.

Ollie Moye was editor of The Observer in 1992 when I first started working with the council and he was also a member of the board. I remember him telling me, with some humor, that it was obviously in the interest of The Observer to increase the number of people who could become readers of his paper. Andrew Wigger has continued The Observer’s support of literacy and the Literacy Council and as he moves to a new position in the community, we salute him and wish him well. Newspapers are crucial sources of information that can shed light on community issues and engage us in ongoing discussions of ways to move forward. So, again, thanks to Andrew for the important work he did in keeping The Observer going in the time of COVID and in an environment where more and more seek their news online. Local papers are vital yet endangered.

The Literacy Council’s mission is to promote literacy. Over the years, we have provided one-on-one tutoring and various programs to help adults develop better reading and writing skills. Part of this is a matter of practical necessity, that people need these skills to navigate through life, as consumers, job holders, and parents. Part of this is a matter of values, that people’s lives can be enriched personally through developing a love of reading and writing. Many of us have been fortunate to use literacy skills in both ways, as a tool and as a passion.

I know how lucky I am to have had grandparents and aunts who gave me books as presents and parents who were adamant about education. They took me to the neighborhood library at an early age and I felt the comfort of being surrounded by books. I was lucky to have had good English teachers and challenging literature classes throughout my education, introducing great works, assigning Shakespeare every year of high school, requiring quality essays and oral presentations. Run-on sentences, noun-verb disagreements, dangling modifiers, misuse of lay and lie and who and whom were not allowed. My passion for reading came immediately; my passion for writing came later when I realized it was an art form where you craft a piece of work using the rules of composition and sentence construction, a varied vocabulary, creativity and a willingness to rewrite and rewrite. It is the art of painting a picture with words. I have been able to use literacy skills in my professional work as a teacher and for personal pleasure.

Sadly, others have not been so lucky in developing a love of reading and writing. Numerous studies, cited recently in a Washington Post article, have found a steady drop in reading among children over the last thirty years, including reading for pleasure. This does not necessarily mean that these children have not learned these skills. It just means they do not think of them as pleasures or passions. They can use them in school and to accomplish tasks but they are not valued in themselves. They are means to ends – good grades, good jobs, good salaries. That’s fine, but minimizes the value of reading and writing in bringing personal pleasure, enlightenment and intellectual growth.

It is even more unfortunate that there are so many children who have not learned to read and write well, who will not develop a passion for them and not be able to use them for the good grades, good jobs and good salaries. The difference between these two groups, the ones who have learned and the ones who haven’t is largely income, the income of the household. If you are from a household earning over $250,000 a year, you are ten to twenty times more likely to develop good reading and writing skills. A recent report concluded that “only 9 percent of U.S. kids whose families are in the bottom income quartile (less than $34,160 annual income) get a bachelor’s degree by age 24, versus 77 percent of those from a top quartile background ($108,650 or more).” It seems a cruel outcome that your chances of educational accomplishment depend on the income of your parents or household. This is a huge challenge for our education system and our nonprofits. How do we close that gap and provide the assistance needed so that everyone can learn to read and write well? I have written about this in previous columns. It takes more than improving schools or supporting non-profits. It takes a political commitment to reducing inequality. About this, however, there is much disagreement.

Well, regardless, I will end this the way I have ended my other columns. Until next time, Happy Reading!

Joseph McDonald is a retired sociology professor from Newberry College and has worked with the Newberry County Literacy Council for more than 20 years as a tutor and board member. The Literacy Council is located at 1208 Main Street. Visit newberryread.com, call 803-276-8086 or send an email to newberrycountyli@bellsouth.net for more information.