The following is a quote from Lauryn, a first semester peer counselor, senior biology pre-medicine major from Fall 2002. “I think [being alliterate Black woman] means to be independent, not to be dependent on anybody to provide for you because you can do things for yourself. Knowledge is power, so if you’re literate you can make your own way. It’s freedom. You can do whatever you want to do. It doesn’t limit. The possibilities open up.”
Literacy, which has been a reoccurring theme throughout this course, is essential to life. Robin Wisniewski, author of ‘Transformative College Literacy of Literate Black Women Peer Counselors’, spoke specifically about the challenges of college students who have disabilities or are the first in their family to go to college, and how she orchestrated peer tutor groups to help out these students. Wisniewski thought helping out these students was a pressing topic that needed to be addressed in order for them to have the same freedoms as everyone else.
Before reading this essay it never really occurred to me that there were people who do not have the same literacy skills as my friends and family. I too think it is important to help everyone reach the same level of literacy. I can only imagine the struggles someone with lack-luster literacy skills would have to go through. With the number of highly educated men and women in this world there is no reason why there should be people without basic literacy skills.
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