Connie Messina, the producer, director, and narrator of this video was a Certified California School Counselor who learned from the teenage students that were sent to her office for behavior problems, often couldn’t read, and what they needed to do, was to learn how to read. She became a literacy warrior, a fellow traveler, and a friend. A lot of good things have happened along the way. We have yet to close the gap between what we know and what we do.
Hey America!
“It’s Time To Put All The Cards On The Table” was the title of a three page Op Ed submission that I wrote and sent to the Editorial Page Editor of the Baltimore Sun, May, 1, 2015. I got a rejection letter form them.
I started my letter by writing that we can’t discuss the future if we don’t know what’s happening in the present. If we are serious about equal opportunities and justice, we need to engage in a dialogue that deals with the reality of illiteracy/sub-literacy in America and its impact on individuals and our nation.
Most agree that getting an education is the gateway to a better job, better opportunities, and a more prosperous life. There is no way you can get a proper education, if you can not read.
One of the most important educational, civil, and human rights issues of this decade, is for every child, teen and adult to have the opportunity to learn how to read.
PLEASE watch this video. Please listen to Gordon, a fellow traveler and friend.
A slave abolitionist, Frederick Douglass said “Once you learn how to read, you will be forever free”. For three decades Frederick Douglass called the city of Baltimore his home. Maybe I should resubmit my Op Ed piece to the Baltimore Sun?
John Corcoran
September, 2020
COMMENTS FROM CONNIE MESSINA BELOW:
"You will never understand the pain of illiteracy until it touches your life. Only after I met Gordon did I see the emotional and financial toll that illiteracy takes on an adult's life. In trying to find help for Gordon, I met John Corcoran, a dedicated advocate for literacy.
It changed my life. I hope that people will look at our documentary and learn how illiteracy lies at the root of many of our social problems.
From unemployment, underemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence and incarceration, tax payers' money would be better spent guaranteeing literacy for all."
Connie Messina
16 сен 2024
