Friends, ILA members, and literacy changemakers
in our beloved global community:
Our community is one in which reading,
writing, listening, and oracy are vital tools for
human development, problem-solving, and
social justice. A community where the spirit of
cooperation, reconciliation, and kindness are
exemplified. A community, as bell hooks wrote in
Killing Rage: Ending Racism, “formed not by the
eradication of difference but by its affirmation,
by each of us claiming the identities and cultural
legacies that shape who we are and how we live
in the world.”
Over the past three years, I have proudly
served as a member of the ILA Board of
Directors. I have witnessed ILA’s transformation
in adapting to the evolving landscape to meet
your needs as we navigate the unintentional and
often exhausting consequences of the COVID-19
outbreak on our communities. With grit and
perseverance to push through, we have tackled
tough conversations, unpacked the science of
reading, explored reading and writing strategies
to promote student growth, investigated book
access in the COVID era, and held roundtable
talks on censorship. Our beloved community
has provided a safe (and socially distanced)
space to be vulnerable, take risks, and explore
our emotions. These exchanges promoted
connection, compassion, and transformations
that seep into every aspect of our professional
and personal lives.
In this issue of Literacy Today, we will
continue the conversation, exploring the role
of literacy and literacy educators and advocates
as our schools and communities move toward
policies and practices aimed at COVID-19
A Beloved Literacy
Community
ILA UPDATE
recovery. Before reading, ask yourself the
following questions:
“How am I creating a beloved literacy
community for students and families?”
“How am I participating in a beloved
professional community?”
At ILA, as we look to the future, we are
creating more opportunities to empower and
give greater agency to our global constituency
to achieve our mission—to improve the quality
of literacy learning across the world in ways
that are respectful, responsive, and ethical.
This includes
■ Increasing collaboration with affiliates and
highlighting amazing projects and events
from around the world, such as the Reading
Association of Uganda’s involvement
in developing curricula for children in
refugee camps and the Rift Valley Reading
Association’s advocacy to decolonize Africa
■ Providing more impactful free and reduced-
cost professional learning experiences
■ Diversifying representation of our journal
editorial teams and peer-reviewed research
The dynamic and dedicated ILA staff,
Board of Directors, past presidents, and
membership continue to generously give
their time, talents, and resources to connect
research and practice to improve the quality
of literacy learning.
We hope this issue will inspire you to mobilize,
seize new opportunities, and reconsider the
possibilities of collective agency to impact the
literacy lives of every student, every day as
COVID-19 moves from pandemic to endemic.
As a proud new officer of the ILA Board of
Directors, I thank you for your commitment to
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literacyworldwide.org | July/August/September 2022 | LITERACY TODAY