These days, nearly every organization in the
education space is talking about equity. So much so
that at times it starts to sound like a buzzword. But
educators who have understood the importance
of this work for years and incorporated it into their
practice often ask, “Well, what are you actually
doing? Don’t just talk about it; do something.”
So, we did.
In 2015, we transitioned to become the
International Literacy Association, and our
conference was held in St. Louis, MO, just a few
miles from Ferguson, where riots broke out the
previous summer after the shooting death of
Michael Brown. In 2016, our conference moved
to Boston, MA, which happened to take place the
same week that Philando Castile and Alton Sterling
were shot and killed. It was also the very same
week that an ambush in Dallas, TX, left five police
officers dead and nine more injured.
It was a somber start to a conference that’s
typically a joyful event.
A dear friend and one of our featured speakers in
2016, Cornelius Minor, reached out just prior to the
conference and asked if there’d possibly be a place for
educators to come together, talk about, and process
the events of the week. He wanted a place for us
to heal and offered to help put something together.
Without hesitation, we said, “Yes!”
That impromptu session attracted so many
attendees we couldn’t fit everyone into the room.
Teachers waited outside the door, hoping someone
would leave just so they could claim the seat.
That’s when we knew. If we were going to
honor our mission, serve our members, and give
literacy educators what they were so clearly hungry
for, we needed to do more.
The time for sitting on the sidelines was over. It
was time to not only act, but also lead the way.
At ILA 2017 in Orlando, FL, we launched an
Equity in Education Program, which was extremely
popular and will expand at ILA 2018 in Austin, TX, in
July. This past March marked the debut of ILA West,
Leading the Conversation
ILA UPDATE
an intensive workshop on literacy as a pathway to
equity in education, in San Diego. We have also
published blog posts, magazine articles, and held
Twitter chats along with taking part in several other
initiatives including signing onto amicus briefs,
and we are now looking to develop even more
publications and events to participate in further
advocacy efforts.
This is only the beginning.
ILA’s commitment to equity in literacy
education strikes a chord with me personally. I
experienced firsthand the benefits of high-quality
instruction—all because I was lucky enough to have
been raised by a teacher and attend schools that
valued teacher preparation and offered programs
outside of the standard curriculum.
Had I been born one house to the right or left,
and not had those opportunities, I’d probably be a
very different person. I’ve seen far too many times
what can happen to a child who doesn’t have the
opportunities and support I was lucky enough to
have received. I can honestly say that it wasn’t lack
of ability, but lack of support in the form of current
resources and meaningful teacher professional
development experiences that were the missing
ingredients to success for those around me
growing up. I’m talking about support in the form
of schools that value highly effective teachers and
invest in trained specialized literacy professionals.
And schools in which there’s a culture of literacy,
unrestricted access to culturally diverse and
representative books, and true partnerships with
families.
Having access to that kind of education can
no longer be left to luck. We need to create those
opportunities for all students, regardless of their
zip code or country of origin. ILA believes that
receiving a high-quality education shouldn’t be a
privilege. It’s a basic human right, and we won’t
stop until that promise is fulfilled.
At ILA, our focus has always been on providing
educators with the preparation, research-based
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literacyworldwide.org | July/August 2018 | LITERACY TODAY