Dear darrow,
Thanks for your question. First, let me request that if any of the
following is unclear or if you require any further research – please
don’t hesitate to ask me for a clarification.
You requested information about black literacy in the U.S.,
specifically comparing literacy statistics from the early 20th century
to those from the early 1990s and providing the source of such
numbers.
I’ve found a number of interesting sources of information – let’s
first look at early 20th century evidence.
Black Literacy in the Early 20th Century
*******************************
The following is anecdotal, but is quite telling – and it comes from a
highly reputable source – Professor Dierdre Glenn Paul, an associate
professor of reading and educational media at Montclair State
University in New Jersey, who is a frequent writer and speaker on the
subject of black literacy –
“The history of black literacy in America is one of struggle and
adversity. Unlike other non-English-speaking immigrants, black slaves
were brought here forcibly, with no opportunities to learn the
language formally. Slaves speaking a variety of tongues often were
purposely thrown together to discourage communication and possible
rebellion. Learning to read and write was not only discouraged but
illegal in most slave states of the antebellum South. A century of
separate and largely unequal schooling followed the Civil War.”
The article continues to say that…
”Despite those odds, most African-Americans became literate. "(I)t is
difficult for me to reconcile that a people who mastered language and
literacy under such abysmal circumstances have produced a generation
of children who are unable to grasp these concepts sufficiently in
present-day society; at least, this is the portrayal widely
disseminated about us," Paul writes.”
The entire article is posted online at –
http://www.newhouse.com/archive/story1a032601.html
Further evidence of the unfavorable comparison to early 20th century
is presented in an article titled “The Case of Lester Jones, An
African-American Male in Cleveland, 1912” –
“Although the black literacy rate soared from 20% in 1850 to nearly
80% in 1890, blacks were still having a difficult time finding work.”
This had severe impact on Blacks’ success in the professions. For
example –
“as a result, after reaching a peak in 1910, the proportion of doctors
and lawyers in the black population plummeted and did not recover for
three generations."
This article is available at –
http://academic.csuohio.edu/clevelandhistory/Issue3/articles/ljonespage4content.htm
The fantastic increase in Black literacy following the Civil War is
further supported by the following quote –
“Black educational achievement in the 50 years following emancipation
was substantial. Black literacy increased from 10% in 1880 to 50% in
1910.”
This is from an article titled “Wealth Redistribution, Race and
Southern Public Schools, 1880-1910 “ available at –
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v9n16/
The exact late 19th century / early 20th century statistics likely
come from an article titled “The Emergence, Persistence, and Recent
Widening of the Racial Unemployment Gap” available at –
http://econ.ucsc.edu/~fairlie/papers/utrends.pdf
“The literacy rate for blacks in our sample rose from 38.2 percent in
1880 to 71.9 percent in 1910, whereas the literacy rate for whites
rose only 1.9 percentage points from its 1880 level of 93.2 percent.”
Still another source is available at –
http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/history/surviving2.htm
Until the Civil War, it was illegal to teach Blacks to read and write,
as the following account attests to –
“"Compulsory ignorance" as coined by writer Brent Staples relates to
the reality that "Black" literacy was obstructed as a matter of law
for more than a century. Until after the Civil War, it was a crime to
teach "Blacks" how to read and openly literate "Blacks" were seen as
subversive and even dangerous.”
This is quoted from an article titled “LET'S TALK ABOUT REAL EDUCATION
REFORM” and can be found at –
http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:kPHoe_rUI9oC:www.urbanthinktank.org/pb21.cfm+%22black+literacy%22+trends&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Black Literacy in the Late 20th Century, circa 1990s
*****************************************
Perhaps the source of the comparison you had heard comes from John
Taylor Gatto’s “The Underground History of American Education”?
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/
In chapter three, Gatto writes –
“If more contemporary comparisons are sought, we need only compare the
current black literacy rate in the United States (56 percent) with the
rate in Jamaica (98.5 percent)—a figure considerably higher than the
American white literacy rate (83 percent).”
While I could not track down an exact publication date for Gatto’s
book, it was written just recently (last 3-4 years).
Arthur Hu’s “Index of Diversity” quotes a variety of numbers that
place both the former quote as well as what you have heard in doubt –
his study is available at –
http://arthurhu.com/index/literacy.htm
The following data is from Hu’s study -
What is the Rate of Literacy in America?
----------------------------------------
% Literacy Source
99.8% 1969 White US 14-24 (census)
99.5% 1969 Black US 14-24
99.5% United Nations report
97% Black literacy 1969
These numbers are from 1969, but it is a bit hard to imagine that
literacy rates among Blacks declined that much since. The latest
census reports did not measure literacy rates. For some reason
literacy rates are now derived in what is called a “synthetic” manner
– and I could not find literacy rates by gender from a formal source
or survey.
The comparison you recall may also have been a result of an
early-1990s congressional committee report on the state of literacy
among adults in America. For example, Jet magazine reported in
September of 1993 that –
“A congressional study shows that almost 50% of US residents don't
have the educational skills to hold a decent job. Blacks and other
minorities ranked disproportionately at the bottom of the survey.”
According to Shirley A. Biggs, writing in the Journal of Reading in
May of 1992, 63.3% of Blacks 25 and older had completed high school by
1988. Assuming that one cannot complete high school and remain
illiterate, the literacy rate in 1988 must have been at least that
high. Nevertheless, that is substantially lower than the almost 80%
rate recorded at the beginning of the century.
I hope this response adequately addresses your request. Please let me
know if you are in need of additional information concerning this
query.
Thanks,
ragingacademic-ga
References:
Almost 50% of U.S. adults lack basic literacy skills
Jet; Chicago; Sep 27, 1993; Anonymous;
Building on Strengths: Closing the Literacy Gap for African Americans
Journal of Reading; Newark; May 1992; Biggs, Shirley A;
Additional Links:
NPR ran a series on literacy in March 2001 – you can access the series
and listen to the original transmissions here –
http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/mar/010319.literacy.html
Search Strategy:
“black literacy” AND trends |
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