TRANSCRIPT:
[UNIDENTIFIED MAN]
"WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL..."
[MICHAEL]
READING. IT'S SOMETHING MOST PHILADELPHIANS TAKE FOR GRANTED. YOU READ A MAGAZINE, YOU SURF THE INTERNET, YOU DON'T THINK TWICE. BUT IMAGINE IF YOU HAD TROUBLE READING. THINGS LIKE REGISTERING TO VOTE OR EVEN JUST READING THE NEWS WOULD SUDDENLY GO FROM BEING A CIVIC DUTY TO A CIVIC BURDEN. AND THAT ENDS UP BEING A BURDEN THAT ALL PHILADELPHIANS HAVE TO SHOULDER.
[JONES]
"THE DIFFICULT PART, I GUESS, IS KNOWING THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE DIPLOMA TO GO A LITTLE FURTHER."
[MICHAEL]
THAT'S MILDRED JONES. SHE'S A 48-YEAR-OLD NORTH PHILADELPHIAN WHO HAS LIVED MOST OF HER LIFE WITHOUT SOMETHING MANY PEOPLE TAKE FOR GRANTED -- A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.
[JONES]
"OH, I WAS A GOOD STUDENT. BUT I GOT WITH THE WRONG CROWD AND STARTED CUTTING CLASSES. AND I JUST DIDN'T GO BACK. THEN I STARTED WORKING, I HAD MY KIDS AND I HAD TO PROVIDE FOR THEM, SO I HAD TO WORK. ONCE THEY GOT UP AND GRADUATED AND GOT THEIR DIPLOMAS, I WAS LIKE 'ITS TIME FOR ME NOW.' I CAN'T HAVE THEIRS ON THE WALL AND MINE'S NOT THERE."
[MICHAEL]
SO LAST YEAR, JONES STARTED ATTENDING CLASSES THROUGH THE WORKFORCE EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAM, ALSO KNOW AS THE 'WELL' PROGRAM.
LUCKILY FOR JONES, ENGLISH WAS ALWAYS HER STRONGER SUBJECT IN SCHOOL. BECAUSE OF THIS, SHE'S BEEN ABLE TO DO THINGS LIKE VOTE WITHOUT MUCH TROUBLE. BUT SHE SAYS THAT'S NOT THE CASE WITH EVERYONE.
[JONES]
"OH THEY PROBABLY COULDN'T EVEN GO IN THERE. THEY WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO."
[MICHAEL]
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR BARBARA FERMAN AGREES.
[FERMAN]
"TYPICALLY, THE MORE EDUCATION A PERSON HAS, THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO ACTUALLY VOTE ON ELECTION DAY. IN GENERAL, THE LESS LITERATE YOU ARE THE LESS WELL INFORMED YOU ARE. SO, YOU DON'T KNOW WHO'S RUNNING. YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW WHERE TO GO TO REGISTER. YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW WHERE TO GO TO VOTE -- WHERE'S YOUR POLLING PLACE."
[MICHAEL]
'WELL' PROGRAM TEACHER, EARLDINE TOLBERT TRIES TO HELP PEOPLE OVERCOME THESE BARRIERS.
[TOLBERT]
"ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOCUS ON HERE AT THE 'WELL' PROGRAM IS TO GET THEM INTERESTED AND ENGAGED IN THEIR ROLES AS CITIZENS. THEY DON'T KNOW THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE IN PHILADELPHIA, HOW IT'S SET UP, THEY DON'T KNOW WHO THEIR COMMITTEE PERSON IS, WHO THEIR COUNCILPERSON IS."
[MICHAEL]
THE 'WELL' PROGRAM NOT ONLY EDUCATES ITS STUDENTS ON CIVICS, BUT ALSO ENCOURAGES THEM TO ENGAGE WITH THE CITY GOVERNMENT.
[TOLBERT]
"THERE ARE SOME LIGHT BULBS THAT COME ON. AND YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTUALLY CALLING THEIR COUNCILPERSON'S OFFICE AND ASKING KEY QUESTIONS."
[MICHAEL]
AND SUCH PARTICIPATION IS CRUCIAL IF PHILADELPHIA'S GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO BE TRULY REPRESENTATIVE.
[FERMAN]
"THERE'S SORT OF A CRASS RULE IN POLITICS AND THAT IS IF YOU'RE RUNNING FOR OFFICE YOU PAY ATTENTION TO PEOPLE WHO VOTE. SO, IF I KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THIS SEGMENT OF THE COMMUNITY IS NOT GOING TO VOTE, THEN I REALLY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ADDRESSING THEIR ISSUES."
[MICHAEL]
NEVERTHELESS, THE CITY GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN SOME STEPS TO ADDRESS THE LITERACY CRISIS.
[LANDERS]
"THE MAYOR'S COMMISSION WAS FORMED IN 1983 BY THEN-MAYOR BILL GREEN. AND WHEN IT FIRST STARTED AT THE VERY END OF THE GREEN ADMINISTRATION IT WAS COMMISSION BY NAME ONLY. BUT IT REALLY BECAME A WORKING COMMISSION UNDER WILSON GOODE."
[MICHAEL]
JIM LANDERS IS THE ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE MAYOR'S COMMISSION ON LITERACY IN PHILADELPHIA.
[LANDERS]
"IT STARTED WITH A GROUP OF ADULT LITERACY PROVIDERS IN THE CITY WHO CAME TOGETHER AND EXPRESSED A NEED FOR AN ORGANIZATION THAT WOULD COORDINATE ADULT LITERACY SERVICES IN THE CITY."
[MICHAEL]
THE WELL PROGRAM WHERE TOLBERT TEACHES JONES IS ONE OF THESE PROVIDERS HOUSED IN THE MAYOR'S COMMISSION.
FOR HER PART, TOLBERT NEVER EXPECTED SHE'D SPEND HER DAYS TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO READ. BUT THAT ALL CHANGED WHEN SHE FOUND OUT ONE OF HER CLOSE FRIENDS HAD A SECRET.
[TOLBERT]
"I SHOWED HIM A BOOK THAT I HAD BOUGHT, AND HE JUST FLIPPED THROUGH IT AND GAVE IT BACK AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A BAD BOOK. AND THEN HIS SISTER SHARED WITH ME HE COULDN'T READ. SO I VOLUNTEERED. AND ONCE I STARTED VOLUNTEERING AND FINDING OUT, I FOUND OUT THAT TWO OR THREE OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS COULDN'T READ."
[MICHAEL]
THE CENTER FOR LITERACY IN PHILADELPHIA SAYS THAT ABOUT 400-THOUSAND ADULTS IN THE CITY HAVE LESS THAN A FIFTH GRADE EDUCATION.
THAT'S MORE THAN A THIRD OF ALL ADULT PHILADELPHIANS THAT DON'T EVEN HAVE THE EDUCATION NEEDED TO PROPERLY UNDERSTAND A VOTING BALLOT OR EVEN JUST READ THE NEWS. SUCH PROBLEMS AFFECT NOT ONLY THAT THIRD, BUT EVERY CITIZEN OF PHILADELPHIA.
FOR WJRN, I'M MICHAEL GAUDINI.
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The Literacy Crisisby MarcieLapointe131 views
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