Literacy and Racial Equity Converge: Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) Announces New Social Justice Mission
CLI is pioneering new paradigms in culturally sustaining early literacy instruction for Black and Latinx children grades Pre-K to 5.
Philadelphia, PA, Dec. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI), a Philadelphia-based education 501c3, with offices in Philadelphia, Chicago, Broward County Florida, Omaha, New Jersey, and Massachusetts today unveiled its new social justice mission. For the first time in its 33-year history, the organization is aligning under a bold mission centering racial equity:
Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) seeks to dismantle structural racism by providing Black and Latinx children with the anti-racist early literacy instruction, support, and advocacy needed to create equity in education.
CLI’s CEO Joel Zarrow said “We began our focus on racial equity long before the racial reckoning of 2020 and the onset of COVID-19. These watershed events only added urgency to our work to put an end to colorblind literacy instruction and change the discourse about the so-called “literacy gap” – which is merely a euphemism for the lingering impact of structural racism.” He adds, “In our mission, we center Black and Latinx children because they have been disproportionately isolated from high-quality literacy instruction. Our sharpened mission is intended to hone our organization’s focus on amplifying literacy outcomes for children of color and help reshape their literacy journeys from ones that fail to reflect their genius and potential to ones that affirm and sustain their identities and cultures.”
Alongside its mission sharpening, CLI has worked with scholars at the leading edge of culturally responsive pedagogy to fortify its independently validated instructional model. While CLI’s mission expression has changed, its core services remain unchanged and still include job-embedded coaching, professional development, workshops and seminars, and providing books and materials.
CLI Board Chair Sandra LaFleur said, “For over 30 years, we have built on our core competency to transform literacy research into teacher practice. The ever-accumulating body of evidence around culturally sustaining pedagogy now allows us to make a huge leap forward in our impact on literacy outcomes for children of color. Drawing from this body of research, we can assert that culturally sustaining pedagogy is a critical enabler of literacy success, along with the science of reading and balanced literacy.”
CLI Chief Academic Officer Erica Holmes-Ware said, “We know that the work of an aspiring anti-racist early literacy organization is an ongoing pursuit, and there is no point at which we ‘arrive’. We will continue to build relationships with scholars and practitioners of color who add valuable and timely insights that we leverage across our entire direct service portfolio.”
“We imagine a world where all children receive an equitable high-quality literacy education,” said Zarrow. “The ultimate strength of our democracy and nation rests on our ability as educators to help all children realize the essential purpose and value of literacy. Literacy attainment is far more than skill-building – it is the very foundation of liberation and freedom.”
CONTACT: Justin Hudson Children's Literacy Initiative 4439862304 [email protected] Naimah Bilal Children's Literacy Initiative 5138072658 [email protected]
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