What is more critical to success than the ability to read? Woods Hole Public Library is sponsoring a virtual screening of the new documentary, “The Right to Read” from April 14-16. More than 50% of American adults currently read below a 6th grade level. The film follows teachers, activists, and parents fighting to improve the quality of literacy education in Oakland, California, Jackson, Mississippi, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. When a child can’t read, their chances of incarceration, homelessness, and unemployment increase. That’s why Oakland based NAACP activist Kareem Weaver believes literacy is one of the greatest civil rights issues of our time and is fighting for better reading instruction. “What good is winning the right to vote if we can’t even read the ballot?” Fed up with the bleak reading scores in his own community, Kareem files a petition with the Oakland Unified School District demanding change.
To receive a link to the film, please email us at whpl_mail@clamsnet.org. The screening window will be open from April 14 through April 16. Patrons will be able to access the movie from home at any time during the screening window.