Chapter 5: Still Not Equal: Improving Literacy Development for Black Children and Other Children of Color

The racist context of American education before, during, and after Brown v. Board of Education (Brown) still exists (Ladson-Billings, 2003). Black children today continuously struggle academically for equal opportunities promised by the Brown decision. One of the major obstacles confronting black people historically has been literacy. Slaves were deprived of the right to become literate, and once freed, blacks were denied the right to fully participate as citizens of the United States (i.e., voting rights, civil rights, and education). Literacy has been a major barrier in many of these situations. Thus, this chapter explores the influence of the Brown decision on education in general and literacy development more specifically. It provides participants with an understanding of the changes and challenges facing blacks from slavery through the segregation, desegregation, and resegregation of public schools—before, during, and after Brown (Orfield & Eaton, 1996; Orfield & Yun, 1999). It includes the structures, processes, strategies, and opportunities influencing black children and other children of color’s literacy learning (i.e., Latina/o, Mexican American, Vietnamese American, American Indian, among others).