Literacy and education programs in Black churches take many forms, from basic reading and writing to general equivalency diploma (GED) study to literacy through Bible study programs to after-school study groups for children and teens. Irene Owens discusses the importance of these literacy programs to the church. It is very difficult to discuss promoting the use of the rich cultural literature that exists, without first acknowledging that there are so many persons in the world, many church goers included, who, because they cannot read, are not privileged to enjoy the printed word, not even as it relates to one’s faith…
Has the church realized the seriousness of this issue? (Owens, 64) Owens notes that while the largest number of illiterate Americans are white, proportionately far more minorities are fully or functionally illiterate, including 44% of African Americans. The picture for teenagers is even grimmer, with 47% of African-American seventeen year olds unable to read and write. Prison inmates suffer the worst; 60% of prison inmates, a disproportionate number of whom are African-American, cannot read or write beyond a sixth grade level (Owens, 47).
Other than the obvious problems experienced by an illiterate adult, Owens notes that illiterate or alliterate (those who can read, but don’t) adults may not be able to effectively serve on a jury; this leaves lawyers choosing juries of different socioeconomic status than defendants, which can lead to unfair convictions (Owens, 48). Other problems noted by Owens are a disproportionate number of poor and illiterate men in front-line positions in the military (48) as well as a perceived ineffectiveness by these men within the military. Owens lays out the following objectives for the church library program. 1.
To help members understand their faith. 2. To help members understand their own culture, other cultures and other religions. 3. To assist members in making ethical and moral decisions. 4. To enrich the lives of members, their families and their communities. 5. To assist in developing the spiritual growth of the members. (Owens, 66) Owens states that the library program within a church should not be merely a collection of books on a shelf, but a program which encompasses all aspects of the congregant’s literacy issues and which enhances their understanding of their faith at the same time as increasing their societal skills.
She recommends such tactics as using an oral history program to draw in and increase involvement even by those who are illiterate, and in order to capture their stories and history for the enrichment of the church as a whole; encourage both publishers and congregants to donate books to the library; to “think outside the box” regarding lending policies, for example, allowing the borrower of a book to pass it to another congregant rather than return it; appointment of a church historian and development of church archives, particularly in those denominations and churches which have a history of oppression, which participated heavily in the civil rights movement or which suffer an excess of societal problems today;
To focus on poetry and music as well as formal literature and nonfiction writing; to emphasize writings on Black culture; to encourage the more educated members of the congregation to pass on their skills and education to others; and to include a writing program as well as a reading program. (Owens, 67)
In short, the library of the Black church should not be a mere collection of paperbacks on a shelf, but a vital resource in increasing the community literacy rate and in creating a sense of community history, as well as offering an opportunity for the more fortunate to increase the well-being of the church and the community.