Finding the "Write" Way
I would like to start this off by thanking my lord and savior, Laura Greenfield, for blessing me with the framework to analyze writing centers in a radical way. Seriously though, her work in The Politics of Contemporary Writing Centers and Radical Writing Center Practices has been influential to me and I plan to use that knowledge to discuss two literacy centers. The first literacy center I will discuss is the Community Literacy Centers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the Flanner Community Writing Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. My goal with this blog is to challenge and praise the politics of the two writing centers mentioned before. Upon your, hopefully easy read of this article, you will at least have something intelligent to say about writing centers in your next Zoom hangout with all of your friends.
Community Literacy Centers
The Community Center of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma or simply just CLC appears to have radical politics in its foundation, but there is something about their “about us” statement on their website along with some student testimonials that just makes my spider-sense go off. Here is the “about us” statement: “The founding members of CLC recognized the correlation between illiteracy and many of the social problems in our community; crime, poverty, health issues, and ignorance.” I take issue with this statement because it villainizes individuals who do not read or write at a certain level. And honestly it seems like many of their students are people who did not grow up speaking English, so now the statement says that non-native English speakers are a problem even though they technically are literate in another language. Which we all know Black and Brown people tend to suffer the most in society due to our unnecessary attachment and praise for standardized English language.
I don’t think I am being nitpicky or dramatic either because we do live in this Western society where we tend to think non-native English speakers from other countries, especially the Black and Brown people, are not intelligent or problematic because they don’t have mastery over English. I would say the social problems they speak of are more associated with lack of access to resources such as: mental health care, jobs, quality education, and etc. Just because someone probably can’t read Beowulf and write a five-page response to it about how Beowulf is nothing but patriarchal propaganda, doesn’t mean they are going to go rob a bank instead. I mean hell, there are plenty of humans working in the United States government who can read and write quite splendidly. In fact, they read and write so well that they continuously contribute to crime in their own privileged ways. Eve Ewing, the author of Ghosts in the Schoolyard, successfully identifies the ways in which members of impoverished communities suffer in a myriad of ways due to school closures. Ewing also informs us of how these literate school superintendents and other individuals who oversee public school education make conscious decisions to further aid in the destruction of these same communities. Here’s a great conversation featuring Eve Ewing as she discusses these key points that appear in her book. Oh yes, there is no greater feeling than waking up to systemic and systematic racism that is perpetuated by the nice people that can read and write so well. Here is the link to look at the “about us” statement for yourself and maybe you might think something different of it. Maybe I am the one who can’t read.
https://www.communityliteracy.com/about-us
Testimonials
The CLC has testimonials posted on the website of course to persuade future students into joining. I watched four videos that included the experiences of women including Zahra and Crystal. After finishing the testimonial videos, I do not see how these women are all of sudden equipped to go solve social issues upon completing the program. I’m seriously glad these women are more confident in their reading and writing skills. The videos only show how their experience with the literacy center has helped them read to their kids at home. Which is fine, but the testimonials just don’t match up with the “about us” statement of the CLC. I know the testimonials don’t show us every little detail of what is taught at the writing center, but I wish I could see more.
I mean were they reading material about Marxist theory or womanism? Were they reading books about the complexities of environmental racism? I could go on a lot further with topics, but I am sure you get the idea. I consider the topics I just previously mentioned to be useful in combating social problems because the CLC is primarily comprised of women of color and you really cannot truly solve or even navigate through social issues if you don’t have the knowledge. If the CLC claims to care so much about social problems, then they should make some sort of attempt to introduce the relevant social issues to the students. And I don’t think any topic is too complex to read or write about, they have instructors for a reason. It could just be me being dramatic about the situation. I am waiting for dinner to be ready, so maybe my hunger is making me think irrationally. Check out some of the testimonials for yourself so you can get an idea of what I am talking about.
https://www.communityliteracy.com/testimonials
Flanner Community Writing Center
During my aspiring Sherlock Holmes type of investigation of literacy centers, I finally found a place worthy of praise. Even Laura Greenfield would jump for joy after reading about this writing center. I discovered the Flanner Community Writing Center housed by Marian University located in my hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. I know you are wondering what my secret to eloquent writing is and yes, it’s because I am from Indianapolis. I was so excited to read about this writing center and I seriously want to visit it when I visit Indianapolis again. I would say this writing center truly provides the students with an experience that truly leads to liberation of the mind and construction of a more just society. The mission statement of the Flanner Community Writing Center is “the Marian University Writing Center provides a framework for intellectual growth, critical inquiry, and social imagination through the use of rhetorical investigation and collaborative learning practices”. Did you notice how they didn’t come anywhere close to villainizing people with low literacy skills by blaming social issues on them?
I especially appreciate its transparency concerning both student tutors and the individuals seeking tutoring. You can tell this writing center is intended to be a truly transformative experience for everyone involved and it’s open to all Indianapolis residents free of charge. This is the type of writing center that will not just help people assimilate but change their thinking entirely. I could see someone coming into this writing center seeking help with writing a paper about the importance of police and then switching that focus of the paper to talking about the importance of defunding the police. Because trust me, the communities in Indianapolis could greatly benefit from some of those funds. I also read that both tutors and instructors are always encouraged to be involved in the community. I find that to be critical when you truly wish to be able to fully support the people you serve, there has to be some kind of familiarity and understanding. I will place a link right below so you can browse the information, it really is well thought out I think.
https://www.marian.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/co-curricular-programs/writing-center/about
Nigh Limitless Possibilities of Writing
I think one of my favorite things about this writing center is the fact that it has such a broad spectrum of the type of writing individuals could seek help with. I really hope people, especially teenagers who live in the disadvantaged areas of the city utilize the center as much as possible. I mean how cool would it be for a teenager who has an amazing idea for a comic book or something else creative in nature and go to this center to fully unlock that potential. I think this will be a great way for these populations to figure out that they could also pursue a career in some kind of writing field. Whether it’s copywriting, education, law, poetry, or screenwriting; maybe these humans who have used this center for writing can carry the torch of true social progression and critical thought with them. Also, I could see the center helping students of marginalized communities become advocates for themselves in their academic school papers by encouraging them to speak radically about their experiences and place in society. I think the center would equip them with the language or critical thinking that they might not get in their regular classrooms.
Well gang, we’ve made it to the end. I hope it didn’t seem like an attack against the CLC. The radical approach of the Flanner Community Writing Center should honestly be adopted into all human spaces. No place is and may never be perfect, but I hope you can clearly see the power of leading with radical love and compassion. If it seems like I tried to discredit or demean the CLC in Oklahoma City, I am not. I just wanted to challenge it as an institution, but I think it is useful to the community it serves to some degree. There are many factors that limit the effectiveness of literacy centers including lack of funding and staff. I don’t think there is a right or wrong type of literacy/writing center, but I do think a more radical approach such as the Flanner Community Writing Center is more useful for human development and social progression because it allows space for limitless possibilities. It’s a truly dynamic experience for the tutors, instructors, and the tutees with the way it challenges everyone/everything involved.