Diana Greene, CEO of the Children’s Literacy Initiative, argues that Black students’ reading struggles stem from socioeconomic barriers like poverty, food insecurity and chronic absenteeism rather than instructional methods alone. She advocates for a holistic, equity-driven approach that supports early literacy, family engagement and addressing students’ basic needs to create lasting improvements in reading proficiency.
Author Archives: Word in Black
Posted inNational News
Black general fired for daring to fix military school’s racism
Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, the superintendent of Virginia Military Institute, has been dismissed by the VMI board after four years of pushing for culture change and increasing state funding, despite his accomplishments.
Posted inBlack History
Bloody Sunday at 60: This is not a celebration
Sixty years after Bloody Sunday, civil rights activists and scholars warn that the right to vote is in peril due to restrictive voting laws and attacks on voting rights.
Posted inU.S. Government
White House suspends chief education data commissioner
Peggy Carr, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, has been placed on administrative leave, potentially disrupting the collection of data that exposes racial disparities in the nation’s K-12 schools.
Posted inWord In Black
The alternate reality of the 47th president’s Black History Month Celebration
Donald Trump hosted a Black History Month celebration at the White House, but the mostly Black audience in the East Room of the White House failed to question his racist policies and past actions, such as canceling Black History Month events at the Pentagon and revoking a 1965 executive order that banned racial discrimination in government employment and government contractors.
Posted inHealth
Heart disease still the leading cause of U.S. deaths
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death among Americans, with nearly 2,500 people dying from it every day. The disease is also more prevalent among Black men and women, who have higher rates of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.
Posted inCommentary
Bringing Black studies to Black people
Stanford University professor Adam Banks regularly commutes 5,000 miles to teach free college-level African American studies classes to the Black community in Cleveland, his hometown, to build community and connect people with one another.
Posted inWord In Black
New policies endanger security of immigrant student population
President Trump’s immigration policies have created a climate of fear in schools, affecting not only immigrant students but also Black students, leading to increased anxiety, depression, and school disengagement.
Posted inCommentary
The plot to assassinate Black America
Donald Trump’s administration is facing criticism for its political assault on Black Americans, with White supremacists being appointed to key government positions and policies aimed at dismantling civil rights progress.
Posted inCommentary
The soul of a nation: Love, hate and the legacy of Dr. King
By Mustafa AliWord in Black The chasm between the dream and the despair grows wider each day. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once ascended the pulpit at Riverside Church and offered a vision that sought to heal a fractured America. The transformational lessons that King shared with the country were heartfelt and powerful. He urged […]
Posted inU.S. Government
If you think some of America’s leaders are fine with people inhaling formaldehyde– you could be right
The Trump administration is expected to challenge the EPA’s elimination of cancer-causing formaldehyde, despite a study finding that the chemical caused more cancer cases than any other air pollutant, with the risk being highest in urban Black and Brown neighborhoods.
Posted inWord In Black
Executive order could push up prescription drug prices
President Donald Trump rescinded a Biden administration order on prescription drugs, which could hike prices for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees, while also rolling back protections put in place by President Joe Biden, such as capping annual out-of-pocket prescription costs at $2,000.