Young Detroiter, others learning to read and write a happier ending
By MELANIE D. SCOTT
Free Press Staff Writer
Averil Dixon graduated from Mumford High School in Detroit in June and hopes to begin studying to become a master plumber this year. But first, he needs to strengthen his reading skills.
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"At Mumford, my teachers really focused and tried to help me with my reading," said Dixon, 18, of Detroit. "I think they did the best they could, but I didn't like to read."
Now Dixon is enrolled in Pro-Literacy Detroit, where he receives free tutoring four days a week. The organization is one of several that will be assisting other African-American men Saturday during the Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit's Flip the Script meeting and rally geared toward battling illiteracy.
"The illiteracy rate is unprecedented for African-American males in the city, and it's fueling a lot of the negative headlines you see," said Keith Bennett, director of the Flip the Script program. "If you can't read, how can you dream?"
According to the Detroit Literacy Coalition, 47% of metro Detroit residents are functionally illiterate. The rate is 18% for all of Michigan.
Flip the Script was created in 2003 to teach young men in Detroit how to overcome devastating socioeconomic circumstances.
So far, 200 have registered for Saturday's program, which is being held at the Northwest Activities Center in northwest Detroit.
"A lot of young men are in pain, so they turn to violence," Bennett said. "They are acting out and crying out for help."
Bennett said the program is based on three fundamentals: an educated man is a liberated man; if you know better, you do better, and you can earn more if you learn more.
Dixon, who plans to attend Saturday's program, agrees.
"I'm learning patience in reading, and visualizing and learning what the words mean," Dixon said. "My main goal is to become a plumber, and it takes reading."
Dixon attends Pro-Literacy Detroit on Monday through Thursday each week and on two of those days, he spends at least eight hours studying. Dixon said he entered Pro-Literacy Detroit reading at a middle school level.
Continued at: http://www.freep.com/article/2011010...happier-ending
