Breaking Barriers: How Literacy Advocates in Cleveland Empower Generations Through Reading

Chrishawndra Matthews first started reading to her son Derrick Smith Junior when he was still in the womb. “I would put headphones on my stomach and let him listen to classical music and audiobooks,” Matthews says.

Matthews son Derrick first started reading independently when he was 2 years old. However, she says that there was nowhere in the inner city to help Derrick continue to grow his reading skills. “My zip code is 44120 and If I go on the Shaker Side there’s so many resources but if I wrap around the railroad and go on the Cleveland side, those same resources aren’t available,” Matthews explains.

Inspired by her son’s potential and the lack of resources in her community, Matthews transformed her fight into a mission to address Cleveland’s systemic literacy crisis, founding Literacy in the H.O.O.D.

Literacy in the H.O.O.D

Matthews says H.O.O.D. stands for helping out our disenfranchised. She believes the fight for literacy starts at home. “We talk to parents about creating an environment where reading, thinking, learning, and speaking are in the culture in that home,” Matthew explains.

Matthews encourages other parents to read to their children for 15-20 minutes daily. She mentions the Word Gap, a term coined by researchers in the 1990s, as evidence that parents reading to their children daily, starting as infants, can help build their vocabulary.

According to researchers, by age 3, children born into low-income families heard roughly 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers.

As a single mother and business owner, Matthews understands that for some parents reading to their children for 15-20 minutes each day, can feel impossible with having a busy schedule.

She remembers when Derrick was younger, they used their car rides together as learning opportunities. “Instead of talking on the phone or listening to music, I would make him read aloud to me in the backseat,” Matthews says.

When Derrick was a toddler, Matthews bought sight word cards at the Dollar Tree and played matching games with him during car rides.“That was the foundation of him learning and understanding words,” Matthews says.

Matthews proactive approach also helped her son when he started kindergarten. Unlike the rest of his peers, Derrick was the only student who could read.

The 2023 Cuyahoga County Literacy Dashboard states that 56 percent of kindergarteners in the county are not on track to read at grade level. 

Community Outreach in the HOOD

Since starting Literacy in the HOOD in 2017,  Matthews and Derrick have done direct outreach in the community by going to local events where families are and handing out books.

During the 2020 pandemic when libraries and book banks were closed, Derrick encouraged his mother to find a way to give books to the community. “We were meeting at places that were open like gas stations, and grocery stores, and showing people the books that I keep in my trunk,” Matthews explains.

The mother and son duo would also disinfect the books and pass them out to places that were handing out free lunches to families. Matthews and Derrick’s dedication even caught the eye of a producer from the Kelly Clarkson show.

According to the Kelly Clarkson Show, Matthews and Derrick have handed out over 100,000 books throughout the Cleveland area. Derrick also has a book program for boys his age, Boys Do Read.

Derrick said the idea of Boys Do Read first started when he and a few other boys would read together at the library during programs supported by the Hough Reads, a literacy initiative to empower residents of Hough and Ward 7.

“I’ve been trying to get more boys back into reading and off of video games,” Derrick says. Derrick also says he attends Family Kindness Day at Beachwood High School each year and passes out books.

 Matthews recommends Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dogman, and Captin Underpants to help make reading an enjoyable activity for elementary and middle school boys.

Matthews and Derrick are planning to expand Literacy in the H.O.O.D. to the Las Vegas Valley this spring, but they still plan to continue their literacy initiatives in Cleveland.

“We’re trying to grow past Cuyahoga County because every city, every community has a hood, anywhere you go,” Matthews says.

Tackling Cleveland’s Literacy Crisis

In 2017, a study by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competence revealed that 54 percent of adults in Cuyahoga County are not proficient in literacy.

Cleveland’s literacy rate has slightly improved since the 2004  Case Western University study, which cited 66 percent of Cleveland adults as functionally illiterate.

While Matthews and Derrick focus on empowering children to become lifelong readers, other organizations like Seeds of Literacy take on the monumental task of equipping adults with the skills they need to succeed. Together, these initiatives represent a community-wide effort to tackle literacy at every stage of life.

Seeds of Literacy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating poverty through literacy by tutoring adults for their GED has two physical locations in Ohio. Seeds East is located on Kinsman Road and Seeds West in on West 25th Street. There is also a virtual option for students all across the country,

The concept of Seeds of Literacy first came into fruition in 1997. Seeds was designed to be a free and easily accessible adult literacy program for residents in Cuyahoga County.

Today, Seeds serves an average of 1,500 students annually with the help of over 250 volunteer tutors across the state of Ohio.

Seeds of Literacy

Shanta Moore is a regular at Seeds of Literacy. The 47-year-old takes her time walking off the bus with her cane as she slowly enters the Kinsman Road location.

As she checks into the front desk, the security guard makes a joke that he almost didn’t see her with her head-to-toe camouflage outfit. Moore laughs and shows off her outfit, striking a small pose, and goes to the front desk to ask for Mary, the coordinator for Seeds East.

Moore recently took the reading portion of her GED and scored a 141. She needed a 145 to pass.

“I think it had a lot to do with nerves,” Moore sighs. “My transit was late, and it was like I was so close, I was so close, I could almost taste it,” Moore says as she balls her fist and bites the air for emphasis.

Ed Round, a 79-year old tutor at Seeds and former Justice Department lawyer and disability judge, reassures Moore that she’ll get it the next time.

“That’s a question or maybe two away,” Round exclaims. “You were that darn close.”

Moore’s game plan is to talk to Mary go over the section she missed and retake the reading portion. “My goal is to pass the reading and social studies real quick and then work on my math and science because that’s going to be the hardest part,” Moore explains.

“I’ve had a full hysterectomy and hernia repair this past year and a half but I’m still headstrong and going at it,” Moore beams.

Round interjects that Moore’s perseverance isn’t rare.

As a tutor for 10 years, all of the students Round has come across have had different stories and challenges but all of them had determination and perseverance. “I’m working with a student on social studies who along the way has had some health problems and needs accommodations,” Round explains. “We’ve been working on it for years.”

Round also iterates that all of the students are consistent with working towards their GED. “They show up, keep coming back and working on what they’re working on,” Brown says.

Shanta’s Story

Moore first learned about Seeds of Literacy after having a stroke. Before her stroke, Moore was a manufacturer working in a factory.

“After I was diagnosed as disabled, I was referred to Signature Health,” Moore says. Moore recounts a representative from Signature Health asking her what she wants to do next and what her goals are. Moore says for all of her career, she has only been known for working in labor-intensive positions. “I never finished school because I had three children by the time I was 21 but I knew I was smart, so they referred me to a list of places that would help me further my education, and Seeds was on the list,” Moore says.

Since starting Seeds, Moore says life for her has only gotten up. Moore was even promoted as a student ambassador and proudly shows off the pink and white rubber Seeds of Literacy bracelets she wears on her wrist.

Moore says she goes to local events with the outreach coordinator John and helps recruit not only potential students but tutors as well. “I have an eye for spotting teachers,” Moore confidently says. “You can tell by the way someone is looking when they want to be a teacher. I get them every time and John loves it,” Moore chuckles.

Moore also mentioned that recruiting tutors from diverse backgrounds could help Seeds be more relatable and inclusive for learners.

Importance of Literacy

Being a tutor and helping a student obtain their GED can drastically change their lives. Improving literacy in Cleveland can not only help an individual obtain better job opportunities but also boost the overall economy in the Greater Cleveland Area.

The Literacy Cooperative states nationally that low literacy skills cost businesses and taxpayers $20 billion in lost wages, profits, and productivity annually.  Moore and Round’s advice to people looking to improve their literacy and get their GED is to start now and don’t doubt yourself.

“I don’t care if you can’t read now, you can learn to,” Rounds says.

Moore nods.

“It’s never too late,” Round and Moore say.