Forever Free: A True Story of Hope in the Fight for Child Literacy by Tracy Swinton Bailey

Author:Tracy Swinton Bailey [Bailey, Tracy Swinton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: education, Educational Policy & Reform, General, Social Science, Discrimination, Language Arts & Disciplines, Literacy
ISBN: 9781635420807
Google: TOs2EAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Other Press, LLC
Published: 2021-08-10T23:37:30.853520+00:00

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Once we reached stable footing and worked through a lot of our drama, our conversations and dreams circled back to the place where we met, the Governor’s School for Academics at the College of Charleston. We revisited the transformative moments, the people we met and the books we read there that changed us. We said to each other that if we ever found ourselves in a financial position where we could give back, we’d create a similar experience for kids from dirt-roads communities like the ones that had given birth to us.

When the conditions were right for Freedom Readers to be born, we were ready. We questioned our readiness on days when our bank account was strained to the point of breaking, as we tried to make ends meet on one income after having become accustomed to two, but when it came to the core of our philosophical standing, our hearts beat in sync. There was the issue of some of our younger family members who were making choices that brought them into contact with the criminal justice system. We watched this and it pained us. We felt young and invincible and thought that with our high-dollar educations we had the power to make things right, somehow. We knew that we couldn’t just keep getting fat on the rights our mothers and fathers had gained. We needed our own activism, the kind that helped individuals achieve their dreams while putting pressure on systems to become more equitable and just. We couldn’t pay back the ’60s Freedom Fighters, but we could try to reach back for another generation. Freedom Readers would end up being a part of our strategy of doing our part and giving back to our community. We agreed that we would use whatever tools we found at our disposal to make a difference. We would create an experience for young people that was first class, that piqued their curiosity and helped them answer the questions that simmered just beneath the surface of their minds. We would remind them of their inherent beauty and brilliance and potential. We’d attempt to make use of our brokenness and turn it into a way to heal.

For the first three years of our marriage, we focused on enjoying each other and building our professional lives. We were both so ambitious and hungry to prove to ourselves and the world that we deserved a seat at the table. We didn’t hesitate to put in long hours and push the envelope when it came to the status quo. Ike would blaze a trail in journalism, writing a well-read, award-winning column in the local paper for more than a decade. By the time he was hired by the Sun News, I had already started a teaching career at Socastee High School. When our son came along after I had been teaching high school English for five years, we decided that one of us would always be at home with our kids. We knew we

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