Unearthing Hidden Literacy

In the story “Unearthing Hidden Literacy: Seven Lessons Learned in a Cotton Field,” author Lillie Gayle Smith reflects on her time in the cotton field when she was a young girl. She describes how embarrassed she was to talk about what she and her family did to her graduate class because she to her, “it was a job my people inherited from slavery – the bitter legacy that continues to haunt all Americans, especially those who are African American” (Smith 38). The only time she revealed her past to her classmates was when she was bragging about how far she had come from picking cotton in the fields. It wasn’t until Smith enrolled into a “Black Women’s Literacy” class that she began to finally appreciate her past and actually felt she learned something from being in the fields. Smith concludes her passage by explaining the impact of attending the class she was in and picking the cotton. What she though was an embarrassment actually turned out to be a life lesson that she subconsciously carried with her through all her years.
I really enjoyed reading this story because it gave me a chance to evaluate all of my life experiences and see them in a different light. I am never the type to take an opportunity or life changing event for granted. I am I strong believer of the quote “Everything happens for a reason.” The most interesting part of this story was when Smith talked about the white male teacher. She explained that the teacher would ask one of the male students a question and whatever their answer was it was gold. If he asked a female student a question, he would go to the male student for verification of the females answer. This goes to show that sexism is not non-existent in the world and it is more evident in some environments than others. It’s up to the victim to stand up for themselves and fight for what they know is right.