FOREVER FREE

A self-proclaimed “educational abolitionist” reflects on her journey to becoming a children’s literacy advocate.

For as long as Bailey could remember, books offered a thrilling freedom she could not find elsewhere, and the African Methodist Episcopal church she and her parents attended exerted an equally powerful influence on her. Through it, she learned the importance of “elevat[ing] the status of the Black community.” Both would later become sources of the author’s strength in a world hostile to people of color and inspire her to pursue a career in education. She navigated a life that took her from a high school English teaching job to full-time motherhood to a doctorate in education. Her research led her to the work of Paul Farmer, the head of Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, a leader in health and human rights. Galvanized by his example, Bailey organized an after-school reading program, Freedom Readers, at a public housing community. Her experiences with that program led her to the realization that low-income students needed strong literacy skills to “navigate a world where racism throws up barriers every day.” At the same time, she continued to see how easily the academic institution could derail the work in which she believed. A month before her graduation, the professors overseeing her dissertation tried to invalidate her research by saying the communities Freedom Readers served “didn’t need [her] to come in and fix them.” Bailey successfully deflected their criticisms and earned her doctorate, with a specialization in language and literacy, while continuing to expand an educational program that challenged both “white supremacy” and the anti-humanist leanings of a capitalist society. As it critiques modern American educational practices, this timely book makes an impassioned plea for the humane innovations needed to create a just learning system for all.

Inspiring reading for educators and anyone who cares about education.