Literacy access, the law, and racism in the United States: a critique

The literacy histories of Black, Indigenous, and other People Of Color (BIPOC) are missing in standardized accounts of literacy in the US. In this critique, the ideology of White supremacy is exposed as a barrier to literacy access that continually evolves and reconstitutes itself. Supreme Court, local, and state legal cases are examined to understand how White supremacy prohibited literacy access for BIPOC. Counter-narratives of BIPOC are situated within historical contexts to present alternative histories of literacy access and use. Recent legal cases confirm that access to literacy and equal education are protected under the 14th Amendment. The history of BIPOC literacy in the US is not unlike histories of other oppressed peoples, globally.