“To Be Black, Female, and Literate: A Personal Journey in Education and Alienation” by Leonie C. R. Smith

    “Education, we are told, is the key that opens the imaginary door to success…is supposed to uplift us from misery – to improve our economic situation in life. However, the path to acquiring an education and advanced academic literacy is fraught with difficulty, and opening the door to success comes with a price.” (Smith 183)

   The quote mentioned above is one which sums up, “To Be Black, Female, and Literate: A Personal Journey in Education and Alienation”, by Leonie C. R. Smith. In her short story, Leonie Smith gave readers a personal insight on her life growing up and the role that education played within her life. As a young girl, Smith grew up in Antigua. Education was of much importance to her family after her grandparents fell victim to an “obeah woman”, due to their illiteracy. After the horrible events that followed her family, Smith began to excel in education. However, Smith’s academic excellence came with a price, as she had to live her new life in the United States, with strong feelings of alienation and the ill-mannered attitudes of the surrounding majority.

   This short story reminded me of the idea that immigrants who come from a less fortunate background, tend to value education a little more than the average person. Moreover, it gave me more of an understanding of the importance of a woman such as Smith, gaining an education. Women are forced to face the “glass ceiling” and education is often the key to overcoming this said “ceiling”. I have two female best friends, one of which is from Ethiopia while the other is from Sudan. Both of my best friends exhibit a distinctive work ethic. Similar to Smith, their drive comes from their family expectations and the current situations in their homeland. As African American females we understand that literacy and education is the key to success. On account of the three of us attending a majority White high school, we’ve experienced the feeling of being different and feeling out of place. However, we have always encouraged each other and as a result, we continue to work towards becoming successful African American women.