truly an american idol
November 9, 2005 by Mary Wynne-Wynter
I've never watched American Idol but I did recognize a bigger game when I read about one in Village Voice. Fantasia, the recent Idol champion, revealed last month that she is illiterate, along with releasing her memoir, Life is Not a Fairy Tale. A quote from her book:
“Not a day goes by that I’m not ashamed about my situation. If you hand me a newspaper, I just look at the pictures and try to figure out what happened . . . when people ask me to write a special message, I have trouble forming words right on the spot, so I write something short like ‘Be Blessed’ . . . something I already know how to write.”
and:
“The real story is how Hollywood and show business wouldn’t want the world to know that illiteracy is a real thing that affects many young people, like me. It’s one of those ugly things that no one wants to talk about. That’s why so many young kids don’t have jobs—they can’t read a job application. They are not lazy and ghetto, which is what everyone says about us.”
This story stopped me dead in my tracks. This well-written article refers to literacy project Reading is Fundamental and also to the U.S. functional illiterate statistic: 25 million. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this problem. Fantasia's courage and honesty are humbling and inspiring. And not just hers alone. Every person who volunteers time for adult literacy programs should be acknowledged for their contribution.