Local education non-profits and community organizations will host a free screening of award-winning documentary ‘The Right to Read’.
313 Reads coalition is hosting a screening and community conversation, which will be open to the public. The organizers make up more than 30 organizations throughout metro Detroit area including Detroit Parent Network. This featured film is documentary will captures the story behind the Right to Read lawsuit won by Detroit students.
“The goal of this coalition of partners is to improve grade level reading efficiency at the family and systemic level,” said Jametta Lilly, chief executive officer, Detroit Parent Network.
“Together our organizations lead the fight in advocacy for literacy as a civil right. We must impact policy to ensure that change really happens.”
The event will be held Wednesday, Oct. 18 at Durfee Innovation Center, 2470 Collingwood in Detroit, which includes community resources and an in-person and virtual panel discussion. Doors will open at 5 p.m. with the screening beginning at 6 p.m., and the panel following at 7:30 p.m.
There will even be activities for pre-K and older children during the screening.
The grade-level reading proficiency in Michigan is one of the lowest in the country. While lower scores are found in Detroit in addition to other inner-city communities across the state, reading proficiency rates are even lower throughout Michigan’s rural communities. And then there’s the racial gap in reading levels reflecting the lack of access to quality literacy resources.
“Literacy is a civil and human right. Our children deserve access to literacy, and literacy educators deserve access to what they need for culturally responsive, high-quality instruction, said Dr. Leah van Belle, executive director, 313 Reads. “Literacy is a tool for self-determination and liberation, and a child’s ZIP code should not determine their access to that tool.”
Panelists for the community conversation following the film will include:
- Dr. Leah van Belle, executive director, 313 Reads, Moderator
- Dr. Pamela Pugh, president, State Board of Education
- Jamarria Hall, lead student plaintiff, Detroit Right to Read lawsuit
- Jametta Lilly, chief executive officer, Detroit Parent Network
- Regina Weiss, state representative, education committee
Among the featured panelists, Jamarria Hall is featured in the film and was the lead student plaintiff in the 2016 class action Detroit Right to Read lawsuit against the State of Michigan. After a four-year fight, the lawsuit reached a $94 million settlement in 2020, but Hall continued to experience challenges due to his lack of adequate education.
Also at the event will be free resources to support literacy at home, connection with free and low-cost community-based literacy tutoring programs and tools to advocate for children.
For more information, visit ‘The Right to Read’ at https://www.therighttoreadfilm.org/
Learn more about 313 Reads at www.313reads.org
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