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A. Dora Lopez is a Mexican American girl who was born in 1969. She was born in a Texas border town, then moved to a midwest university town in the 1970’s. The town had less than 1% population of Mexican Americans. Her family had to drive 70 miles to find an ideal grocery store. Dora’s grandparents worked as farm laborers. Her mother was a part time worker at the bookstore at their local technical college. Her father was a shipping and receiving clerk at the technical college.

B. Dora Lopez had many literacy sponsors. Her first sponsor being the Spanish-language radio program. Another sponsor she had was the books from her moms bookstore. These books helped her teach herself to read and write in Spanish. Lopez also was sponsored by her relatives in Columbia, they helped her with her written Spanish. The computers that Dora were exposed to at the age of 13 through her job at the summer school program, was also a sponsor. Her dad brought her a word processor machine from his job which also became a sponsor. Lastly, the university and technical college she attended were additional sponsors.

C. The experiences that Lopez went through with various literacy sponsors had a better effect on her life later on than earlier. As a child she had poor records and information. She had to reach far for the proper tools and education for her self-initiated learning to become biliterate. In her adult life it had a better effect on her career because it made her economic status higher in the long run. She also gained great connections.

D. In Deborah Brandt's "sponsors of literacy", Brandt says that Dora Lopez has to reach “much further afield” in terms of the way she obtained her literacy. In the text it states that before she turned 13 she had no access to a computer and taught herself to read and write in Spanish. Brandt feels even though she made good of what was given to her, she bypassed a more potentially beneficial opportunity, in terms of her leaving the university to go to a community college.

E. I see narrative and persuasive writing when talking about Dora Lopez. Brandt good into very deep detail when telling Lopez's educational journey. Not long after she gives her persuasive insight on ways Lopez could have further increased her education. Brandt then compares and contrast Lopez's and Branch's education.

G. There are many implications of literacy sponsors in everyday life as a college student. They are most specifically found all throughout my studies. Sponsors are more indirectly found through everyday encounters and experiences not only with people, but with the environment around me. Implications such as walking down the street, learning my way around by reading signs as I go. Obvious implications are the various texts that I get to read for certain classes.

H. Would growing up in a less political household change the path that Lowrey led in life? What or whom was Lowrey's most influential sponsor in his life?

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A. Raymond Branch was born in Southern California to a professor and a real estate executive. He grew up in a midwest city in a time where computers were growing. He always played around with the ones in his dad's office at the university. His close access and fascination with these products led him to receiving his first computer for Christmas. The opportunities Branch received from his parents and his area allowed his curiosity to flourish. He studied computer programming and was sponsored by his parents’ colleagues. Raymond Branch’s opportunities were better due to his economic advantages.

B. Although Raymond Branch had easy access to technology, his main sponsor was the university due to his fathers employment as a professor and his family's socioeconomic status. Within the university Branch was introduced to laboratories, the newest technologies, and many educated personnels. The access to technology that Branch had was better than what other people had with technology, others didn’t have access to computers and other kinds of technology until they were older due to financial issues or environment. Branch got his first computer when he was twelve unlike most kids who at the time didn't have access to computers unless their family was well off with money, their school had computers in the library, or until they headed to university. Compared to another person who grew up in the same town as him, Dora Lopez didn’t have nearly the same access to computers and technology as Branch had. Lopez didn’t get a computer until she was heading to university and it was a used computer that her father saw for sale by a student. The different timing of receiving a computer clearly reveals the difference in accessibility for different people living in the same town. There is also a conversation about privilege to be talked about in this comparison.

C. Raymond had access to technology much earlier than most people would have. Because of this, he was able to gain more knowledge. At a young age he was able to connect with people to build his knowledge in technology and learn new techniques. We see that his techniques were put towards good use later on in life with the fact that he had a role to play in the transformations in communication technology due to his exposure to it.

D. This gift fueled his pending curiosity about computers. Noticing his enticement, his parents enabled his growth by supplying his very own computer. By doing this, Branch was able to strengthen his computer skills. He continued his studies in college by studying computer programming and because he was already ahead from a young age, he was able to have additional support and succeed. A sponsor doesn’t need to be anything gigantic, or a specific person to impact someone's journey, in this case a computer which opened a new world for Branch was his sponsor.

E.  The main concept connected to Raymond branch upbringing is Consequences of learned, a lack, or inaccessibility. This relates to the story because in Branch's side of the story he was able to learn from a lot of people that surrounded his father, which he had very open access to. Unlike Lopez who technology wasn’t as easy to get to, and if she got it, it was through a different path. It’s relatable to today's issues because a lot of kids are low income and don’t have the same access to technology as a high income child would have, putting them behind in education.

G. Entering a new path as college students, we can all experience different literary sponsors besides our professors.  For some students it can be the library where we have access to both computers that people may lack due to finance and settings that are quieter than home and or dorm. This allows students to focus on greater things such as their education. Other students can also have an impact on us because we all come from different places, and backgrounds; allowing for us to see different perspectives of the world.

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Students fear lack of internet access could leave them behind with online learning

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A. Deborah A. Brandt, a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, conducted a wide spread research project that studied the sponsors of literacy amongst different types of people. In this project she introduced a woman by the name of Carol White. Carol White was “born into a poor, single-parent household in 1940” (Brandt, 1998, p.180). She obtained a high school diploma in 1960. Additionally, she got married, had 5 children and then divorced her husband. In the midst, however, she maintained a steady income working through a variety of clerical positions. With a shift in careers, one of her first secretarial jobs was with an urban film company that “produced and disseminated Catholic missionary films” (Brandt, 1998 p.180). We are then taken through how that encounter changes the entire course of the rest of her life.  Despite there not being a huge focus on her early life, we can infer that her family -- whether through positive or negative experiences-- taught her the importance of persevering through tough times and always doing what you have to do to support yourself and family.
B. One of Carol White’s literacy sponsors was the administration at her high school. Although not elaborated much on, we can infer that White was educated, at least on a fundamental level since she was able to obtain that diploma and graduate. Additionally, White’s ability to juggle the task of being a mother to five children and maintaining jobs in clerical positions definitely played a role in her literacy experience. The ability to communicate with children in general, along with the patience of understanding them while being a worker must have dramatically expanded her literacy. Moreover, another one of her sponsors was her position working closely with the vice president for a firm that created Catholic missionary films. While working for him, she was tasked with typing and proofreading documents and magazines that he produced before it was published to the press. This task positively impacted her literacy because it granted her the opportunity to learn rhetorical strategies in which she was interested, to then use as a tool in other life callings that she pursued as she progressed through life.
C. White’s high school diploma granted her the ability to be qualified for job positions like those in which she had to proofread magazines and letters. If it wasn't for this literacy sponsor, she would not have been eligible to work in that position. Moreover, as aforementioned, her ability to have five children yet still maintain a job throughout each pregnancy definitely contributed to growing her literacy because that kind of perseverance had to be accompanied by the understanding of one’s emotions and the ability to voice it. Furthermore, her determination to keep these jobs definitely spoke true to her character at an early age. In addition, her time working for the vice-president for a national civic organization that produced magazines advanced her knowledge on the use of rhetorical strategies. Because of this new found strength, she went on to utilize these same rhetorical skills to help convert people when doing missionary work for the Jehovah Witnesses. Now, she uses the same anecdotes her old boss used to use in his magazines and letters, in her public demonstrations she performs with other women at weekly service meetings (Brandt, 1998).
D. Carol White came to value the power of human anecdotes. The first realization occurred when she would proofread her boss’s letters and magazines and notice how his words, intended for someone else, still had an effect on her. She would then go on to use them in evangelism and saw how powerful they were in changing the spiritual beliefs of other people. Human anecdotes are an important part of communication because they allow for you to tell stories while consequently evoking emotions. These emotions could be positive or negative, but regardless of which one they are, when used properly and effectively by the speaker, they can have a really big impact on how you receive something. These anecdotes help bring the topic of what you're speaking about to the next level by not only having your attention engaged, but also your emotions engaged. Topics that are able to engage you in both ways most likely will be more effective in gaining your attention and resonating with you after as well.
E. One of today's main writing concepts that connect to our profile would be perseverance. In Brandt’s account of Carol White’s life, she gives us a brief insight into what her early life looked like. Although this is now our third time mentioning it, it's important to note that White, despite being from a low income family, was able to graduate high school and obtain that diploma. Today, that may not seem like a huge accomplishment but in the past, it wasn’t uncommon for you to not complete high school or pursue college education. Her perseverance already shines through in this accomplishment. However, her perseverance does not just stop here. We can also see it in the one line statement of her going through five maternity leaves, yet always keeping a job. Going through 9 months of carrying a child is one thing, but to continue working while doing it is a different level of perseverance. Both of these examples connect back to the overall theme of perseverance that we discussed in class.
F. One Man Can Change The World- Big Sean Feat. John Legend, Kanye West
G. College students have access to various literacy sponsors that can propel their literacy skills. One literacy sponsor can include professors. They are able to come in contact with us everyday and share knowledge and insight that may extend far outside of the curriculum that they teach. Through first hand experiences that they share, we are able to advance our literacy skills. Furthermore, they help sharpen the skills we already have and even awaken new ones to help us take advantage of our full potential. As college students who are on campus, however, our literacy sponsors go beyond that of just professors. Other literacy sponsors include classmates, peers, locals we may encounter at stores, and essentially anybody within a 10 mile radius of our campus. Whether it be small encounters or full blown friendships, we have the ability to further our literacy through conversations and experiences with anybody we happen to meet.

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Big Sean - One Man Can Change The World ft. Kanye West, John Legend (Official Music Video)

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A. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925. He was raised in a series of foster homes after the death of his father and the hospitalization of his mother. He was a bright young man and excelled in his studies until he dropped out after being told he shouldn’t pursue law because he was a black man. After moving to New York City he found employment but also engaged in illegal activities such as drug dealing and pimping. He was summoned by the local draft board for military service in the war but feigned mental disturbance before moving to Boston where he targeted wealthy white families for robberies. After being arrested for larceny and breaking and entering Malcolm was sent to Charlestown State prison before being transferred to Norfolk County prison two years later. While in prison Malcolm discovered his love for literature and could almost always be seen with a book or tablet practicing reading and writing.

B. Malcolm X's sponsors included the Charlestown Prison, Bimbi, Norfolk Prison Colony School, and Mr. Muhammed. Malcolm X's interest in gaining knowledge started in Charlestown Prison where he encountered an inmate named Bimbi who had acquired an abundance of knowledge. His jealousy of Bimbi, motivated Malcom X to begin reading and educating himself more . At the Norfolk Prison school, X had access to a dictionary, several books, pen, and paper that allowed him to boost his penmanship and literacy skills. The inmates were "smiled upon" if they were interesting reading books because it showed that they were focused on rehabilitation.  teachings of Mr. Muhammed inspired X to look into more of the history of black people. He believed that Mr. Muhammed's teachings were so true that they spread all over to numerous of Negros.

C. These experiences granted X the ability to talk and write fluently without using any slang. He was now able to code switch depending on the audience he was around. He had also became "the most articulate hustler out there" which gained him respect anywhere he went (p. 257). Reading countless of books in prison, while being confined and isolated, drove X to want to take action. Gaining expertise over time about how people of color were being treated, prompted X to be more aggressive when he later became a civil rights leader.

D. Malcolm X felt most free in prison because he was able to break the perception that black people are supposed to be voiceless and less educated. By being in prison, he had the chance to take his time to read, write, and comprehend the relevance between history and present day events. He didn't have to worry about watching his back or when he was going to be attacked.

E. Code switching played a role in Malcolm X's life as he only knew slang prior to entering prison. X had dropped out in the eighth grade where he barely had any access to adequate resources. Literacy sponsors introduced X to black history in the first place, which resulted in him becoming a well educated man who fought for people's civil rights and social justice as a whole.  He learned how to take hold of converstaions and take charge through his words and knowledge. After his time in prison, Malcolm X went back to participate in the Civil Rights Movement by giving speeches to people of all ages. He highly urged other black Americans to protect themselves against white aggression by any means necessary.

F. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a3hT8f6Kkk&t=77s

G. As college students, our professors would be a form of literary sponsors. Interacting with professors and staff around Howard allows us to gain various perspectives of insight. Majority of freshmen here are new to the DC area and have had to depend on themselves to adapt and become accustomed to campus and the lifestyle. For example, we've had to learn to handle waking up on our own and showing up for classes and willingly networking with others in order to prepare us for the future. Howard, as a whole, grants us several opportunities to find our interest and take action.

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Malcolm X - Civil Rights Activist | Mini Bio | BIO

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A.Dwayne Lowery was born the year 1938 in Eastern Europe as the third son of five children, his father was a rubber maker and his mother was a homemaker. His household was extremely political and opinionated, especially his father. His father would publish “feisty union publications” with a left leaning view, in the home you could find many of these publications and political radio shows. As a teenager in 1956 he graduated in the lower percentage of his class, after this he served in the Army for a few years. In his later years Mr. Lowery took up a position to work on an assembly line of a popular automobile manufacturer. With a desire to change careers Lowery decided to read water meters with a municipal utility department. In the early seventies he became active in employee unions, this soon led to the opening of many doors and new opportunities for him.

B. Lowery had many experiences in his life where he encountered a number of sponsors, from his father's strong political opinions to working in the union. One of the first comes from his household where he grew up, always being exposed to politics and hearing his father have discussions, whether he heard him having a conversation on the phone, or just sitting at the dining table listening to his parents or older siblings speak. He had said that at a young age he had no real interest in politics and these conversations but he still picked up vocabulary from these interactions.Lowrey had said “I was sixteen years old before I knew that god damn Republicans was two words”. He did not develop a political interest until his young adult years where he would purchase and read the local newspaper. Mr. Lowrey’s participation in a public employee’s union led to his taking time off to travel and train in Washington,D.C. During this time he took classes and began writing extensively, these classes seem to have been his most prominent sponsor, providing him with information and literary skills he did not once possess. Lowery would sometimes spend up to seventy hours a week working and writing.

C. Dwayne Lowery has had many experiences, his time in high school and lack of reading at an early age made it a bit harder for him to succeed when he returned to school, this may have held him back in the beginning. He spent time learning laws and how to negotiate contracts, this learning how to negotiate and the tractual language definitely had some effect on the way he spoke in “professional' settings. Lowery would spend time practicing his interactions with others and says he eventually “ became good at talking” which implies he altered his speech to sound socially literate and acceptable. In his field of work it was important to speak up to the social norms because people would pay attention to how well you could articulate your point and negotiate, many of the people he met could not. Though his family exposed him to politics at a young age this did not have much effect on him through life, his time in the military or working in shops did not seem to stick with him as much either. Working in unions and going back to school has been his most effective sponsor.

Group 3:Lowrey’s union required him going back to school and learning how to negotiate contracts, and contractual language. The standards of literacy changed as his job positions changed,his job required him to be “good at talking” or “good at presenting the union.”  As a child, Lowery's main focus was never to understand how to read a book.

E. One of the concepts we noticed in today's writing that matches our profile is evolution. The reason we are saying evolution is because of the way his literacy changed over the course of his life. As a child he never really understood the importance of reading and writing, but as he got older there was a need for it. Because of his need to be able to read and write he went back and took classes for the union.

G. As college students, many of our sponsors are professors and the faculty on the campus around us. Many of us are new to the campus and new to each other, we also pick up new literacies from other students who may speak differently than us. Before our arrival many of our sponsors were our parents, families, friends, and teachers back home, Brandt discusses that these are common sponsors for other people. As college students we are exposed to many sponsors, such as Lowrey who returned to school and learned how to discuss certain topics and language with colleagues. We are doing the same here at Howard.

By- Jadyn & Jakirra

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A.     Sherman Alexie was born in 1966 as a Spokane-Coeur d’Alene Indian. He grew up on an Indian reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. Alexie was born with water on the brain. The illness was named hydrocephalus, causing him to need surgery. He attended college on a scholarship. He has published over 20 books, novels, screenplays, etc. His father was a member of the Coeur d’Alene tribe.

B.    Sherman Alexie’s sponsor was his dad. His dad had a yearning love for books. His childhood home was filled with books from comic books, to murder mysteries, to biographies. Alexie loved his father so he just adapted his father’s love for reading. His new found knowledge from learning how to read opened up a new mindset for Alexie. He was able to view the world from a new perspective, saying he thought of the world as “paragraphs.” His classmates also ridiculed  him for knowing how to read at such a young age, but it only encouraged him to increase his literacy and education.

C.    These experiences with his father directly correlated to this sponsorship of literacy. Seeing how much his father read, and enjoyed it, sparked his desire to become literate. Him being able to see the world from the point of view of paragraphs opened his eyes. He liked the ability to break things down into smaller pieces to be able to better understand what was going on around him. This motivated him to learn and read more.

D.   The term paragraph allowed Alexie to view his books, family, and community differently. He noticed that everything was a small sector (paragraph) that worked together to make a complete picture (or essay). For example, he saw everyone one in his family (mom, dad, 2 brothers, 3 sisters, and himself) as individual paragraphs that evolved to one entire essay.

E.    I see discourse in Alexie’s life. Once he learned how to read and write he went back to his hometown. He visited elementary schools to try and inspire Indians to become literate. The children were in the same environment Alexie was in: Indians being shamed for wanting to be literate. He went to speak to these children to try and change their minds so they can be literate and gain the power that comes with literacy.

G. I would say that my literacy sponsors are the reason I am in college now. From a young child, I was always pushed to excel in education in order to reach the goal of going to college. My literacy sponsorship branch from the past failures in the family, which now make me a first-generation college student.

H. Do you think demographics, such as gender and class, still play a heavy role in the access to education in the United States? Why do you think Lopez transferred from the college that both she and Branch went to?