I can't read!

How a fitness trainer on TikTok is helping thousands of people humanize illiteracy

Oliver James is one of the most positive and endearing voices on TikTok. His 112,000 followers didn't know his secret until he put it in a video.

In an upbeat, matter-of-fact delivery, he said:

"What's up! I can't read."

In fact, Oliver's struggle with reading went back to his elementary school days. He was part of a special education class where physical discipline - which he described as "torture" - was an everyday occurrence.

Sadly, federal civil rights data suggests the practice of physical restraint that Oliver suffered is often used on Black children with disabilities.

Though he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, he wasn't diagnosed as a child.

This is a common story and the human toll is vast.

18% of US adults (approximately 57.4 million people) struggle with illiteracy - an issue that disproportionately affects people of color and low-income individuals.

This leads to unemployment and poverty as the cycle continues from one generation to the next.

A whopping 85% of all juveniles that engage in the juvenile court system lack literacy. This engagement decreases high school completion and increases incarceration rates.

Studies show that dropouts are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested than their peers who have graduated from high school, and 63% more likely to go on to serve jail time than those with a four-year college degree.

To break this pattern, schools and their leaders must implement evidence-based reading instruction.

And, states must adopt robust adult literacy programs developed through collaboration between researchers, nonprofits, governments, and public schools for those like Oliver. 

What can you do to be a good citizen?

Simply put, you can get involved. Make a commitment to being a reading champion. Raise your voice and give your time to solving the problem.

• Educate yourself on problems AND solutions to America’s literacy crisis.

• Volunteer to read to young people.

• Demand your local school board use evidence-based reading curricula in your local public schools.

• Write to your state's education officials to advocate greater emphasis on reading for all.

• Donate to organizations that work to increase literacy for young people AND adults like Oliver.

• Search for - and follow - social media influencers who spread the good news about the “science of reading.”

I’d like to end this with a bright spot about

Oliver.

His goal at the start of 2022 was to be a motivational speaker for others to confront their challenges.

This is how he's starting 2023:

@oliverspeaks1So grateful for this past year. #readingbooks📚 #newbeginnings #motivationalspeaker #booktok #loveeverymoment

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