On November 14, the UHD Bilingual e-Library hosted an event to address the regional literacy crisis and its impact on economic growth and educational achievement. The evening highlighted the commitment of the university and the College of Public Service to providing the resources our region needs.
Dr. Maria Bhattacharjee, Director of the e-Library Program, emphasized the seriousness of the crisis and its clear negative consequences. “One in three adults in Harris County has low functioning literacy,” she said, while across the country 130 million adults are unable to read a simple story to or with their children. The consequences? Just look to the prison-industrial complex—the industry forecasts its bed requirements based in part on how elementary students in an area perform on reading tests.
With the stakes clear and UHD’s impactful intervention highlighted, the evening then took on a lighter tone, as the ceremony honored twelve families from the Family Center in Houston who authored original stories for the e-Library. Also recognized were UHD students and faculty who illustrated the 260 bilingual e-stories that comprise the current collection.
On an evening in which the transformative power of education was on display, the message was clear: by providing free, accessible resources and honoring local families, UHD is improving the future of the entire Houston region.