Voice Advocacy Reading Center

03/17/2026

Trump says Gov. Gavin Newsom shouldn’t be president because he’s dyslexic

The California governor may make a White House run in 2028.

02/18/2026

✨ Presentation Announcement ✨Black Literacy Matters Conference

The Science of Reading for Black Brilliance

Parent Workshop on Early Reading Skills

This dynamic parent-centered workshop equips families with practical tools to strengthen early literacy foundations at home. Grounded in the science of reading and culturally responsive practice, this session empowers parents to confidently support phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension while nurturing identity and joy in learning.

Featuring:

Joy McIntosh-Ragland

Rasheeda P. Polk

🗓 March 11–14, 2026

📍 Norfolk State University | Norfolk, Virginia

🎟 Register here:

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/black-literacy-matters-conference-2026boots-on-the-ground-reclaiming-literacy-rewriting-history

Boots on the Ground: Reclaiming Literacy, Rewriting History ✊🏾

When families are equipped, children thrive. Join us.

02/18/2026

✨ Presentation Announcement ✨Black Literacy Matters Conference

Language as Identity:

Supporting Early Literacy Through Black English and Black Languages

This powerful session centers language as identity and affirms Black English and Black languages as assets in early literacy development. Attendees will explore how honoring students’ linguistic brilliance strengthens foundational reading skills while protecting cultural identity, voice, and dignity in the classroom.

Featuring:

Lisa Marie Wilson

Samantha Thompson MBA

🗓 March 11–14, 2026

📍 Norfolk State University | Norfolk, Virginia

🎟 Register here:

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/black-literacy-matters-conference-2026boots-on-the-ground-reclaiming-literacy-rewriting-history

Boots on the Ground: Reclaiming Literacy, Rewriting History ✊🏾

Language is not a barrier. It is brilliance. Join us.

02/17/2026

Today we pause to honor and recognize the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr.

A freedom fighter, a prophetic voice, a bridge builder, and truly a drum major for justice, Reverend Jackson devoted his life to confronting injustice and calling this nation to live up to its highest ideals.

For decades, he stood at the intersection of faith and public life, carrying forward the unfinished work of the Civil Rights Movement. From marching alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to founding organizations that advanced economic empowerment and expanded political access, his life reflected a deep conviction that faith must be lived out in public, not hidden in private.

He reminded America that hope requires action and that justice must be pursued intentionally. His ministry was not confined to the pulpit. It extended into policy rooms, protest lines, corporate boardrooms, and communities that needed someone willing to stand in the gap and speak with courage.

Reverend Jackson challenged systems, confronted inequity, and pressed leaders to do better. He inspired generations to believe that change is possible when conviction is matched with commitment. His voice shaped national conversations around civil rights, economic opportunity, voting rights, and human dignity.

We thank you, Reverend Jackson, for your labor, for your sacrifice, and for your endurance. We thank you for the doors you pushed open and for the boldness you modeled. Because of your willingness to stand firm, many found their voice and many found access to spaces that once excluded them.

May we honor your legacy not only with remembrance, but with continued action. May we advocate with clarity, organize with purpose, and uphold the dignity and worth of every human being.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Sunrise: October 8, 1941
Sunset: February 17, 2026

Rest in power. Your work lives on.

02/16/2026

Learning differences come in many forms—and understanding them helps us better support our kids.

This graphic highlights four common learning differences:
🔹 Dyslexia – challenges with reading, spelling, and word recognition
🔹 Dyscalculia – difficulties with numbers and math
🔹 Dysgraphia – struggles with writing, spelling, and written expression
🔹 Dyspraxia – motor‑coordination challenges that can affect handwriting and daily tasks

Each of these profiles impacts students differently, and none of them reflect a child’s intelligence or potential. With the right support, kids with these learning differences can thrive.

Image by Dyslexia Pqbd.

02/16/2026

Presidents’ Day Reflection: Literacy Is Leadership

Today we honor the office of the presidency. But we also reflect on something deeper.

Behind the speeches, policies, and executive decisions is a foundational skill: literacy.

Reading is not political.
It is not partisan.
It is not ideological.

It is power.

Throughout American history, some presidents struggled as readers in childhood. Some had children who struggled. Many quietly sought tutoring, intervention, and support long before dyslexia was widely understood.

What does that tell us?

It tells us that reading difficulty is not a measure of intelligence.
It is not a ceiling on potential.
It is not a predictor of destiny.

It is a call for instruction.

At Decoding Dyslexia Nebraska, we advocate for parents who know their children are bright but need structured literacy.

At Black Literacy Matters, we confront the historical and systemic gaps that have left Black students disproportionately below basic in reading.

At The Reading League Nebraska, we elevate the science of reading so teachers are equipped, not blamed.
At Voice Advocacy Center, we serve families navigating dyslexia with clarity and courage.

Presidents lead nations.
Teachers build readers.
Parents protect futures.

Literacy is not optional in a democracy. It is foundational.

This Presidents’ Day, we recommit to ensuring that every child regardless of zip code, race, or learning profile receives instruction aligned with how the brain learns to read.

Because leadership begins with literacy.

Clarice L. Jackson
Founder | Advocate | Literacy Architect

02/16/2026

02/12/2026

✨ Presentation Announcement ✨

Culturally Relevant and Responsive Literacy Practices

Rooted in Relevance:

Cross-Curricular Literacy That Reflects & Respects Black Voices

Featuring: Sakendra Turner

Literacy instruction must do more than teach skills. It must reflect identity. It must affirm culture. It must honor voice.

In this powerful session, Sakendra Turner explores how cross-curricular literacy practices can center Black voices while maintaining strong instructional alignment. When students see themselves in the curriculum, engagement deepens. When literacy connects to lived experience, confidence grows. When classrooms reflect culture, achievement follows.

This is what reclaiming literacy looks like in action.

📍 Norfolk State University | Norfolk, Virginia

📅 March 11–14, 2026

Boots on the Ground: Reclaiming Literacy, Rewriting History

🔥 Black History Month Special – Happening Now

Buy ONE registration, get ONE HALF OFF for a limited time.

Bring a colleague.

Bring a leader.

Bring a parent.

🎟️ Register now via Zeffy:

👉🏾 https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/black-literacy-matters-conference-2026boots-on-the-ground-reclaiming-literacy-rewriting-history

Let’s build classrooms where literacy reflects, respects, and restores. ✊🏾

02/12/2026

✨ Presentation Announcement ✨

Parent Power & Literacy Empowerment

Families, Phonics, and Freedom:

Reimagining Literacy as Liberation and Legacy

Featuring: Quinn Terry

Literacy is not just about decoding words.

It is about dignity. It is about access. It is about legacy.

In this powerful session, Quinn Terry reframes phonics and family engagement as tools of liberation. When families understand the power of structured literacy and phonics instruction, they are no longer spectators in their children’s education. They become advocates. They become protectors. They become legacy builders.

If we are going to reclaim literacy, we must equip families with knowledge and courage.

📍 Norfolk State University | Norfolk, Virginia

📅 March 11–14, 2026

Boots on the Ground: Reclaiming Literacy, Rewriting History

🔥 Black History Month Special – Happening Now

Buy ONE registration, get ONE HALF OFF for a limited time.

Bring a parent.

Bring a colleague.

Bring your village.

🎟️ Register now via Zeffy:

👉🏾 https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/black-literacy-matters-conference-2026boots-on-the-ground-reclaiming-literacy-rewriting-history

Reclaim. Rewrite. Register. ✊🏾

02/11/2026

The National Black Literacy Matters' Conference Comes to Norfolk Virginia!

🎬 LEFT BEHIND — NAACP Image Outstanding Film–Nominated Documentary

We are honored to present Left Behind, an NAACP Image Outstanding Film Documentary Award–nominee that examines how millions of children are left behind by reading instruction that does not align with what science tells us about how children learn to read. Through powerful storytelling and lived experience, the film highlights the real-life impact of literacy failure on families and communities across the nation.

Directed by Emmy Award–winning filmmaker Anna Wild Toomey, the documentary features Fatima Geidi and her son, Aiden Geidi, and will be followed by a live panel discussion with Anna Toomey, Fatima Getty, and Aiden Getty, offering deeper insight and dialogue around the film’s message.

📍 Norfolk State University
🗓 March 12, 2026
⏰ 6:30–8:30 PM
🎟 Free and open to Black Literacy Matters Conference attendees

If you’ve been questioning whether you should attend this conference — now you know you need to be here. Tickets are going fast. Share this post and secure your seat today.

Register here:
https://www.zeffy.com/.../black-literacy-matters...

02/08/2026

✨ PRESENTATION ANNOUNCEMENT ✨

We are proud to announce this critical session at the Black Literacy Matters Conference:

📊 Misdiagnosed and Miseducated: The Literacy Crisis in SEL

Policy, Data, & Literacy Equity in Action

Featuring:

• Jerome S. Mayoral M. Ed. 🇵🇷 Mayoral

• Dr. Karin Maria Hodges

• Detra Watson

This session confronts a growing and urgent issue in schools: how literacy challenges are too often misidentified as behavioral or social-emotional concerns, particularly for Black students. The panel will examine the intersection of policy, data, SEL frameworks, and literacy instruction, and how misalignment leads to missed interventions, mislabeling, and long-term academic harm.
This is not an attack on SEL.

This is a call for accuracy, alignment, and accountability.

📍 Norfolk State University | Norfolk, VA

📅 March 11–14, 2026

If you work in education, leadership, policy, student support services, or special education, this session is essential.

🎟️ Register today:

👉🏾 https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/black-literacy-matters-conference-2026boots-on-the-ground-reclaiming-literacy-rewriting-history

Because when literacy is misunderstood, students pay the price.

✊🏾📚 Black Literacy Matters.