BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

A local educator is going above and beyond to help our kids excel in school and life,
but her social media post asking for volunteers for a reading program received the wrong kind of attention.

Devon Frazier is enthusiastic about reading now, but as a child, not so much.

“I wasn’t a reader,” Frazier said. “And starting school and not being a reader, I was very embarrassed, ashamed. But I had a teacher that never made me feel embarrassed about being a struggling reader. She just took me by my hand. And her name was Miss Howard.”

Miss Howard’s kindness and patience for Frazier’s reading shortcomings inspired her to be an educator, too.

“I’ve been in education 23 years,” Frazier said. “I’ve worked in Fairfield, Jefferson County, Bessemer City Schools, Midfield. And so of all, all of my life, I knew I want to be an educator. It’s truly a passion of mine.

Somewhere in the 23 years she’s spent molding young lives, Frazier started a program to bring special attention to reading, and now the founder and CEO of I See Me, Inc. is very proud of it.

“So Real Men Read is one of those programs that’s endured the test of time,” Frazier said. “This will be our 14th year. It’s a beautiful opportunity for these boys to see books in the hands of men and understand the connection between literacy and a productive life.”

Sadly, her program receives other attention, too.

“To be quite honest with you, this year has been very disheartening. We’ve received quite a few racist responses to our ad via Facebook. What’s so hurtful is that an event that is developed for the good of our children and our community that we will find something that is racist in that. All we’re trying to do is build our community through literacy, through our children.”

She gets emotional when she sees those responses but says it animates her passion all the more.

“Exactly. They’re not going to stop us because, at the end of the day, we know that these are all of our children. It takes a village to raise a child, and this is a part of us investing in our village, in our community, in our future.”

For more information about the 14th annual Real Men Read event or Devon’s other literacy programs, go to iseemeinc.org.

 

Feb 26, 2024