Life Without Literacy
Award-winning TV journalist shares triumphant story of overcoming childhood illiteracy
It was a busy day at the Hilton Americas-Houston when Byron Pitts, Emmy Award-winning journalist and ABC chief national correspondent, told his story of childhood illiteracy before a crowd of supporters of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation.
In addition to Pitts, who chronicled his journey of learning to read only at age 12 and overcoming a debilitating stutter, the program included a host of speakers. Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott, Mayor Annise Parker, the Rev. Ray Mackey, foundation chair Neil Bush and foundation president Julie Baker Finck all pushed home the importance of increasing the literacy rate in Houston. The program included a video following the daily struggle faced by a woman who has a hard time reading.
September is National Literacy Awareness Month and the timing was right for Pitts to encourage everyone to join in the effort by visiting the foundation's volunteer website Connect4Literacy.org.
Supporters included Houston Public Library director Rhea Lawson, Maria Bush, Harvin C. Moore, Wanda Adams, the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Jim Postl, Rodney Watson, Anna Babin, Carolyn Evans-Shabazz and Lily and Charles Foster.