As I read these excerpts I reflected on how intangible education was and the vigorous struggle to obtain it. I was born in 1990 and learning to read and write came easily for me. I can say that compared to Frederick Douglass and Mattie Jackson I am lucky that my struggle wasn't that bad. My reasoning for expressing this is because in my personal experience inequality in school systems played a role in my education. While I was not denied learning, the content of what I was taught was limited. The textbooks in my classroom were so backwards that some of the students' older family members owned them. We often had to share books for group reading. There were no slaves or segregation in this time period, but inequality existed. Not all Chicago public schools suffered only those with poor academics. I thought about how we could excel if we didn't have the right tools. I relate to both narratives in regards to not being seen as equal. I think African Americans will always face obstacles in education, but they will never be as challenging as those endured by slaves. In conclusion, after reading “Learning to Read and Write” and Self-Taught: African American Education in Slavery and Freedom, I was able to better understand how literacy relates to freedom. Learning to read and write assured them that slavery was not endless. I believe so many slaves escaped because they fought so hard to get an education. I have learned to appreciate reading and writing on a different level. Without their struggle my education would not exist