Words & Banter

An Extreme Summer

Design by Sawyer Pennington, Underlying photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

We just posted our August column, Red & Black … An Extreme Summer, but don't let the title fool you – it's still relevant! We live in Houston, and although summer's always extremely hot, that wasn't the only "extreme" aspect of the "Summer of COVID-19". As Black points out to Red, even though things now seem very different, there are also many similarities to previous times … just a bit more, well, extreme.

Want to read other columns? Here's a list.

Background image by IlijaErceg on iStock

Take a moment and imagine not being able to read this sentence. Now, think about this … if you’re reading this, you’re doing something millions of Americans can’t.


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I’ll admit that I never realized how many people can’t read. It’s something I’ve always taken for granted. That’s until Black and I met someone doing something about it – Jackie Aguilera, now the Project Manager for the Mayor’s Office of Adult Literacy (Houston). Her focus wasn’t only on reading literacy but on “literacies” I’d never heard of, such as financial literacy, health literacy, and digital literacy. But it all starts with the ability to read.


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It is called functional literacy. Obviously, if you are reading this article, you are on the internet. Which has more information than anyone can possibly absorb (and is why news literacy is so critical). Now, imagine if you could not read. All that information … just sitting there. Available to others, but not to you.


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Books are my great escape. Always have been. So, I can’t imagine a life without them.
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Design by Sawyer Pennington, Underlying photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
It’s late October, and for most of us, fall is in the air, which is Red’s favorite season. (It might have something to do with all the pumpkin spice products.) Halloween, which has been “marketed” in stores for months, will soon be over. And Election Day, which has been headline news for what seems like forever, is just around the corner. So, why are we linking to an Independence Day column? And one from 2020, no less?


Because now is the time to decide what direction we want to take our country. RED & BLACK … A Time For Independence is about the spirit of independence. And four years later, we feel it’s very sad (and very scary) that our sentiments about our country’s leaders having the strength, courage, and conviction to be independent thinkers are still relevant. Maybe even more than ever before.

Design by Sawyer Pennington, Underlying photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash


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I have a confession to make, which I’m sure will make you roll your eyes.


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Interesting caveat and probably true.


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Every time we talk with Jackie (Aguilera) from the Mayor’s Office of Adult Literacy and hear what she’s doing in the world of adult education, I feel like I’m back in school and having to take copious notes.


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I am more than happy to send you “homework assignments” as I come across relevant articles and research.
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