Hood Dreams: Literacy 4 Survival


 

 

The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion, 6(1/2), 2022 
ISSN 2574-3430, https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/ijidi 
DOI: 10.33137/ijidi.v6i1.37016 

Hood Dreams: Literacy 4 Survival 
Michelle E. Jones, Columbus State University, USA 

Keywords: legends; literacy; news; urban myths 

Publication Type: Special Section - Creative 

Hood Dreams: Literacy 4 Survival 

All my life my girls joked about me being in the library. 

They thought that was boring. 

Trusting in what someone other than your crew said. 

It’s not popular to research something for yourself. 

Literacy is more than knowing how to read. 

Why are so many deceived by urban legends? 

Fact checking is vital to your life. 

Your health is tied to finding the truth about side effects. 

Your safety is linked to taking heed to legit warnings. 

You cannot always believe the word on the street. 

Remember your people—to them you have an obligation 

Not to spread news of which you are unsure. 

Using social media to spread fear instead of truth. 

Not all doctors are the enemy. 

All researchers and scholars are not out to get you. 

Books, articles, and higher education are not automatically irrelevant. 

Learning is part of everyday life. 

Being able to discern valid ideas/news from urban myths is powerful. 

Remember you will not be easily deceived. 

Ties right to the goal of reppin’ your fam and your crew for real. 

https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/ijidi


Hood Dreams: Literacy 4 Survival 

 

The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion, 6(1/2), 2022 
ISSN 2574-3430, jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/ijidi/index 
DOI: 10.33137/ijidi.v6i1.37016 

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Michelle E. Jones (jones_michelle@columbusstate.edu) is currently the Head of Reference 
Services and Professor of Library Science at Columbus State University in Columbus, GA.  A native 
of Columbus, GA, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and an MSLS from Clark Atlanta 
University.  She has taught a credit bearing information literacy course in face to face, hybrid, 
and online formats.  As the Education Liaison Librarian, she helps doctoral students with research 
related to dissertation completion.  She has co-authored articles in Women’s Studies and Women 
and Language; this also includes a published original poem in the ‘Hip Hop’s Languages of Love’ 
special section of Women and Language. She has co-authored chapters in Lead Your Library with 
a Sense of Humor and The Black Librarian in America: Reflections, Resistance, and Reawakening. 

https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/ijidi/index
mailto:jones_michelle@columbusstate.edu

	Hood Dreams: Literacy 4 Survival