Why Children in Fort Worth Cannot Read.

WHY CHILDREN IN FORT WORTH CANNOT READ: A Literacy Crisis That Can No Longer Be Ignored

By Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr., New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas

As Fort Worth lays to rest civil rights icon Judge L. Clifford Davis—a man who fought to integrate Mansfield High School in 1956—our city faces an undeniable and devastating truth: our children still cannot read.

This is not a new problem. In 2006, we sounded the alarm, warning that a literacy crisis was brewing in our community. We saw the signs. We raised our voices. We demanded action. But instead of addressing the issue, those in power dismissed our concerns, ignored the warning signs, and vilified those of us who dared to speak the truth.

Now, nearly two decades later, the very same officials who once turned a blind eye are finally admitting what we have been saying all along—our children are struggling to read.

But acknowledgment is not enough. How do you ignore a problem for twenty years, silence those who tried to solve it, and then cry “crisis” when the damage is done? Where was the urgency when our children were falling behind? Where was the accountability when parents pleaded for better options?

This is not just about policy. It is about justice. It is about morality. It is about the future of our children and the soul of our city.

Judge Davis deserved better. Our children deserve better. Fort Worth deserves better. The question now is—will we finally do what’s right, or will we continue to let history repeat itself?

76104: The Epicenter of the Crisis

The literacy crisis is not just an educational failure—it is a life-or-death issue. Nowhere is this clearer than in 76104, the ZIP code with the lowest life expectancy in Texas.

• Half of all children in Tarrant County cannot read at grade level.

• In low-income Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, that number is even higher.

• Students who cannot read by third grade are more likely to drop out and enter the criminal justice system.

• Texas spends more on incarceration than on education—because failure is built into the system.

The connection is clear: if children cannot read, they cannot succeed. Illiteracy leads to poverty, and poverty leads to shorter lives.

A Missed Opportunity: ROOTS Academy

In 2006, I took a leap of faith. I put down my last $1,000 as earnest money to secure a building for ROOTS Academy—Rearing Our Own To Succeed. The vision was simple: create a school that could help students abandoned by a failing education system.

I needed to raise $399,000 by July 30, 2006. It never came.

ROOTS Academy was never meant to be just another school—it was designed to break the cycle of generational poverty and illiteracy that has plagued our community for decades. Public schools have been failing Black and brown children for generations. In 2005, the data proved it:

• Only 41% of Black students in Fort Worth passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS).

• White students progressed while Black and Hispanic students fell further behind.

• Standardized testing became a tool to punish and push students out, not educate them.

ROOTS Academy could have changed everything. It was supposed to provide a safe, high-quality education, free from the bureaucracy and politics that have kept inner-city schools in crisis. But without financial support, the vision died.

And now, our children are still paying the price.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

Twenty years later, nothing has changed. The achievement gap has widened, and the public school system continues to function like a pipeline to prison rather than a gateway to opportunity.

We are witnessing a slow-motion disaster—and no one is treating it like the emergency it is.

• Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) has spent millions on “reform” efforts, yet illiteracy rates remain stagnant.

• More than half of Fort Worth students graduate without being proficient in reading.

• Neighborhoods like 76104 remain trapped in cycles of poverty, crime, and premature death.

How many more generations will we lose before something changes?

This Is an Emergency—Where Is the Help?

The crisis in 76104 is not just about literacy—it’s about survival. Without the ability to read, thousands of children in Tarrant County are being sentenced to a lifetime of struggle before they even reach adulthood.

We need urgent intervention:

• Immediate investments in literacy programs targeting the most at-risk children.

• Community-driven schools that prioritize cultural competency and real-world education.

• State and local officials held accountable for their failure to act.

In 2006, we saw this crisis coming and tried to stop it. The city ignored us. Now, Tarrant County’s children are suffering the consequences.

How much longer will we allow this to continue?