I used to work for workers' rights organization that sought construction jobs for women and minorities in Boston. After years of struggle, the organization made significant progress in getting jobs lined up for the poorest residents of the city. Here was a chance for the organization to make a serious dent in improving the quality of life for those with the most need. We told the community about employment opportunities that could change their lives. The response was tremendous. Applicants lined up from our second floor offices out onto the sidewalk. The thing is, a large number of the people in line had a difficult time with the application and could not complete it. Others in line could not even sign their name.

Unfortunately, we could not place these people in those positions, because a construction site is a very dangerous place; in good conscience we could not send people onto a job site with signs everywhere saying things like, "Danger 20,000 Volts, KEEP OUT!" We would literally be responsible for those lives. On a smaller scale, and on a daily basis, this situation repeated itself. That is the point that I said that I needed to be involved in the field of adult literacy. Here we had jobs where some were paying anywhere from $36.00 an hour and up, and we couldn't even give them away!

Subsequently, at an event for adult literacy, I saw the executive director of the Boston Adult Literacy Fund (BALF), Dr. Joanne Arnaud. She asked me to be a part of her organization, and soon after, we created the African- American Men's Literacy Project. This project is designed to address the problems of, and give solutions to, those most in need in our society, having education as the focus.

Adult literacy has been a vehicle for change in my life, personally, socially, and professionally. I am a product of an adult literacy program -- the Jamaica Plain Community Center in Boston. My story shows the power of adult literacy to make profound change in the lives of individuals, as well as our society. Thanks to the Boston Adult Literacy Fund, I was able to go on to college to help add to that positive change in my life. My story also shows that one can enter this field of adult literacy in the most unconventional ways. That is one of the strengths of our field, and it is an avenue for diversity, which is truly needed in our field.

Ernest Best is the co-founder and Project Manager of the African-American Men's Literacy Project in Boston. He is also the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Alliance for Adult Literacy (Mass AAL). He can be reached at: ernest@alri.org