CEJ Speaker Series Presents Kareem Weaver: Literacy as a Civil Right

Join the Center for Educational Justice (CEJ) for a powerful conversation with Kareem Weaver, Co-Founder and Executive Director of FULCRUM, award-winning educator, community advocate, and nationally recognized leader in the movement to ensure that every child has the right to read.

Kareem’s work sits at the intersection of literacy, educational equity, leadership, and systemic change. Drawing from his experiences as a classroom teacher, school and systems leader, community advocate, and literacy expert, Kareem challenges educators and communities to consider literacy not simply as an academic outcome, but as a fundamental issue of access, opportunity, and educational justice. His advocacy is prominently featured in the 2023 documentary The Right to Read, which examines the national literacy crisis and efforts to ensure that children receive effective, evidence-based reading instruction.

During this CEJ Speaker Series event, Kareem will explore the systemic conditions that contribute to disparities in literacy outcomes and the responsibility of educators, leaders, preparation programs, and communities to create meaningful change. His work invites us to examine an essential question: What does it mean to treat every child’s ability to read as a civil right?

Through his leadership of FULCRUM, Kareem works with school districts, states, educator preparation programs, universities, and community organizations to strengthen literacy instruction and address barriers that prevent students from becoming proficient readers. He has presented at more than 150 conferences and organizations and has engaged national and international organizations on literacy and educational equity.

This conversation will encourage educators, counselors, students, community members, and educational leaders to think critically about the relationship between literacy, opportunity, advocacy, and justice—and the collective responsibility required to ensure that every child has access to the instruction necessary to become a skilled reader.