1968 to Today - TALC’s Origin Story

Each of us have grand ideas, and for two Tacoma women their grand idea has grown into something they may not have ever imagined – the Tacoma Area Literacy Council.

Their names were Margaret Sutherland and Mabel Lowd.  One was a retired public-school teacher, the other a retired kindergarten teacher aide and church secretary.

In 1967, these two ladies went to Seattle to listen to a presentation given by a man named Frank Laubach. He spoke about his literacy program: Laubach Literacy International.  They were so inspired by his message that they decided to make an impact on illiteracy here in Pierce County.

So, in January of 1968, the ladies held the first meeting of an organization they called the Tacoma Area Committee of Laubach Literacy Inc. Their first meeting was held at the Epworth Methodist Church. Fourteen people attended that meeting and $12.05 was collected to start the organization.

At that time, there were approximately 6,500 people in Pierce County who were not functionally literate.

The Tacoma Area Laubach Literacy Committee was modeled after the Portland Laubach Council, which was quite successful at that time with 300 volunteers.  The Portland Laubach Council helped with the first Tacoma area tutor training workshop, held on March 15th and 16th, 1968.  At the end of the workshop, 22 people received certificates to tutor.

By April of 1968, 10 learners were placed with new tutors.  Another tutor training workshop was held in May.

By August of 1968, there was a backlog of learners waiting to be taught.  The group’s Joy of Teaching Students (JOTS) newsletter sent out an urgent message asking for new tutors.  

By October 1969, there were 44 tutors and 12 learners on the waiting list.

What was this new phenomenon?  Obviously, something was working and there was a desperate need for it.

It all traces back to Dr. Frank Laubach, a pastor who chose to minister to some remote tribes in the Philippines.  He quickly realized that only the elite could read and write, and it was too easy for people to take advantage of those who were not literate.  He found literacy to be more important than his missionary work and created a method to teach people how to read and write in their own language.

Dr. Laubach almost single handedly brought whole communities into literacy. This is what he wrote in his autobiography, 40 Years with the Silent Billion: “You think it is a pity they cannot read, but the real tragedy is that they have no voice in public affairs, they never vote, they are never represented in any conference; they are the silent victims, the forgotten men, driven like animals, mutely submitting in every age before and since the pyramids were built. It is human weakness not to become aware of suffering until we hear a cry. The illiterate majority of the human race does not know how to make its cry reach us, and we never dream how (much) these millions suffer.”

His talks were widely requested and well-attended.  He lived in New York but frequently traveled the United States to give speeches.  Even though he was 85 years old, he came to Tacoma multiple times to speak to literacy tutors here.  

By 1970, TALC had approximately 150 students from 17 different ethnic groups.  Many of the students were wives of military personnel.  JOTS sent out another request, this time asking more men to join TALC, as more men in the community were becoming students.

It took a few tries to find a name that stuck. In 1968 the group was first the Laubach Literacy, Inc. Tacoma Area Committee, then the Tacoma Laubach Committee then the Tacoma Area Laubach Literacy Committee. In 1970, after Dr. Laubach’s death, the name was changed to Tacoma Area Literacy Council (TALC).

Many of the early students who availed themselves of tutoring were Adult Basic Education learners, native-born Americans who had low literacy skills.  But as time wore on, public school special education classes helped many students with learning disabilities, while increasing numbers of immigrants took up residence in Pierce County.  Hence, a gradual shift took place, and today about 90% of the learners are non-native English speakers. TALC volunteers weren’t afraid to challenge the area school districts, and there were many newspaper articles about the group’s activities (and opinions) in the 1970s advocating for literacy at all levels of education.

Thousands of adult learners under TALC tutelage have improved their literacy skills.  Many have completed the GED and then obtained college degrees, others have obtained specialized work permits and licenses that had eluded them, and many more have become American citizens.