"Because it's not a physical wound, people who suffer from it, suffer very quietly. But it affects your entire life." This is just a glimpse of the insight Rosa shares about what it looks like to struggle with illiteracy.
Have you ever met someone and their energy and ambition knocked you over with that first conversation? You may think to yourself, “how did they get here?” and “why is their drive so strong”? We first called Rosa in the Fall of 2020 to ask her business to be a part of a #Fight4Literacy Week in Starkville, Mississippi. Never could we have imagined what we would learn about Rosa, her journey, and why she’s donating a portion of her sales to help students learn to read in Mississippi. A committed parent and a plea for help set Rosa on a path, and she’s not looking back. Grab your popcorn; this is going to be a good one.
#####
Carleen: Hi. I'm Carleen O'Reilly with Coaching for Literacy. And I am so excited to share a conversation with someone who is extremely important to the work that we are doing in the #Fight4Literacy.
We met Rosa Dalomba of The Pop Porium because we were trying to find some businesses to support our fight for literacy campaign with Mississippi State in Starkville.
And the #Fight4Literacy presented by International Paper is a campaign where we work with colleges and universities across the country. And we raise awareness about illiteracy and funds for literacy programs in the communities where the businesses and fans are located.
And Mississippi State, it's so close to Memphis, our headquarters, and we've worked with them a couple of years and we're super excited to reach out to local businesses to get involved and even more excited to meet Rosa.
So I would like to just thank you, first of all, Rosa, for joining us today and joining me. Thank you for your time.
Rosa: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Carleen: I am so excited and I'm so excited that The Pop Porium is going to be a part of our #Fight4Literacy Week, that you are going to be donating a percent of sale of your campaign and that you are helping us raise money for literacy.
And I understand that literacy and education has been really important to you personally, and it's one of the reasons why you wanted to get involved. Can you tell me a little bit about why you were so interested in working with Coaching for Literacy this year?
Rosa: I was so interested because it's something that has affected me personally as a child throughout my whole life, and I've never actually heard anyone speak on it or have I ever been approached as a business owner to donate anything for it or that it's really an issue that's recognized beyond the folks who are actually struggling with it.
And so that's what caught my attention. When I did speak with Chandler, I asked her, I know what literacy meant, but I wanted her to explain to me exactly what does she mean by donating and what is the purpose.
And when she basically explained it to me, I shed tears on the other end and so does she, because it literally just hit me in an extreme soft spot in my heart.
Carleen: And she shared some of that with me, and it's one of the reasons why I wanted to speak with you and we had a chance to catch up a little bit prior to this conversation about what it means to you and why education is important.
Would you mind sharing a little bit about your story and your journey and why it touched your soft spot?
Rosa: And so I think it's important that I say a little bit about my background of how I basically came across the issue of not being able to fully comprehend what I was reading.
And so I came to United States when I was in the seventh grade. I am one of 10 children. My parents themselves went up to... I'm sorry, not in the seventh grade, I was seven years old, correction. Huge difference.
So I came when I was seven years old in '96. My parents themselves are one of 10. I'm one of 10. And we also don't come from a background of family that went to college. We are first generation everything.
My parents, they both went up to the sixth grade and then they had to drop out to work and support their families back in the Cape Verde Islands.
And so I actually didn't realize that I was behind in any way. At this point, English is my fourth language. And so I was learning my fourth language. I was very good with the speaking of English, where it started to become an issue is when I went into grade school.
And I remember I just couldn't pronounce things like the other kids. In my mind, I was doing it right. In my mind, the words looked right.
And for me, it wasn't necessarily the comprehension of what I was reading, it was the actual pronouncing of the words. And so my brother, who is my best friend, basically got me through school.
He helped me do my homework. He sometimes did my homework for me. He basically made sure that I did not fall through the cracks. And when I was in school, this is where my parents got suspicious.
I was a very sweet kid, however, I was so embarrassed by the time I reached the seventh grade, sixth grade, fifth grade, I was so embarrassed to read that I was going to get kicked out of class by all means necessary before I had to read out loud.
I remember when we would sit on the rows and we would all each have to read a sentence, I would count the amount of sentence, the amount of students, and look at my sentence. And I would read that sentence about a million times it felt like before it got to me.
But I would be so nervous that I would stumble and little words. And I'll never forget the day that I was reading the word the and I could not get to the e out. I was just sitting there and ‘th, th, th’, and the kid goes, ‘it's ‘the’, you idiot”.
Did not read out loud ever since then. And I didn't care if I had to disrespect the teacher, a student, it didn't matter what I had to do, but I was not reading.
You were going to kick me out of class before I read. And it got to the point where I became best friends with my principal, Miss Wallace, and she would no longer punish me. She took me out to eat lunch. She took me out to get lemonade and she could not understand, you're so sweet, why are you getting kicked out of class?
I was in the ninth grade and my mom happened to lean over and saw my brother doing my homework. And so she asked me to read something. And I panicked.
The next day, she spoke with the teacher of why her child was behind, nothing got done. She spoke with the principal, nothing got done.
Now, keep in mind, my mom barely spoke English at this time. And I think it's really hard for people who were raised in America, who their first language is English, their parents speak English. A lot of people ask me, how did your mom not notice that you could not read until you got to the ninth grade?
Well, because my mom herself can't even speak English. And so she just had faith that the school system was teaching me. And so we teach our parents as immigrant children.
And so there was no way for her to actually know. And so one day she woke me up. It was snowing like no tomorrow. And she looked me dead in my eyes. And she said, my child is... sorry, she said, ‘my child is not stupid’. And she said, ‘today, they are either going to actually help you or you're going to get out of school and work because they're not going to waste your time.’
And my mom is probably one of the most proper sweet women. She has no more than five to firecracker.
And she walked into the superintendent's office. And she opened up those two double doors. We walked there. It was about an hour and a half. We walked there and the entire time she dragged me behind because I'm mortified. I think my life is over. Oh, my God. I hope there's no one there I know. I'm in high school. I'm cool. She's running my entire coolness by trying to get me to learn how to read.
And so we get there and the lady is telling her, ‘ma’am, do you have an appointment? Do have an appointment?’ And all my mom could say is, ‘I don't need appointment. I pay tax. I pay tax. My kid, not stupid.’
The little bit she knew in English said, ‘my kid, not stupid. You teach my kid. I pay tax.’
And what she was trying to say is I am a taxpayer like everybody else, why is my kid behind? And it seems like nobody else is helping her.
And then the superintendent comes out. I'm still melting in this chair. And all of a sudden I hear my mom's volume go down and I hear her switch over to my mother tongue, which is Creole. The superintendent happen to be Cape Verdean.
Carleen: Okay.
Rosa: Which is very weird. They are a small group of people in this world. And he's speaking to my mom. I don't know, I can't really make out what they're saying.
We go home, my mom tells me nothing and the next day I go to school. And there are these two ladies at the door.
One blonde-headed lady that literally was the sweetest thing. And then there was another lady that I just adored her. She looked like she could be in Hocus Pocus. She was so fascinating looking with her dark hair and it was very long.
And they spotted me and they said, ‘Are you Rosa?’ I say, ‘yeah, that's me’. They say, ‘well, we're your two personal aids. I'm Miss B and this is Miss Watson.’
And for the first month, I was horrified. These ladies were stalkers. It is not cool to be walking around with two women that are basically trying to teach you what they were with me all the time, because over the years I had created behavior issues because I could not read.
And so they literally became my best friends in school. They were part of my crew. I would say I was probably pretty popular, well known. And we wouldn't even go to lunch unless must Miss B and Miss Watson came.
And what they taught me is the fact that I was never really taught verbs and pronouns. I was never really taught how to sound out the word. And more than anything, it was huge anxiety thing that they calmed down for me.
And so we got to a point where I no longer needed them. I was so fascinated by the fact that my mom, who does not speak English, got me two personal aides.
And I started getting so good that they started helping other students in the class, but they were meant for me.
Now, I will say not every child is as blessed as I was to have two personal aides that literally changed their lives. But I think if folks look a little bit closer, questioned certain things, this kid is so sweet, why are they acting up? And you look at certain patterns, you will come to learn it's most likely, because it's not that they don't want to do what you're asking them to do, they literally can't do it.
Carleen: Exactly. You said a couple of things which I think about a lot. I'm a parent of young kids and it is an assumption that when you send your children to school that the teachers are teaching.
And I will never, teachers are absolutely amazing. I'm watching them literally bend in every direction to try to teach our students right now with what's going on.
But there are times where a parent has to be their child’s advocate. And it is amazing and it is a testament to your mother of what kind of human she is that she encouraged you by saying that you are smart and that you are not a dumb person and that there was something else wrong and that she was going to fight and fight to get you the aides. You said their names were Miss B and Miss Watson?
Rosa: Yes.
Carleen: Yeah, to get you the aids that you need and the resources to get you tutored. So tell me how that set you on a track to... I mean, so you started to learn your verbs and your pronouns and you started to pick up on language better. So how did that affect the rest of your school?
Rosa: Well, one, they taught me that I was reading in one language and thinking in another. And so they taught me a lot of different little things that I didn't notice I was skipped over.
And once I learned how to read. Man. It is an amazing confidence booster. And you don't actually know that you learned how to read, it's like if you're losing your hearing, I'm hard of hearing a little bit. And so you don't actually know you're losing your hearing until other people point out that you're not hearing them or you're not responding.
And so once I started learning, I read every sign. That was one of my biggest things. I read every sign out loud. I was like a walking promotion for billboard.
I would show out if my mom needed something, because one thing that we do for our parents is we're as first-generation kids, you're explaining bills to them. You're talking on the phone for them.
And so for me, it felt very good to be able to, I'm one of those now that I can speak for my mom and I can help her with this.
But I actually did not notice that not just that I can read as good as other people, but that I can read extremely well until I joined the Job Corps Academy, which is where I ended up getting my high school diploma, as well as my first interest in actually becoming a business owner. Education-wise came from there.
And when I went there, there was the director and I told him, I can't do this and I can't do that. And he told me never again am I allowed to use the word ‘I can't’.
And he goes, anything that you want to do, you go ahead and you do it. And so I told myself, I want to be the class president. I became the class president. I told myself that I want to get all As. I got all As.
I studied day and night. I was obsessed with just proving to myself and proving to other people that I was smart.
I battled a lot with comments that people thought were compliments, but were actually, as a young woman, very detrimental to me, they would say things like if they heard me read out loud, they would say, well, thank God, you're pretty and you can get a man that has money.
Carleen: Hi, Rosa. Thanks so much for coming back. I know we had a little bit of a technical difficulty, but you were in the middle of sharing your experience with Job Corps and Job Corps Academy and your time with them.
And I know you have a pretty awesome inspirational moment that happened. Could you share that with us, please?
Rosa: So Job Corps Academy is where I went to finish my high school education, also where I got my first certificate in business and really enhanced my interest in becoming a business owner.
So when I was in Job Corps, they do this thing where although I got my high school diploma, they still do a GED reading test for everybody that is there, and that is basically for them to know where they should place you.
And we have a morning meeting every morning and they just go over very basic announcements on what's going on within our community.
This time there was somebody different on stage. She was a very sweet looking woman. And when it was her time to speak, she was the, I believe at the time she was the head of education in Rhode Island.
And she came up there and she said that she has never personally given this award herself. So therefore, she thought that it was important that she came down and gave this award because she's never seen this in her career.
I think she mentioned that I was the second person to ever receive this. And so she's up there and she knows this award here is this individual got a perfect 100 on their reading, which 70 percent of high school graduates in Rhode Island can't pass the GED test, there after high school.
She calls my name. And you know what I did? I sat there, I cannot. I was 100 percent sure that this was the wrong Rosa Dalomba. There's no way.
I was so scared to get up and embarrass myself that I sat down. And so after she called my name 3-4 times, my friends at the time, they started making noise and they were trying to get me up and they're pointing to me.
And so now I have to go up there and get this award that I'm still pretty sure it's a mistake. Probably, walked that normal pace. But I felt like I was floating up there. I felt like it took me 20 years.
And she gives me this award and I just melt in her arms in absolute tears. Without her knowing my story, you could tell that it meant a lot for her to give me this award, and I meant even more for me to be on the receiving end.
And I had to thank people do this little speech. And I was so nervous. And I tell people all the time that throughout my professional and my personal career, I even if I receive the Purple Heart, it would not mean as much to me as this, because this was my passport into I can do anything, I can read, I can succeed, I can go anywhere.
You at that point could not tell me about myself because that was my passport. It was signed. It was beautiful.
And then when I brought it to my mom, she still has it to this day. When I brought it to her, you could tell that it was like that moment as a parent like that she could breathe and know that her kid was going to be okay. That all her hard work was worth it, basically.
And so I love that award. I keep it up my mom's house because I move so much, I'm so scared to lose it.
Carleen: Well, it sounds like she's pretty trustworthy that I would... And it's her award too, right? I mean, you wouldn't be there without her. You said this earlier with her advocating for you and knowing that you deserved better than what you were getting. And now you own your own business in Starkville.
So you made your way from Rhode Island down to Mississippi. And you are the owner and founder of The Pop Porium. And it's four years old now, right?
Rosa: It's four years old. And I probably employ over 20 people.
Carleen: Wow. Okay, so we're talking about just I mean, years ago where you were struggling with education to fast forward to owning your own business and you continue your schooling. And you're still you're still going to school today?
Rosa: I am. My schooling for me, when folks ask me why am I still going to finish my degree? Why am I going to get a master's. If I work for myself, I'm not going to make any more money.
It's not a financial thing for me. My relationship with my education is a very personal relationship for me, because especially with college, it was something that was forbidden. It was a forbidden fruit for me. It was never taught to me. I never went through the 11th grade college searching.
I never was told, what are you going to study or ask what I was going to study. And so in the very beginning, my education was to prove other people wrong.
But I think about I want to say seven years ago, it became about me. It became about something that I deserve to give myself.
Carleen: Yes. And you do. You deserve it. It's for fighting for yourself. Like I said, I mean, you told me earlier you're a first-generation student in this country and now you own your own business and it's thriving. And now you have the opportunity to provide literacy to students in Mississippi, which is just amazing.
And that's when I get to thank you because our #Fight4Literacy campaigns across the country and especially in Starkville. This one is going to benefit because of your passion for the work that we are doing.
You're helping... I mean, you're sharing your story right now, but I mean, your employees may have asked you, why are we doing this or what's going on with this?
And that's part of why the work that we do is so important, is because when we can bring... we can tell someone's personal story so they can share and say, you know what? Like this happens. This is real.
And I may have been the kid that was getting in trouble, but it was because I needed something personally. And it was Miss B, it was Miss Watson, it was my teachers, it was the Job Corps Academy that was going to really help unlock the opportunity.
And it's on you. I mean, you're the one that took education and ran with it. It wasn't just like someone was giving you all of this. Like you took ownership of it and you ran with it, which is just phenomenal.
Rosa: And I think when it comes to literacy, because it's not a physical wound that I can point to, because it's not a scar or a major illness that I can explain or it can be shown. It's something that most people who suffer from it suffer very quietly.
This is the first time... I'm sorry, this is the first time for me, even as a very confident businesswoman, is the first time that I've ever shared my story publicly, because it's something that even for those of us who learned how to read, even for those of us who excel, there are still some form of shame in there that you don't ever want to say that you were in the ninth grade and reading in the fifth grade reading level, because it's not something that I think a lot of people think of, quite honestly, as this big deal, but it affects their entire life.
I could not be a business owner. I could not go to college. I could not pass a driving test. I could not read a menu at a restaurant if I did not learn how to read.
Basically, I would have to be very dependent on someone else. And so it is something that affects your entire world. But more than anything, it affects your confidence. And it affects your confidence to dare try to do something and dare try to be different.
So it's a story that a lot of people are very scared because throughout our lives we're the ones that are labeled stupid. And so you don't want anyone to know. It's almost like you want to be cured and you never want to tell them you had the cancer to begin with.
But it's important to share that because there is somebody who is going through it now. There is a little Rosa somewhere that needs to hear, that you don't have to be perfect to be a business owner. You don't have to be valedictorian to be a business owner.
You could have dropped out of high school or college or whatever it is that you felt was a failure. I think society has a way of taking that one thing that we did not excel at and holding it over our heads and therefore labeling us as forever failures.
So I think that for me, that's really what I would like to get out of this, is the next little Rosa that is watching this, that they see it and they're like, oh my God, that lady is a business owner. She did it therefore I can do it for me.
And I thought about this when you asked me to share my story, I said, oh my God, people who respect me in boardrooms, people who are my customers, folks who are my peers are going to know that I did not know how to read.
That's a that's a serious fear that even as an adult you have. But then I realize I have to go back and say, well, you can read, you are smart, you can read very well. Not just can you read, you can do accounting, you could do marketing, you can run a business. And more than anything, what about that little boy or that little girl who they feel hopeless because they don't think people like them are meant for success, but we are.
Carleen: And you are a testament that it can happen and a true living example of how education creates opportunity. And that's a lot of the work that we're doing.
It's not just about handing you a book because a book would not have helped you and your brother so many years ago get through. It was the additional attention. It was the additional tutoring. It was the work that you put in, but also that people invested in you to get you to where you are today, which is just absolutely amazing.
And like I said, thank you so much for sharing all of this. Thank you for committing yourself to literacy. Thank you for... I'm sorry that I got more technical difficulties.
But this has been an absolute joy on my end. Is there anything else that you would like to share with any of our viewers. I mean, you've already given us so many great nuggets and inspiration, but is there anything that you want to also share with share with us today?
Rosa: The one thing that I would like to share, and I think that COVID itself has taught us this, but I think I want to challenge those who may be may know someone in their family, you don't have to be the mom, you don't have to be the dad, you don't have to be the teacher.
For me, my lifeline was my little brother, who was a year and a half younger than me. If there is somebody in your family that you think struggles with this, it's most likely not something that they are going to come out and tell you.
It is something that you have to spot. The solution is not giving them a book. A book was my arch enemy at that time.
I read now, I love books, but I could not what I was being asked to do, I could not do so. So making them read an extra hour or two hours or three hours, I will be honest with you, they're probably not reading or they're probably not comprehending.
I challenge people to think a little bit different, to invest a little bit more time, to not depend on the technology, to not blame it on the teachers, to not blame it on the parents. Because at the end of the day when you do that, it all comes to shaming the child because they feel as though they are inconveniencing someone somehow and they will shut down I will guarantee that.
Whichever creative way you are able to help a child that is going through this, words of affirmation is everything. Letting them know that they are the best thing since sliced bread and cheese and encouraging them every step of the way.
Even as adults, even as they doubt themselves, encourage them every step of the way, because this is not something that people choose not to do.
This is the way our brains work. And if you are not blessed to have an IEP and to have folks who are invested in learning about how you learn, then we should not forget them.
I think we put so much investment into the ones that we know are going to be successful. We put so much investment into the ones that get the As, that a lot of the times we forget about the ones that got the C, but it was a lot of work for them to get that C.
And how can you get them to that B or how can you get them to that A? It may be a little bit more work, but I will tell you as a independent proud black woman of not just my business, but me as an individual. I would not be able to stand here today. I would not be on the Zoom call with you if it wasn't for Miss B, Miss Watson, my brother John, my mom, random strangers, that helped me with very random things.
I would not be confident to be the independent person that I am and to be able to pass the knowledge that I have and to pay it forward.
Be a little bit more patience because it's something that we suffer very quietly and it's something that is very embarrassing for us. But it is very, very, very important. So just find a little bit of love and a little bit of patience.
And the kids who can't read, please, for the life of God, yell at them a little less.
Carleen: Yes, it's compassion, it's empathy. You are a beautiful soul, and I don't know what's next for Rosa Dalomba. But I mean, the sky is definitely not even the limit because you are going to be able to do it.
It is not just about removing the I can't. It's doing all the I can and I will. And the words that you just shared to try to inspire all of us as a community to come together and fight for literacy, that's what's important, because it's not just one person's responsibility and it's not that child's responsibility. It is the community. It's all of us together. And it's the only way where we can say this without so much in our world today that as a community, we have to work together.
And that's what's going to create these opportunities for success.
And then we will have more little Rosas and little boy Rosas. There's going to be more Rosas that are going to be on a path for success and opportunity. And it's just simply you're amazing. You're absolutely amazing.
So I thank you for your time and I thank you. I'm so excited. I can't wait to get to The Pop Porium.
I mean, that's one of my... I'm a huge popcorn fan, huge, huge popcorn fan. So I am very much looking forward to making the drive to visit you one day. And I just want to thank you again.
Rosa: Thank you so much all. Thank you.
#####
Interesting in supporting Rosa? Visit The Pop Porium in Starkville, MS to learn how Rosa is creating opportunities for her staff and selling delicious popcorn while she’s doing it. Want to learn how you can get involved in the #Fight4Literacy? Visit fightforliteracygames.org today.
