Type
Topic
Country
Disenfranchisement, By The Slice: The Untold Truth of Voter Suppression Amongst Minorities
I find it ironic that the first election I was eligible to vote in, was also one of the most cut-throat. I voted in Georgia, a state where attempts to disenfranchise people of color continues to plague the system. These attempts are often masked either as rightful decisions based upon the conduct of the disenfranchised or beyond the control of those in power. Yet, if one digs deeper, this disenfranchisement is a historical and long-standing issue that illustrates how racism operates in America. Merriam Webster dictionary defines “Disenfranchisement” as something done “ to deprive of a...
Becoming The "American" Child
My South Asian culture is something that I have always cherished. The traditional folk music and dances, flavorful cuisines, and colorful festivities native to Kerala have always managed to mesmerize me ever since I was young. But at what cost was I finally able to start appreciating these aspects of my identity as a young Indian American? I remember laying down when I was younger, perched next to our Casio stereo CD player and listening to Indian music from my native language, Malayalam, while I would sing my heart out in random gibberish, thinking that I was reciting what I thought were the...
Home of the brave
Democracy settles beneath the pact between the bad guys and the businessman it's chocked by hate and by man-made mistakes it has dust all around its edge Come one don’t let it go to waste, You’ve seen the Carpenter hills and the Arizona lakes You’ve seen the way a mother works to pay the rent it’s in the U.S.A where dreams are made Oh, democracy won’t you wake up and find us again? Looking at the railroads and trains it’s the place where technology bolted to wake and it’s here the man grow greedy and they search for fame but I know an American household by the union and a hard workday, Oh...
A Prosperous World
I imagine a world where all children are happy. Everyone is special in their own ways and these differences should be celebrated! Everyone should be loved and included, no matter their identity! Our differences make us who we are as individuals!
Car Keys
What do you use your car keys for - opening your car, locking your car, holding your house keys with them? They’re actually also used as a self-defense mechanism by women all over the world. Holding the keys in between their fingers with a tight grip makes women feel secure that, in case they are attacked, there is a tool they can use to protect themselves. The safety concern of women has always been present, yet the situation isn’t improving. We shouldn’t need to clench the keys between our knuckles, carry pepper spray in our purses, or check underneath our car before getting in. This has...
What We Learn From Atlanta
I used to view tragedy like an electric shock– sudden, sharp, and excruciating in the moment– but a pain that dulls with time. A shock becomes a sting, and a sting becomes the whisper of a sensation that exists only in memory. If only it were so simple. At 5 p.m. on March 16th, Aaron Robert Long entered Young’s Asian Massage in Cherokee County, Atlanta, armed with a 9 mm gun. He left four bodies in his wake as he made his way to Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa, where he killed another four. Six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent. Since March 16th, the news has acted as a revolving...
Asian-American Mental Health
A few weeks back, I was watching It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, a Korean drama that dealt with a number of mental health issues such as Antisocial Personality and Dissociative Identity Disorders. All was good until I stumbled upon the comment section, which housed a rather insensitive conversation around mental illness. I wasn’t surprised though, being an Asian myself, and that’s when I realized just how normalized the stigma around mental health is even in Asian American communities. For many years, Asian Americans from a wide range of cultures have been considered the “model minority”. This...
Education system failing
I believe our education system is failing. These days, it appears that it isn't much about learning. It seems to be all about tests, grades, and your school's average grade or percentage. I believe many students aren't really gaining any knowledge at all. Grades are determining how smart we are or what schools we qualify to enter. Grades shouldn't determine this at all. Everybody is smart in their own way. Some teachers only care about themselves, their reputations and how they look to their school. Also, some teachers move on from lesson to lesson without taking the time to pause and see if...
School is biased
I remember in Elementary school, we wrote an essay about whether or not school is important. Of course like every other student I decided to say yes, but now at this age I have come to a better understanding of how I feel about the prompt. Honestly from the way I see it, I'm biased about the whole thing.
An Ally’s Guide to Coming Out- Happy International Coming Out Day!
International Coming Out Day is on Monday, October 11th, meaning You're going to, if you haven't already, be faced with at least one person coming out to you. And when faced with someone putting so much trust in you, it's crucial that you react in an appropriate way, one that makes them feel safe, well-received, and loved. when someone comes out to you, they are revealing a huge part of their identity to you; through this, you can understand so much more about the person and grow closer to them. However, coming out will only be beneficial for both parties if you, the receiver of new...
Speak a little louder
What does it mean to be a girl? Growing up, I never thought about what it meant to be girl. Was I naive to believe that it didn’t matter, ignorant to think that as my world expanded beyond my own community it would never stand in my way? No–– I may not have always been sure of myself, but I was sure of the fact that I had as much as a right to do whatever the guy to my left was doing. If that meant I had to speak a little louder, work a little harder, and try a little more, then so be it. Nearly eighteen years later, I now know what the world wants me to believe being a girl means–– that I am...
Child rights
I can't begin to imagine what it must be like for children forced into labor and what they have to go through. Child labor is such a hard and dangerous lifestyle that no child should have to experience. I can't imagine being out on the streets selling merchandise instead of being in school learning. Many of these kids don't have any other choice. They have to be out on the streets so they can take care of their families and provide for themselves. This must be very hard for them because I don't think any child would want to waste their childhood cleaning cars, shoes, windows or doing almost...
Education = Prosperity
Our education is very important. Education I feel is more than just sitting in a classroom listening to teachers go on and on about nonsense. Or just sitting down reading books. Education is when we pass down the knowledge we learned from generation to generation. Our education is life itself, because as we continue to grow we're also learning too. Education shapes our society. The people with great education our bound to be very successful. Education is basically a stepping stone for generations to come. A person with little to no education may struggle dealing with the world. Our education...
Straight A's don't matter
Straight A’s don’t matter. Plain and simple. In the schematic system of school, a grading based system is better and much easier for the school itself--heck, all you have to do is put points into the grade book and the teacher’s job is done. It’s easy for them to put in grades--it’s only a letter after all. And for students, it shouldn’t mean anything more than just a letter, it won’t affect your life that much, in the grand scheme of things. We tend to pressure our students to get straight A’s, emphasizing that these grades engender success. According to Adam Grant in his New York Times’...
A proud black woman
I am a proud black woman Every inch, color, curve of my body is something I learned to accept Something I once questioned while looking at myself in the mirror I am a proud black woman Even though I get paid less than my white cousin And my choice in clothing is frowned upon I am a proud black woman Even though my "missing dad" is seen more as a statistic than a cry for help I am required to push through because of the color of my skin Or else I'm seen as weak I am a proud black woman Throughout the braided hair The urban dance The "cool" swag You see they want to be us until they have to be...
2020’s Explosion of Youth Advocacy and How We Can Keep the Political Momentum
As a teenager, it can feel daunting to try and get involved in worldwide issues. We can feel powerless and sometimes shamed for being too young to understand weighty issues like human rights, the economy, and climate change. Additionally, participation in advocacy efforts and other activities often requires reaching a certain age threshold. We must be 18 to be eligible for many volunteer positions, as well as participating in elections. Our lives are intertwined with social media and technology, so the pandemic surrounded our screens with tragic news and confusing politics. But we were...
The Peace Tree
There is a tree that symbolizes peace but its upside down Like one's world that evolves around lies and misleads. Everyone wants a world with peace Where I can play with you and you can play with me Without running from bullets or being shot dead in the street. Go back into history where we were actually human Wondering why the world is so cold and mean. Maybe if we just come as one in unity there will finally be peace.
I am Black without apology
You're beautiful put the bleaching cream down, you don't need it Stop allowing society to convince you that you're too dark Stop feeling discouraged everytime a guy says ''I like light-skinned girls only" or ''You're pretty for a BLACK GIRL'' You're beautiful On a Saturday night you're laying down with your feet kicked up scrolling through Instagram admiring your favorite celebrity wishing you were ''that girl'' Truth be told, you are THAT GIRL When I tell you are dripping melanin and honey you wouldn't believe it because you run to society for validation ''Am I light enough?'' ''Is my smile...
The Power of the Youth Voice
In a global society, the youth and their older counterparts often operate in silos. The old guard grinds the wheels of power, relying on the wisdom of time, while young people are forced to wait patiently beneath them, accumulating the experience necessary to assume their place. This arrangement is not the fault of any individual, nor either generation. It is merely a consequence of the inexorable march of time. As the years march on, the old guard molds the world, despite the fact that young people will one day inherit it. The future they construct is not the consequence of that inexorable...