by Chuleta, 6th
People in Santa Rosalia and in sweatshops are having a hard and suffering time. Workers are being exploited and dehumanized in sweatshops, and they get unfair pay. If people keep working in the sweatshops, they will soon be in poverty and won’t be able to survive with a few dollars any longer. This is why people in Santa Rosalia should apply to microloans. It is a good and resourceful way to get a sufficient amount of money for people’s needs. If people that work in sweatshops apply for microloans, they wouldn’t have to suffer any longer.

In Santa Rosalia and other places in the world, people buy things for really cheap, while not knowing workers in sweatshops put their blood, sweat, and tears for the low prices. Another thing to know is that the United States is the number one user of sweatshops. Although the sweatshops exploit and dehumanize the workers, they have no other options but to work in these sweatshops, for they need their daily resources. For example, the workers need their food, home, clothes, and personal hygiene products. In this small town, people are practically forced to work in unhealthy conditions for many hours and with low wages. The companies that own the sweatshops know people rather pay low prices. The companies lower prices, for they want workers to work longer for quicker paychecks. This causes more and more people to be exploited and dehumanized in sweatshops.

In “Uncovering the Truth: The Real Cost of Mexico’s Squid” Kate Foster states, “Companies know consumers would rather pay $10 for a shirt instead of $25, so they do everything they can do to reduce the costs of production. They set up factories in countries like Bangladesh, El Salvador, Indonesia, and Mexico, where labor is cheap. In need of a paycheck, many people have no choice but to work in unhealthy conditions for long hours and low wages” (15). Sweatshops in Santa Rosalia are torture. Nobody should have to go through this just to make a small amount of money.

Microloans are a way to help the exploited workers in Santa Rosalia and other people in sweatshops suffering. Microloans are a loaning system to help entrepreneurs and help people out of poverty with a small amount of money. There are different websites that allow you to loan money to people in need. Kiva, Accion, and Microdreams are some of the most popular websites to help a person in need. People in Santa Rosalia can use the microloans in order to start their own business or use it for daily resources. Microloans may be a very small amount of money, but it can really change a person’s life. It can help them start or improve their business.

This can be seen in “Microloans: A Little Means a Lot” Nancy White states, “Grace tried to support her large family by making peanut butter. The peanut butter sold, but she couldn’t afford a refrigerator, so she could make and sell only a little bit at a time. With a $475 loan from Kiva, Grace bought a refrigerator and packaging materials. Within six months, she was selling so much peanut butter that she hired an assistant to help her.” (14) This shows that only with a small loan from different people, it can help improve a business to make it successful. Overall, microloans can be a really big help for those in need and are the best way to improve people’s lives. Just by using the opportunity of skill and talent, people can do great things in life. There will be more jobs in Santa Rosalia and other places worldwide if people apply for microloans. People won’t have to live in poverty. A small amount of money can make a big change in life.

by Dani, 12th
Dear Guatemala,
I’m sorry I could never build up the courage to write about you. I tried my best to dig deep into my heart and soul, but all I could scrap up were a couple of words describing how visiting you felt; magical, terrific, beautiful. Even with those words, those experiences I brought back with me are inexplicable. You showed me that my heart could still flutter with a small greeting, my mind could think happy thoughts and my confidence could keep growing. The empowerment that I brought home with me couldn’t have made it through Miami or San Francisco without you. You’re incredible. I apologize that I have done nothing but break our ties; I can’t say that my busy schedule is to blame, but I felt that I was hanging onto you and refused to let you go. I saw the world moving on, but I kept lingering around the photos I took and the people I met. You were my life.
     My emotions plummeted and I felt like nothing could make me smile again. Your beautiful landscapes and people made me regret ever coming back, and even with familiar faces, the U.S. made me feel empty. She simply could not fulfill the void that is rather ubiquitous. My languid mentality made it hard to move on with the U.S. and ultimately made me forget you. Over these past 5 months, I have been able to cultivate a stronger and more positive mentality and in the end made me acknowledge that you were not a loss. The ability to remember the beautiful people living with you and your impeccable scenery has made me realize how lucky I am to have met you. It’s still a bit hard to remember every part of you, but through photos and conversations, the feelings of contentment and love continue to rush to my heart and cheeks. I hope that I am able to fully repair the bonds we once had, and to see you in the future.
You’re forever in my heart, Guatemala.
Love,
Daniela

by H, 11th
Dear Representative Lee,
​
I attend Met West High School as a junior in Oakland. Am writing to you because you represent me in Congress and are a champion of civil rights. I have been studying slavery and reparations, and I have concluded that reparations are long overdue. I have read what you think about reparations and I agree that the Congress needs to pass H.R. 40. I really appreciate your support of H.R. 40, but passing H.R. 40 is only a start. As a person in your district, I hope my ideas for reparations, set forth below, will be considered in future attempts to provide reparations.

As you know, reparations are necessary because beginning in 1619 slaves were brought from Africa in slave ships to Virginia. Slavery quickly spread, especially in the South. Black people were enslaved, beaten, tortured, and killed by their masters, as people in the South as well as the North benefited economically from their labor. This horrible treatment of African Americans lasted until 1865, when the 13th Amendment freed all men after the Civil War. Even after the 13th Amendment was passed, white terrorists used violence against Africa Americans to stop them from voting, holding office, and pursuing a meaningful education. Plessy vs. Ferguson guaranteed segregation in the United States for all public accommodations and areas. Even after Brown vs Board of  Education, racist housing policies disadvantaged black people  through the use of contract selling and redlining. These racist policies created the wealth gap we have today between blacks and whites.

The reason I chose to write to you now is because of the recent hearing about reparations in Congress. I have read many articles proposing plans that inspired me to write to you. All of these articles were written because there  have been no reparations for the harm slavery has done to African Americans. We can't just move on and be blind to the fact that  black human beings were tortured and their lives essentially taken from them.

Senator Mitch McConnell has declared that reparations are not owed because no one alive today took any action to promote slavery and its legacy. He missed the point because the responsibility to eliminate the legacy of slavery should not be determined by the claim that no individual living today participated in the horrors of slavery. We as a nation, governed by a central government in Washington, are responsible to remedy the legacy of slavery. We can’t let the federal government off the hook for  its actions in tolerating slavery and Jim Crow, and later for its inaction in failing to recognize and remedy the legacy of slavery. Until the Civil War, the government was the central entity that allowed African Americans to be enslaved. It also didn't stop white terror when  it could have after the end of Reconstruction, a period during which racism continued to destroy black families. All of this, as I stated, played a big role in the wealth gap we have today in the United States.

I have some concrete ideas for reparations. These involve monetary allotments to be granted by Congress, and I hope they draw your support.

Award three billion dollars in cash  reparations to  African Americans who are descendants of slaves. That money will help close the wealth gap we have today by  providing funds for better housing black people. That money will also help African Americans start businesses, which will provide better jobs for blacks.

Award 100 million dollars for public schools and education. That money will be used to build better schools in black neighborhoods. It will also be used to help send black kids to college in order to create a better future for themselves. Funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities should also be increases by ten percent.

Award one billion dollars for retirement and home care for all black people who are descendants of slaves. This money will be used to give elder black people the opportunity to retire and enjoy the rest of their lives with home care.

In total the reparations money is about three billion, 100 million dollars, not counting grants to HBCUs, to be used exclusively to repair the harm America has done to African Americans as a result of slavery.

I am aware that my proposals may appear costly, but keep in mind the U.S. has already spent two trillion dollars in Afghanistan alone, and it seems the fighting is not over. We as a country can certainly spend the modest amount I propose to eliminate the legacy of slavery.   
​
Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I would love to hear what you think of my reparation ideas.

by Nalli, 10th
You are what my mother saw when she stood on the balcony of my childhood home looking across the way at the pink and purple sunset.

When she came to the United States she brought with her all these stories: stories of fertility witches and red bracelets and how her mother asked her what she saw when she looked at me for the first time and how she had said; LOVE. Love, in the brown eyes and brown skin, she had found you— Your full name— made you a reality, in her eyes. And she told her that what she saw in that brown was what would be carved in her bones. And it was true.

Summer’s almost over. The pollen that fell in the Spring is still making its way into my lungs. Leaving an itch I just can’t get rid of. My parents keep talking about moving. Just like every year, but this time I think they mean it. And every day the smell of smoke reminds me that we have always been moving, always coming, never fully belonging anywhere.

But love, can you hear me? I’ve been meaning to talk to you for years now, about the way my hands don’t feel like they belong to me in the mornings, or about the ashes I leave in my absence every time I leave my house, or how sometimes even looking in the mirror is enough to make me cry, and I think maybe you have given me the wrong number, but love? I think I finally found you.  And love, I want you to know I will always be here. With these small hands and tiny wrists I have held onto you like my life depended on it and love, I want you to know that I believe in you like I believe there is goodness in everything, with the same intensity nine year old me used to try to convince herself there was some sort of good in her father, and love? I am here. With every corner of my heart. Because love, you come and go as if my body is a revolving door, and I am too tired to be tired of you.