Now or Never!

                                                                   Maria Cruz

                                                                  May 30,2011

                                                                  Period 3

In the book Kindred  the main message that the author tried to prove was that the author tried to prove was that racism ‘s has been oppressive force in society.Well how has it affected our community well there’s many way’s and reason’s.One way that racism affects our society is many people are restricted from many things just because the color of their skin of their skin.I think that to be judged by the color and the way you look is not a reason to restrict people from doing something.How,where,and when do we experience racism and how we can stop it well read on and find out how.
        “ Try it and get it over with I thought you was supposed to be smart, ” this quote is an example of racism.In what way does this quote show racism is the white man is telling the black women that she should know how to do her job because she’s black.The man is being cruel to the women because he is jugging her by the way she looks without knowing her.This is one way we see racism in our society because many people get judged by the way they look and not for who they are.This affects many people in many ways one way is by not being able to get a job because many people judges them by the color of their skin or their background.Read on and find out more way’s we see racism in our society.
        “You filthy black whore,” shouted Margaret this quote represents racism in many ways but in one way specifically.Margaret called Dana a whore just because she slept in Kevin’s room instead of the attic.But Margaret thinks that something happened between Dana and Kevin when they just slept in a bed together as friends and nothing else happened.Margaret thought  wrong  just because Dana is African American Margaret is being racist because she berley knows Dana and shes calling her something shes not.In my opinion I think that people shouldn’t be judged by the way they look or by an action. Many people judge a person by how they look that’s  really wrong because not everyone acts the way  they look.There’s some people who look mean but their nicer than you can imagine.But theirs the people who look nice and everything but they end up being rude and mean to you! As you can see this is a way we see racism in our society.

“If we have to leave ,we leave.There’s a limit to what you should put up with even to get your chance with the boy.” This quote explains how small a kid could be racist and why? Well even though they are small when they grow up in a society where they see racism they think its okay and do it.They keep on acting racist until they grow up and they act like that in front of their children.Their children think that’s the way to act and decide to act way and their parents don’t correct them or shows them the correct the way to act.This keeps on going and its gets passed on from generation to generation and keeps on going on.Everyone has the right to do what they think is right.

In conclusion I want to state that people shouldn’t be judged for how they look women,men,and children shouldn’t be judged by their appearance.We all need to children about racism and how its wrong because that way they could teach others in the future.Evey one has the same rights no more or less but equal rights.If we all work together we could make a difference.

women poem

All I wish is to have equal rights!

To be like everyone else not less or more than others.

I wish to have tears of happiness 

not of sadness.I  want to be happy

to be at home and not be afraid.

When you look into my eyes all you

could see is a dark clouds instead 

of bright shine

All i wish is to be myself and 

not who am not to be equal and have my rights

college for all reflection

          College for all was a really good experience.One thing that was something I liked was that we got the chance to see hoe its to be in a college campus.The college that I would like to go is U C Santa Cruz because it's closer to Oakland.I also like that college because its a good college and it  it's all about nature.Something I liked about Santa Barbara was that it was next to the ocean.One thing that I like about it was that they had a Chicano program.Cal Poly was a good college and its big but its not really what am looking for.
            Something i didn't really like about  Cal Poly was that they didn't have no latino programs. They also have bad food.I also didn't like we had a long time in the bus.The hotels were nice and i had a really good time in the board walk.I would like to go again and experience new things.

Liberation journal

        My groups topic is about gangs. My definition about gangs is when a group who believe or think that they own a color and that they are better than other people.Another is when they believe that they are or own a block (a street).Many people get into gangs because they think they are cool.

     An oppression or they people that get opressed  are the people  are the leaders of the click or group.I think it's liberating because if you want to be in a gang even though you get pressured to join a gang you still have the choice to join or not.My advice for a person who is getting pressured to join a gang is to say NO because that way  you don't put your self in danger our your family.

       I do not have no personal expierence related to gangs .I have not been pressured to join gangs or to do drugs and if I ever do I know to do the right thing is to not do drugs and to not join gangs.

    Ten things that make me smile and bring my joy is my parents, brother, sister,niece,and my nephew.My friends cousins , grandma because they are always their for me. I also like my phone school.My phone is because I text alot

oppression journal

      My groups topic we are focusing on is gangs.We decided to focus in gangs because we think it's a good topic to focus on because that's what we hear about a lot this days.My way of defining h\the gangs is a click of people who believe that a color.Color's known as red, blue, black.So that was my short definition of gangs.
       In gang's theirs many opresrors because they opress young people to choose a color.I t harms them because they get involved from with drugs most people who are in gangs do drugs.Something that gang members would tell you in the streets especially when your a guy is "what you bang" and what most people say "nothing" and they are scared.The opressor restricts peoples by not letting them use every color.
     There are many organization that helps teens to stay away from drugs and gangs.A restriction that the people have when they bang is that they can't really bee seen in the streets because they could get jumped by the other group members of the other gang members.That's a percentage that many people get killed . Some thing that they internalize is that they believe that they need to bang a color and no other one.
       The people that are oppresed feel like they can't do anything because if they step out of their homes they  feel like they are going to get killed.They also sometimes think that their ghangstah friends are going to be their for them when they get shot when they really don't have their back.They will not risk their lives for yu when they have their own family to live for.
      One personal expierence is when my brother and his friend got chased by the Nortenos.They chased them just because they passed by their teratory . When they chased them my brother went up threw the balkony stairs and my brothers friend stayed down and the entrance door was locked and nobody would open the door and the nortenos came in a white car and got down. As they got down from the car my brothers friend got behind and they pulled out a gun and he ran and left me their and they just looked at me a kept on chasing the guy.But he luckly got to my house and nothing happened to hi that was the worst experience that could happen to me!!!!!!!!

expo reflection ;)

                               In my opinion I think that our expo circle went pretty well because we all worked together and did our best to talk .Our group had a really good discussion especially when it came to connections we all had good connections to say and when they asked us a question we were confident and answered them the best we could.We all had our opinions and we all thought different thinking.We talked about how violence affects our community and how we can make it better and gang free.Many had many personal connections that it was shocking that they even shared it in the circle.One topic we talked about was how to help out teenagers stay away  from gangs and drugs.Everyone in the circle had good ideas and came up with good resolution to stop gang violence.Something new that I learned was that when someone joins a gang they start using marijuana and after they use pills and then that leads them into killing people.Many gang members end up dead or in wheel chairs.All they do is hurt their families and especially their parent's.We could help teenagers not be in gangs and drugs by getting involved in after school programs.So that's a little about what we talked about in our expo circle.
.

Our community needs programs to stop  gang violence .That would  help the out the community because less teenagers would be involved in gangs.We need after school programs so teens don’t be involved in gangs .Some after school programs that would help teens not be in gangs are soccer, football, basketball, teniss ,and ect.We could save many teens from gangs if we involve teen in after school programs.Police should arrest gang members who are in the streets who are causing problems.

    

Individuals can liberate themselves from gangs if they join after school programs.Teens can liberate themselves if they say no to gang.Gang members oppress other’s if  they don’t listen to what gang members say or do to them.In my opinion i think that they should involve more young people in programs and in that way we could save young lives.Gang member’s should think how they could affect their family and how and what way they affect them

Reflection

College for all Essay

My Goals in life  Maria Cruz
                                        Period 4
        I was born in Mexico and most of my family comes from Mexico too. I have  been living in Oakland for almost then 10 years.I have lived in 26 avenue for 10 years.I have a family of 9 my parent, brother, sisters, niece, nephew ,and brother in law.I could describe my family as kind and caring.I chose those two words because they are always taking care of us and when we are having problems they are their for you and to support you.My family is very united we celebrate every holiday together and are always helping each other.How can i describe my neighborhood well read on and find out.
       In one part my community is friendly because they help out the community in many ways.One way they help out the community is when theirs someone in trouble they help them out.My community has good opportunities because their are some good public schools and some good colleges.Oakland also has some good after school programs that help teenagers stay away from gangs and drugs.Some after school programs that schools have is soccer,basketball,hip hop,and etc.My community might have some problems that could be fixed if everybody agreed to help out and fix them.One problem in my commuinty is gangs if the community helped out by calling the police when the gang members are smoking weed that would make them stay away from our neighborhood.But except that they are scared to say something and that’s why their are gang members in my community and that’s a problem that could be fixed.Their are some major issues in our community that after school programs are getting taken away from schools.Another is budget cuts because they are taking away programs for kids to be in and not be in drugs.A problem that my family is facing is unemployment because theirs no jobs.My older brother is unemployed and he has done his best to look for a job but nobody is looking for an employee.It makes my brother feel bad because he cant help out the family and he was going to work to pay for college.He just graduated and was class of 2010.So now he has to stop all his plans to go to college and look for a job and just because theirs no jobs right now. So read on and find out more.
                            If I went to college I would be the 2 nd generation to go because my older sister didn’t go and as I said my brother is looking for a job to go.My parents have a lot of faith in me to go to college and to have a good career.I would like to go to college because that would make my family proud and it would be a new expierence for me to be in college.But my goal is to go to a university and get a career as a nurse.My dad’s goal for me is to go to college and to graduate and have a career that would help me get a job.So we don’t have  suffer like he did when he was a teen he didn’t have the chance to go to school.He wants the best for us and to be successful  in life when he didn’t have the chance too.To me its very important  to make my dad’s goal’s come true because he has done his best to give us the best he can.I also want to be successful and my dreams to come true.
           To me college is important because it helps you get a good job and it also makes your family proud.I want to go to college because I want to experience new things in life .I want to go to a university or a college that’s out of Oakland because it’s a new experience and a risk i need to take.It’s a risk because it could work out for me to go out of Oakland and it could be a bad thing because it could not work.I want to go to college for all because I want to know how its to be in college.I also want to know how its to be in college.So that’s a little about ME.

It’s my belief that slavery should really come to an end. I think it should come to an end because everyone needs to have their freedom. As a white women who’s restricted from many rights I can relate to slaves because we all need to be treated equal. From all of the things I’m restricted from I feel like I’m not free to be like others since men have more rights than we do. I also think slavery should end because its unfair that slave owners are happily living their lives while slaves are not enjoying theirs. As you can see slavery needs to come to an end for once !

          ~A young  dream
Let everyone be free and be who they are.
Independence is what everyone needs to who they can be who they are
Because am a young latina doesn’t mean Ican’t be free
Education is what everyone needs to be someone in life!
Right’s to vote and to be who want to be i  life
Treated equal as everyone else in the world
Young people need to be treated and be who they are.