Kids for Cash

Last night I attended the screening of "Kids for Cash." The "Kids for Cash" scandal unfolded in 2008 at the Luzerne Couty Court in Pennsylvania. Judge Mark Ciavarella and his partner Michael Conahan were accused of accepting money from two private for-profit juvenile facilities. This exchange of money (for kids) had been going on for (too) many years before it was busted and brought to public attention. As I watched the film, I saw kids being locked up for making a fake myspace page, being in possession of a pipe, and "crimes" that definitely do not deserve any time in juvenile detention center, let alone 4, 5, 6 years there. The parents were interviewed in the film and described how all of a sudden their children were taken away from them and didn't see them again for years. This one girl, who is out of prison now, talked about how she had absolutely nothing to do all day but sit there and get beyond frustrated about how she did nothing to be where she is-- the injustice was overwhelming. She tried to write to a judge, but he never replied and she eventually lost hope. This video made me realize how countless lives, especially youth lives, in this are utterly destroyed and this is heart breaking. One of the boys talked about how he learned rebellious things in jail that he just did not need or want to learn as a 12 year old. These kids are coming out of jail worse than they were before, especially because they didn't even need to be there in the first place. Judge Ciaverella admitted to what he did and said he knows it's immoral, but doesn't think it is against the law. This judge is ridiculous, cruel, and clearly oblivious.  He was sentenced 28 years in prison and his partner sentenced 17.5. Although Ciaverella is to blame for 95% of what happened, something as severe as this would not have been possible without other people involved. This is similar to how like Hitler during the Holocaust could not have done all that he did if it weren't for the other people involved, and the society surrounding him. I did not know about this whole case until this week, which is saddening and I feel that more people should be informed about what happened in order to prevent something like this in the future. 

The Courage Campaign

Last night I attended a meeting for the Courage Campaign. After Kara Crutcher came to talk to our senior class, I was instantly inspired by her passion and knew that I wanted to get involved. I talked with her afterwards and I told her I wanted to do more and definitely keep in touch, so she told me about this meeting she was holding. I went to the meeting by myself, not knowing anyone (except for Kara) and I ended up being the youngest person there, and the only high school student, but it was a really unique experience and I am beyond glad that I went. We talked about surveys (regarding sexual harassment in and around the CTA) that we could create to get our own statistics instead of relying on others. We brainstormed funding ideas such as video promotions, flash mobs, and community outreach in general because the government is not funding these ads for us. I truly felt like I was part of the Chicago community at this meeting because I met people from all over the city who were uniting for this one cause. When thinking about ad ideas, it was unanimous that we wanted something that has to do specifically to Chicago on the ads-- whether that be an outline of skyline or a design from the Chicago flag, and this shows the pride we have in our city. At this meeting I felt like even though we were a relatively small group of people, we are able to make a difference in this big city because we all have voices and we are all passionate. From Kara and from this experience I learned that you do not have to know exactly where you want a project to go when you start it, nor do you have to be 'connected' to anything in order to get the ball rolling. Kara had no idea what she was getting herself into and still does not know exactly where this project will go. That being said, she has already been picked up by news stations and made her face known in Chicago within just a couple weeks. I am looking forward to continuing being a part of this.

Lena Dunham

I had the unique opportunity to see Lena Dunham, an actress, a writer, a producer, a feminist, speak at the Chicago Humanities Festival. The festival called itself, "kind of like Lollapalooza for intellectuals." I thought that was a clever phrase, and surely one I can relate to as a teenager in Chicago. Before this event, I never truly knew what the Chicago Humanities Festival was. Now I know that its mission is to create opportunities for people of all ages to support, enjoy and explore the humanities- the humanities are my absolute favorite subject so I'm glad I had the chance to attend this event. It seems as though there is already a pattern in the public events that I have been to this year because both have been women speakers who are advocate for other women around the world. Lena read excerpts from her new book, "Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's Learned."  In her book she speaks from her personal ups and downs with men, and just as a woman in society. Her advice is something I can learn from and her values are notable. Although she is straight, she refuses to get married to her longtime boyfriend who she loves until same-sex marriage is legalized in all 50 states of America- she thinks it is unfair that she is allowed to get married when others are not. Her choice regarding marriage shows the kind of person she is: someone who wants justice and is not afraid to act outside the norm in order to advocate for the change that she wants to see. Her outward feminism inspires me to stand up for myself in any future situations and to question the laws we come across on a daily basis. She said in an interview (regarding the imbalance between men and women), "Do you believe that women should be paid the same for doing the same jobs? Do you believe that women should be allowed to leave the house? Do you think that women and men both deserve equal rights? Great, then you’re a feminist."-- I agree with her completely. 

Brave Miss World

Whenever people ask me who my biggest role model is, I say my mom or dad because that is the easy answer (and it's very true.) However, after September 16th, 2014 I truly knew who my biggest inspiration was. A few weeks ago I attended a Jewish United Fund event, in which Linor Abargil spoke. Linor was a regular woman who lived in Israel. When she was 18 she became a model because of her striking beauty and charm. This job required her to travel outside of Israel. One day her travel agent convinced her that the only way to get back home from Milan was to drive, so he insisted on driving her. In the middle of their trip back home he drove the car to a secluded area, stabbed Linor, threatened to kill her, and raped her. Linor "promised not to tell anyone" and she made her way back home as quickly as possible. Linor's life was forever changed and she was forever scarred. Two weeks later Linor won the beauty pageant and was crowned "Miss World" in 1998. Today Linor is an outspoken advocate against sexual violence. Now she travels around the world telling her story and helping others. This event was very powerful and informative for me, especially as a woman. She talked about the fact that no matter how provocative a women's outfit is, that never gives a man the right to touch a woman without consent-- for all she cares a woman can walk around the streets naked and no one can touch her. Linor exemplified strength and conviction as a woman in a society where men are perceived to be superior, and women inferior. Linor is now married and has children- she created a happy and joyous life for herself despite what happened to her. Linor studied law, mostly because after what she went through she became more interested (maybe even obligated)  in the legal side of her story and how the court case worked. She stands for justice in this world, and so do I- she would settle for nothing less than what was a fair punishment for the man who raped her. Instead of hiding after what happened to Linor, she became this poised and genuine woman, who I want to emulate. She went through something horrible of course, but she does not let that define her. People all over the world have felt comfortable sharing their personal stories with her and admitting that they have been sexually abused to her for the first time. Linor has changed thousands of people's lives by speaking out for sure, but also simply by listening. Her talk made me want to be an advocate for women who are told to never speak up about their experiences or who are too afraid. At the end of her talk, I was able to meet Linor, which I did not expect. This was an experience that was way more meaningful to me than meeting any type of "celebrity." When I hugged Linor tears came bursting down my face and I was literally speechless. I thanked her, but that is about all I could say because I was so moved and grateful. We need more people like Linor in this world.

79th Street: The Busiest Bus Line In Chicago

The first fieldwork day of the year was a lot more intriguing than I thought; after all I am happy that we were not told what groups we were in or even where we were going because the suspense was worth it. One tactic and piece of advice that stood out to me from a woman who spoke on behalf of senator Jacqueline Collins at Auburn Gresham was that the best way to see the change you want is to call your alderman. I learned that you have to be precise and clear in what you say to them because the constituency matters greatly. This woman told us that whether you are 18 years old like us or a billionaire, you are viewed the same and taken just as seriously, if not more importantly because we are the youth, the future generation. The person who spoke with us the most was Carlos Nelson. I really liked him because he values education, especially knowing about the places you live in day to day. He told us all that we must e-mail him telling him who our alderman is, what police district we live under, what ward we live in, who our state senator is, and who our state representative is. No one in our class could name all of these things about where they live, and it was important to him that we get and maintain being more and more educated- this is also important to me! Lastly, Carlos told us that a classic Chicago community consists of great housing, churches, arts/entertainment, commercial services, transportation, and education. One of my questions is can't you replace "Chicago" with a lot of places/cities in the world and say that a classic and flourishing community consists (or strives to consist) of those things? How is that unique to Chicago? My other question is does the 95% black majority in this 71st community area in Chicago still allow kids (and adults too) to be exposed to diversity?

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