One of the blessings in my life is not having to wonder where my next meal is. Not having to turn to drugs or be in an environment where as a child I think they are burning bodies down the street. Through the first half the book two stories really struck me and that would be when the Reverend was going into the city to pass out clean needles and condoms and when she went to the hospital and had to wait with people who had gunshot wounds just to get a room. In the second half the two stories that shined was the story with the Reverend and the upset women and an interview with a women who talks about important figures in our history.

When the reverend was walking around handing out fresh needles and condoms to addicts and prostitutes it was the biggest slap in the face. “Volunteers arrive here twice a week to give out condoms and clean needles to addicted men and women, some of whom bring their children with them” (Kozol.12). You would think you would be not encouraging these activities but in reality that is all these people have in their minds. Sex is taking things off their minds and helping pay bills and needles allow for “safe” shoots. Going off the shoot up the numbers of people affected by AIDS is staggering. “In this building? Including children, maybe 27 people” (Kozol.13) “On page 219 it shows statistics of how many people have AIDS. “91 percent of children in New York who are born with AIDS are black or Hispanic, as are 84 percent of women who have AIDS”. It is so important that Kozol shows these single stories because they give the reader an identity and it pushes the emotions through his words. My question through out this portion of the book was why? Why these kids, why the Bronx, and why isn’t anyone doing anything about it.

When the Reverend Overall was sick and she went to the hospital. When I go to the hospital i do not have to worry if the equipment is clean. I do not have to worry if they will even have the time to see me but that is the complete other story for her. “Men with gunshot wounds. People with AIDS. Old people coughing up their blood. On the third day I gave up and went back home” (Kozol.17). These citizens have to leave these hospitals in fear of getting worse than they are. To answer my earlier questions of “why?” I think I have an answer. They are not alone and there are people trying to fix the community. Not the people who enforce power but the people who are the power: the power of voice. People like Kozol who are going to these places and digging into what these people are going through. People like the reverend who go into the communities constantly to pass out fresh supplies and are the voice of who are struggling. That is why it is important to give a voice to the stories told giving the location and giving names, the stories would not be as strong if Kozol wrote the book another way it would not be in the class discussion if it was not liberating.

In the second portion of the book the first story that caught my attention was when Reverend Overall was talking about picking up a women and taking her to the market with her, when she dropped her off at her home this happened. “By the time I drop her off at her apartment here, she’s frequently in tears” (Kozol.211). When I am on my way home from an event I feel tired but never in tears when laying in bed. Your home should be the most comforting and safest place for anyone but that is the complete opposite for the people in New York. A way the Reverend was making a difference by picking her up frequently and trying to take the pain away that is called “home”. Again no one should ever be in tears when arriving home and it makes me so upset when I see the rich and how they are living compared to those in poverty.

The last story that has made me upset and wonder is when they are talking about historical figures that changed our country. “Do you think it will happen again? I ask. Nope she says. I don’t at least not in New York. Not while you and I are alive” (Kozol.236). This conversation is about change and if the type of changes King and Malcolm X made will ever be made in our day of age and with our struggles. When she said no it struck me because I think the complete opposite. With the recent shooters many people have advocated for gun reform and many millennials. I think we can make a change and it could happen again. In her defense she did said she has never lived anywhere else and she does not have the resources we have like a computer. So that could change her opinion, but she also comes from a place where people are dying daily so she is not seeing the change within her community. But change is not something that be done in a day it takes a much longer time. you did not see King or Malcolm X rush in fact King wanted the people to think and do things right and not rush their process. I think the world can change I just think we should be advocating more for this change like Kozol is.

 

Work Cited

Kozol, Jonathan. Amazing Grace: the Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation. Broadway Paperbacks, an Imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a Division of Random House, Inc., 2012.

 

What is citizenship? By definition by google citizenship is “the position or status of being a citizen of a particular country”. Meaning, it is when a person is living within a country. Citizenship is so much more, it involves voting, abiding the laws and helping a fellow citizen. A reading that challenges what citizenship is “The Awakening of Colin Kaepernick”. He shows what citizenship is by engaging in his rights and protesting on a  public forum. Organizations like KIPP are another source of citizenship by giving underprivileged children the access to good education and a future.

Kaepernick was a football player in the NFL. He protested by kneeling during the National Anthem, this protest was for “Black Lives Matter” and police brutality. In his protest he was keeping himself educated on his country and continued to research about civil rights and the black movement. “He was willing to work and study to kind of understand what was happening with his teammates, with other people, and how this whole thing rolled out over 400 years,” Edwards said (Awakening). Its important to stay educated in our country because we have a say and a right to change our country and that is what he did. Education is a key factor in citizenship because there is so many layers of what citizenship is.

Citizenship is shown through protest and using you born rights like Kaepernick and also bettering your country and trying to improve the population, KIPP schools are doing just that. They are for the lower class citizens so they can stay on pace like the rest of the upper and middle class kids. The school was founded in “1994” by “Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin”, their motivation to start the schools was for bettering the poverty level cities. The school became more popular and got a 15 million dollar grant to spread the schools to other cities. Their contribution to the country was astonishing and was put into the book the Outliers. In the book it has a table that shows how the academy has impacted the lower income community and the guarantee the students make it to secondary education. Their citizenship was shown in action and has been a positive movement in the United States.

A way we can show our citizenship is through our activism in our community through voting. November 6th was election day in which many young people set a record of be active in the polls. “33 million Americans” have voted for early elections. That is more than “22 million” more than than the election in 2014 according to CNN. It is part our citizen duties that we vote. Our vote is our voice being heard and it is so important as a law abiding citizen to vote. In countries like Pakistan they do not have a democracy like the United States and do not have the right to speak their minds. In North Korea they have propaganda that the government sets up, they are silenced through death and harsh conditions. We are lucky and blessed to have a government where our voices and be heard, and that is why it is so important to vote: important to be a citizen.

 

Work Cited

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/05/politics/early-voting-as-of-monday-morning/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KIPP_(organization)

 

Freedom of speech can be given and taken away. Now what does that exactly mean? Bhutto had her freedom of speech taken away. Martin Luther King spoke his mind but was continuously broke down and told to stop speaking out. Douglass was learning to read and write, and his goal was to be able to be educated and then it was all taken away. All these people show how freedom of speech has affected them in their lifetime. 

Bhutto exemplifies what freedom of speech should look like. Her use of words and her stance on freedom for all is something so dangerous to speak of in her country of Pakistan. Bhutto speaks about religion and the importance of using their religion right and speaks against extremists “Muslims believe in the sovereignty of God” (reconciliation). This quote shows her extreme courage for multiple reasons, such as her being a woman and speaking against extremists. Bhutto’s freedom of speech and life was taken away by terrorists that did not like what she had to say. Her heroism to speak for not only herself but for Pakistan and women across the world is inspiring. 

Martin Luther King lived in a time where equality was not a thing. People would argue that it was as fair as it could get for black people, but King refused to take that treatment. King showed his use the of the second amendment through the scene in the movie Selma. In the scene King is shown talking to the president about racial segregation and King is trying to get the president to push for freedom of all people. The president tells King that it is not that bad and that he should wait. Hearing that King went full force into his plan of freedom. King had a way with words and used his speech to lead a movement. “First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate” (King 3). King was talking about the Christian community and how there is not a civil community between everyone. King used his speech for the good of all people and through that left a path for future leaders. 

Douglass was a slave that was not able to read or write. He met the slave owner’s wife and she began to teach him to read and write. This education was going to allow him to find a better life in the North and allow himself to read what is happening in the news. His lessons were taken away and he began to feel defeated. His freedom of speech was taken away when the slave owners wife kept on muting him and taking his Newpapers away. Douglass thought outside of the box and kept the bread he would get and trade with the kids at the market place. He would give the bread to the kids in the market place and the kids would teach him how to read and write. Once he was able to read and write he was able to leave and speak for himself and what he went through. His freedom of speech was taken away and then he was able to fight through his battles and use his voice. 

All three people are staples in what freedom of speech is. Bhutto risked her life to fight for freedom. Martin Luther King put his family and himself on line for the freedom of all people. And Douglass went secretly to learn to read and write. The diligence of these people is what is bringing change into the world. Freedom of speech is not something we should be taking for granted but instead using it every day, trying our hardest to bring change.

Societal War  

Many freedoms the United States and other countries take for granted are the rights thousands get killed for every month in Pakistan. Rights such as freedom of speech, voting rights, education and simple things such as clean water. Mandela’s book incorporates a self-reflection of his time in prison and shows how his protest showed strength and optimism. In our American society it is shown that democracy is sometimes taken for granted, but the time both Bhutto and Mandela had was not.  

Bhutto was fighting to create a democratic government for all of Pakistan. She was the first female leader and the last. Her fight for democracy was an empowerment for all women and a stand against the man. Reflecting on the documentary and article it is evident we take our freedoms for granted, and here Bhutto was fighting for women’s rights and the peoples voice. One of her stances was on religion and is evident through this quote “Muslims believe in the sovereignty of God” (reconciliation). The Quran is based off the idea of love and extremists have flipped it and used it in an evil way which started a societal war. Bhutto says, “They must not sin by taking innocent life, for God alone has the right to give and take life” (Reconciliation). In the United States we have the freedom to express ourselves without the consequence of getting our heads chopped off. Bhutto’s consequence for speaking out was being exiled and couple years after being assassinated. In a democracy we are allowed rights many around the world do not have, Bhutto’s fight for liberation away from this extremist country is one that is respected and should be heard. Mandela shows similar bravery through his years in prison.  

Mandela was brave when he was sentenced to life in prison. He faced challenges of racism and unfair treatment from the guards. When the guards started treating them like slaves and taking away their basic freedoms Mandela knew it was time to take a stand against them. The inmates and Mandela were stacking rocks in a container when the guards started harassing them, Mandela then decided it was time for some change. “The guards immediately saw this and threatened us, but we did not increase our pace, and we continued this go-slow strategy…” (Mandela.75). Through this protest and the denial from the guards, Mandela was not going to lighten up his protest for basic equal rights. He asked for simply some long pants and the reply he received was not the best “I replied that if he was willing to give me long trousers, why couldn’t everyone have them” (Mandela.76). Mandela fought for equal rights and strived for equality for all races not just his own. Douglass showed resilience through his life trials. 

Douglass was a slave that had to go through hell and back to reach freedom. He was fortunate to have a slave master whose wife was very sweet and giving. She started teaching him how to read and write and this was helping Douglass learn, something that in a democracy everyone has the basic freedom to learn. In his case he had to do it undercover and it worked until his “slave master” brain washed his wife to stop teaching him. During this time Douglass knew he had to learn so he could find his way to freedom. So, he found a way to take his bread and bribe the kids in the city to teach him how to read and write, it was a win situation. Once he learned how to read and write he was able to understand what was going on in the news. Through his sacrifice and the risk, he was taking he was able to find his way to freedom. When learning Douglass’ story, it puts it into perspective and how truly good we have it. 

The United States is a democratic country based off the freedoms for all people. Comparing Pakistan and The United States it shows we are truly blessed. The right to vote and the right for all people to go to school are the “little” rights we take advantage of. In Pakistan, women are terrified to go to school for the fear of being bombed by extremist groups. If they go against what extremist thinks is “right” than they are executed. Well, in the U.S. we are currently in a middle of a freedom of speech outrage. Regarding the Kaepernick protest many people have argued what is right or wrong. People use the first amendment to back up their reasoning and others see it as disrespect. When reflecting from our struggle as a country comparing it to Pakistan our situation is a lot better. If this were to happen in Pakistan thousands would have been dead. The point is, our democracy and the freedoms that come with it should not be taken for granted.  

Bhutto, Mandela, and Douglass were all inspiring and lived their life in a positive light. Bhutto gave her life for freedom and spoke her truth until it she was assassinated. This type of bravery is what Pakistan is needing and is a story to be told. Mandela stood up for himself and everyone that was in the prison. He stood for equal rights and refused to stay quiet this type of strength is what gave hope to many prisoners. Douglass risked his life to learn and find a way to freedom. Overall, the courage of all three people portrayed and the freedoms we take for granted is undeniable.  

 

 

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton