Category: Piece of the Week

by AS, Sacramento I matter in this life. I was put on this earth to be somebody. Even though I’m in jail, I still matter. My loved ones need me. I will contribute to help out the world. I was meant to be a positive person.  Somebody you can look up to when you need help. There are times in jail when you feel like you don’t matter. You do! Everybody matters. Everybody has a purpose in this life, they just have to find it.  I bring positive energy when I get around people. If anybody ever needs somebody to

by DB, Albuquerque, New Mexico The most memorable day I have ever had is when I met my baby momma. We were twelve years old at the movie theaters. She was my love at first sight. I think she felt the same way. We started texting and became a couple. By the age of thirteen she was pregnant. We had a miscarriage at six months along. That really hurt me. I did not know what to do or believe. We took a break. I was having a hard time taking the loss so I filled my life with drugs and

by Dylan, Sonoma  What do you see? Hmm, what do I see? Well, the world as it is today. It’s a world full of hate, anger, racism, and politics. Why is the world full of anger?  Well, because there’s too many stuck up people that are all about themselves. Why is this world full of hate? Because people are insecure about themselves, so they decide to hate on other people.  But last but not least, WHY? WHY DOES THE WORLD HAVE RACISM? Well, for a number of reasons. People think that where they were born is where you should stay.

by Young A, Albuquerque, New Mexico “You are powerful and your voice matters. You’re going to walk into many rooms in your life and career where you may be the only one who looks like you or who has had the experiences you’ve had. But you remember that when you are in those rooms, you are not alone. We are all in that room with you applauding you on. Cheering your voice. And just so proud of you. So you use that voice and be strong.” – Kamala Harris It is important to have a voice and speak up because

 by John, San Mateo Something that has happened to me that I will never forget was when I was able to get promoted to the ninth grade. It was a great moment for me to remember because I had classes I was failing which were math and history. Math was hard and has always been a difficult class for me to pass in school. I would ask for teachers for extra help after hours. It was frustrating because I would have a lot of questions like “What does the variable do in this equation?” And history was difficult because of the timeline

by Faith, San Mateo  Here is a story about real love. My grandma is the only one I feel that shows me real love. She is the one who always brings me up when I am down. She always knows when something is wrong. She always tells me if I ever want to talk or if I just want to cry, she will always be there to hold me. My grandma is the one person that was willing to take me in when my mom and other family didn’t want to take care of me. She is always there for me through all

by Keisean, San Francisco The last photo I took was last month, a few weeks before I came in here. I had taken the picture with my little brother, Craig. What I had on was an all-blue splash hoodie. The splash hoodie had like different colors of paint that looked like somebody just started throwing paint around and I had on these pants that had different things on it like the shark from the BAPE hoodie, two black bullets covered in flames, and other stuff on it. It also had rips on the knees of the pants.  My little brother

by Kenny, San Mateo Grew up in the city, man, that’s where I was born, went to school in the city from K through fifth grade. I went to Longfellow. I don’t really remember much or anyone, yet alone the teachers or anything, like that from back then so it’s hard to tell y’all about it.   But after fifth grade I moved to Daly City. I was mad though because it felt like I was leaving my whole life behind. I moved to a nice little three-bedroom apartment, better than my old house fo’ sure. Back then I was living in

by Alan, Sonoma  A lot of people are scared or afraid to take risks and do things that they think they can’t accomplish. They have a fear pushing them back from being successful and they give up on their dreams.  They don’t realize that in order to be successful and they give up on their dreams. They don’t realize that in order to be successful, you need to take risks to learn something new.  Each day you live is full of risks, whether it’s driving to work, or getting a new job. Or learning a new sport. You just don’t

by T, Sacramento I enjoy being around all my family members – uncles, cousins, grandparents, and all. Even friends ‘cause they all help me when I’m down and boost my spirit up. Even in the situation I’m in right now.  They visit me, write me, send pictures, put money on the phone, and don’t let it run out. Without them, I feel like I would be empty on the inside. I’d have a nasty attitude every day.  But when I was younger, we used to spend every holiday together – Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthday parties, and all. Even trick or treating