Raven fall2016 by The Bronx Academy of Letters Writers in Residence Program

Bronx Academy of Letters Official Magazine

the raven Fall Issue | NOV 2016

AlwaysÂ Free!

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH WRITERS FORUM POET

JOSHUA BENNETT BE IN THE KNOW

ART, MUSIC + REVIEWS

SMILE, BEAUTIFUL

Learning about sex on the Internet, the dangers of your morning cereal and gentrification in the Bronx... & at sea.

Learn about new music, books and how anime perpetuates stereotype. Plus a New York Times personal essay, an original comic & poem!

Women speak out about street harassment! + current issues: presidential candidates, LGBTQ + religion, the teen job crisis & more!

What's up, Bronx Academy of Letters? anything about. But that changed when I started finding out there’s a bigger, less boring world out there where I discovered I could actually read and write things that didn’t put me to sleep or make me feel invisible. I like to write things - poems, true stories about myself, and made up stories based on real life featuring the lives of characters like you (yep, you’re probably a character in a future bo ok of mine, ha!) and my dream is to write books that feature people that look and live like you and me. But a big part of that for me is helping my community find ways do the same thing just by looking around and talking about what you see and deal with in your everyday life.

It’s November 2016. Yikes. As soon as I said November 2016, I know some of you might have expected me to go on some immediate rant about you know who and you know what (*coughs* election *coughs* Donald Trump *coughs, coughs*). But, no thanks! At least not right now. Maybe we’ll get to that a little bit of that later but for now, let me introduce myself. My name’s Candice . I was born and raised in the midwest. Went to college at Howard in Washington, DC and then moved to New York City to write three years ago. At first I lived in the Bronx and then I moved to Brooklyn. But I’m back now - at least to make cool things with you all and help you tell your own stories. That’s why I am here at BAL - because I’m a writer. Growing up, I didn’t like reading much when I was in high school because every book I was told to read or told was good, was about people who I’ve never seen before living lives I didn't know

I’ve got two awesome classes of writers who sat down with me just about a month ago and told me what they wanted to write. Everythin g came up from anime to YouTube to fancy buildings to street harassment to trap music to the presidential election to bullying to grief. We talked about it all. Then we wrote. And here it is. The November issue of The Raven. Inside you’ll find some pretty bold, personal, and courageous writing that’ll make you laugh, cry, or even look at the page with the ultimate screw face. Good. Whatever happens, you’ll definitely find yourself in here. Mission accomplished. Thanks for welcoming me, BAL. Thanks for reading. When you see these awesome writers in the hallway, show some love.

With Gratitude,

Candice Iloh Candice Iloh Editor-in-Chief / Writer in Residence

CONTENTS 04

ANIME ISN'T ALL IT SEEMS Isaiah Vargas

AN OPEN LETTER TO MY GRANDFATHER Yesenia David

HOW A YOUTUBER TAUGHT ME ABOUT SEX Ivanna Sanchez

07 12

WHO IS G HERBO? Joel Diaz

WHAT'S IN MY CEREAL?

BOARDING SCHOOL. BETRAYAL. BROTHERHOOD. REVIEWS.

HOW MY HOOD IS CHANGING

Abanaa Assan

Moesae Sanders

Danibel Ayala

WHAT'S GOING ON UNDERWATER IS PROBABLY HAPPENING TO YOU

LOVE & MY RELIGION Joselyn Allende

SMILE, BEAUTIFUL

HOW TO AVOID BEING A PERVERT

Amanda Thompson

Jason Salgado

Shanice Tramble

5 QUESTIONABLE FACTS ABOUT DONALD & HILLARY Felix Castillo

INTERVIEW WITH JOSHUA BENNETT 27 Jasherah Nalls

& A POEM FROM SULY ALVAREZ

THE TRAGEDY OF JOBLESS TEENS Aileen Villa

THE THRIFTY ESSAY Isabella DeSimone

COMIC: THE LONER Jasherah Nalls

THE RAVEN Editor-in-Chief / Writer in Residence

Art Director / Writer in Residence Executive Producer / Principal Staff Writers

Contributing Writers Contributing Illustrators

Candice Iloh

Caits Meissner Brandon Cardet-Hernandez Isaiah Vargas Ivanna Sanchez Danibel Ayala Jason Salgado Joel Diaz Jasherah Nalls Yesenia David Abanaa Assan Moesae Sanders Joselyn Allende Amanda Thompson Shanice Tramble Felix Castillo Aileen Villa Isabella DeSimone Jasherah Nalls

EDITORIAL OFFICE Bronx Academy of Letters 339 Morris Avenue Bronx, NY 10451

www.bronxletters.org

THE RAVEN

Ninety percent of the time the main character(s) will either have lost one parent or both in some kind of dramatic accident, which would either result in them living alone or with one of the parents. Due to this, the main character will have to grow up a different way than other kids. On another hand, many people love anime for the women. In fact, just about 98% of it features big breasted women who are

Now anime isn’t all girls chasing guys or vise versa. In fact,

either in love or want to be with the male main characters. Due

anime has many different subgenres and, let me tell you, it

to this fact, the male main characters usually end up living with

has some really dark, scary, sad, and strange stuff. For

one of these women. Still, to keep everything under control,

example Highschool of the Undead [pictured above] is exactly

the creators of the anime often make the main male character

what it sounds like - a zombie horror type situation. It

painfully shy and awkward. Girl makes a move on the guy? He

sounds like just another zombie show or movie but it has

runs away. Girl flirts with the guy? Instant nosebleed. Girl tries

more horrific bloody and gruesome deaths than any zombie

to seduce the guy? Guy passes out from fear.

movie you can think of. So much so it makes you want to puke and cry for the characters in the show at the same time. Again, anime isn’t all just one thing. On a heavier note, one of the most common things that come up in this genre is the presence of an eating disorder in one of the characters. So when you see that character they are either eating or are talking about food and, in some cases, booze. Popular anime shows that do this are Dragonball Z, One Piece, and Pokemon. Other noticeable character types include the “Moe,” which is considered to be a cute character without being sexy in any way and the infamous “Tsundere,” which is an aggressive character that usually gives the main character a hard time while being madly in love with them. In general, though, most women in anime are based around how stereotypes of women and femininity we see a lot in real life. Many of them love to shop for shoes and jewelry while

"...many people love anime for the women. In fact, just about 98% of it features big breasted women who are either in love or want to be with the male main characters."

generally being overly obsessed with the way they look. But women aren’t the only ones dealing with body shame. The men are sexualized and insecure about their bodies too. All in all, anime has many flaws. But I believe there’s a lot you can learn from it about the world similar to how you’re expected to learn from books and sitting in a classroom. Anime has many ways of showing us how life can truly be if we just put in some more effort and work together to make this world a better place to live in. 5

HOW A YOUTUBER TAUGHT ME ABOUT SEX BY IVANNA SANCHEZ

The first time I came across any information about sex was in my sixth grade health class. In that class I learned about pregnancy, the reproductive organs, abstinence, diseases, and safe sex. Now I no longer have a health class so I am not getting the information I need from anywhere. This got me wondering who do other teens get information from about sex? The other day I was on Youtube and the Youtuber I usually watched was starting a new segment where every Sunday she would upload a video that would essentially inform her viewers about whatever she was talking about. This Youtuber is named Rachel Ballinger and she was the second and last source that provided me with information about sex. But how is everyone else getting their info? It seems like, because we’re growing up in the information age of social media and google, we’re expected to just know things. So many of us are not being talked to about basic things like hygiene and self care, let alone sex, thus leaving us to fend for themselves and learn our own mistakes.

I don’t really have a great relationship with my mother and sometimes that gets me thinking if that's why she doesn't have “the talk” with me. And I know I am not alone. It's possible that like most parents, she doesn't want to get the idea of sex in my head yet. While this is understandable, if she doesn’t, who will? I feel like parents can sometimes forget that it is better to let your child in on certain things before the world does. This way we can learn in a safer way instead of having some random on the internet tell us any old thing from their own experience. I truly believe that the internet is awesome, though. Especially if you don't have that person in your life to talk to. Our generation spends most of our time on our phones and that same majority has zero contact with information about things as important as sexual education.

Inform Yourself: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/stds-hiv-safer-sex/safer-sex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4ZFMEH5J0g http://www.sheknows.com/love-and-sex/articles/805978/things-everywoman-should-know-about-sex http://www.everydayhealth.com/sexual-health/all-tips.aspx 6

At 13, I started listening to G herbo when, one day, my brother told me the music I listen to is wack (WHAT? PLEASE.). I told him he was buggin but asked him to put on something better - something fire.

He put on G Herbo’s Ain’t Never Hear About You featuring Lil Bibby. At first I told him his music was wack and asked him why he put it on. But he told me I hadn’t even heard it yet. Told me to let the song play. So I did. I started listening and, to be honest, it was fire. I liked both his flow and the beat but the biggest thing was that I could relate to the lyrics. I’ve lived a couple of things G Herbo talks about in his music. I know the struggle of not having things other people have or the dealing with the police always hopping out the whip just because they think you have something illegal on you - just for the simple fact that you’re wearing a hoodie and you have your hands in your sweater because it’s cold. I know what it’s like for your moms to tell you to get down and stay far from the windows every time we hear gun fire - those sad moments when your mom is warning you because she sees where you’re headed and doesn't want to see you end up stuck in the street life. G Herbo’s music details the street life and what it can do to. He talks about how he started from the bottom and now being able to buy anything he wants. He talks about never switching up on the people who have been with you since day one - that those are the ones who have shown real love before the money and fame.

BY JOEL DIAZ

G HERBO IS 21 YEAR OLD RAPPER, SONGWRITER, AND OWNER OF N.L.M.B (NEVER LEAVE MY BROTHERS) RECORD LABEL FROM CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 7

Alive, most importantly. As curator of our Writers Forum, my goal is always to bring voices to our auditorium that will continue to reverberate long after they've physically left the space. Joshua Bennett seriously resonates. I've watched his growth from a high school poet into Professor, and each encounter with his words and work has left a lasting impression. It was a tremendous gift to share his power with our scholars at Bronx Academy of Letters on September 30th, the kick off to our Writers Forum series this school year.

I am not alone in the knowledge that to quiet a room of teenagers just before being let out of school early on a Friday is... nearly magical. This silence filled me as a poet and educator with the beauty of what it means to be alive in connection - with each other, with an artist, with words. Joshua changed the vibration of the room that day, and I'm sure he'd say we changed his vibration with our community, too. Thank you to Jasherah Nalls for taking the time with Josh. I know you'll enjoy this read! 8

My family more than anything. I also tend to write a lot these days about school: my experience in school, but also school as a social institution. And it might sound scary, but I write a lot about violence, and I think about the violence I had to navigate growing up in Yonkers and in the Bronx, but also the kinds I experienced when I went upstate to go to school. It was different [when I was young], the violence tended to be more physical than anything. Often times I would scrap with people and get jumped, but then the violence that I experienced once I got to this private school was rather different. There were all these ways I was being taught to not see myself in what I was learning.

I don't think I had any role models like that. I would just make comic books in my head and I think I looked at these invented heroes sometimes for inspiration.

My favorite poem in the world is a poem written by Aracelis Girmay, who is a New York-based writer. It’s about this activist named George Jackson in the 60’s who was on trial when his little brother Jonathan Jackson, who was 17 years old, burst into the courtroom and tried to rescue him. Then Jonathan was eventually killed in a high speed chase with the police while trying to rescue George. And then George was eventually killed in prison by police. That's my favorite poem because George Jackson is writer I look up to a lot, and he inspires me. Teaching in prison is actually really important to me, and also I’m a prison abolitionist, so I think a lot about his imagination and the great world he was trying to build. The poem really resonates with me.

So Black Ice, who was on Def Poetry on Broadway, came to my high school and I saw him perform when I was a junior. That had a big impact on me. In my senior year of high school, someone I had a big crush on invited me out to a poetry event and I thought it was a date, but it wasn't a date because I got there and she was with her friend. But what was beautiful, and what did happen, is that I ended up seeing a poetry slam held by this group called Urban NYC. It wasn't a slam, actually, it was a showcase and I saw people my age doing poems and that changed my life. I went home that weekend, wrote my first poem and it was never the same.

Black man. Writer. Little brother? Prison abolitionist! Editor. Teacher. Depressed… but uh, alive, you know, most importantly. I’m also a big brother, too. So I'm working on it. I identify as working on it and trying to figure it out.

A complicated setting. What made it complicated was that I grew up in a very deeply religious household, so as a kid the universe felt so big, and the stakes were always so high, so I think I got very stressed as a little boy. I think I learned a lot as a kid about love, about friendship and how important friends were, though I didn't necessarily have that many friends. Those I had, you know, sorta defended my life, and taught me about what it could mean to imagine a world that was very different from the world that I was living in. So complicated is how is probably the best way I would put it, but well loved.

Photo: Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

[BY DANIBEL AYALA]

HOW MY HOOD IS CHANGING THE UGLY SIDE OF GENTRIFICATION

Street art: Bushwick, Brooklyn

THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF MOTT HAVEN IS CHANGING. More of our people are being sent out and people with more money and fancy jobs are taking over the places us poor people once occupied, taking over our hood after construction workers have come and made it a much nicer place to live.

Problem is we don't get to enjoy the beauty of our neighborhood after it’s been transformed into something new and beautiful. Instead rich people move in, taking over what once was ours, getting even more power than they already had. This is a South Bronx neighborhood being gentrified. Basically, gentrification is when lower class neighborhoods get “upgraded,” replacing older apartments and housing projects with expensive condos, fancy restaurants and hip new businesses causing rent prices to go high and pushing out lower income residents. This “makeover” attracts rich urban professionals and hipster artists looking for cool new places to live, displacing poor communities of color who can no longer afford the area. But the real question is: 13

where do the people that used to live in those buildings go? Some are lucky to find new places to live in the same city. But others have to leave or, worse, lose their homes altogether and end up homeless and in shelters. At first it looks like it might be happening because the neighborhood is in poor condition.

On 138th street a fancy new building is being constructed - a building much fancier than what any of us are used to seeing. It’s going to beautiful. Looking from the outside, there are many people that think gentrification is right and makes our neighborhood better but the people that have been living here - who are not wealthy - can tell that it’s wrong because it feels like the government wants to kick us out and take away the little that we have. People with a lot of money don’t know how it feels to see something that’s been yours get “fixed” and then taken away from you. People aren’t really noticing what is happening to our neighborhood. But we do. And we know it’s a bad idea.

What’s Going on Underwater is Probably Happening to You

By Jason Salgado

People around the world are hurting underwater species by leaving trash around. It ends up in the water, the fish eat it, killing them often times instantly. People are also actively hunting fish for fun not caring about what the underwater world is losing at all. Naturally, many don’t care because they don’t see what’s happening but this also affects us humans too. And I’m not only talking about fish lovers. The extinction of a single species underwater actually may affect the whole biological system around the world (that means EVERYBODY), from the land down to the sea.

But that’s not all. Let me give you some #FACTS about the Great Barrier Reef:

It was HUGE.

It had been around since forever.

It was 1,400 miles long, made up of 2,900 individual reefs and 1,050 islands.

It had been around for 25 million years until it was destroyed this year.

It was somebody's home.

We needed it. It was important to us even if we didn’t know it (maintained the ecosystem’s health and diversity, on and off shore).

It was home to tons of different fish species (too many to count) and the world’s largest living structure (thousands of fish that you haven’t even heard of lived there) and you can see it from space (MAD CRAZY!) Without it, the species that were endangered (at risk of being gone forever) became extinct (gone forever).

Right now on land families are getting kicked out of their neighborhoods due to new “construction projects” and those who are experiencing it know it sucks. This is gentrification. Similar to the Great Barrier Reef, where tons of different species’ homes are being destroyed, it seems like being displaced because of greed is a world-wide problem. These fish are going extinct because of humans. People are getting kicked out of their communities, again, because of humans. There needs to be a change. Not only in how we treat other species, but also in ourselves. We can’t always just think about ourselves because whatever happens underwater (because we don’t care) does and will affect us.

By Yesenia David

Yesenia

BOARDING SCHOOL. BETRAYAL. BROTHERHOOD. Mini Book Reviews + Commentary by Moesae Sanders

LOOKING FOR ALASKA BY JOHN GREEN Just by reading the jist of this book I can tell it's gonna take a toll on every high school girl emotions. Betrayal and love play a big role in this book and if you’re a girl with a boyfriend in high school, no matter the status you will feel the this book. From falling in love to dealing with a nasty break up, to the boyfriend being petty and dragging out your break up, making you seem like the bad guy to exposing you, etc. Then to falling back in love with someone even though you know you shouldn't. That's literally the summary of 80% of all high school relationships and even if you're not in that position you will find this book entertaining as it is well written.

JUST FRIENDS BY MONICA MURPHY This book is nothing like what you would expect . Not only is it well written, it can relate to all. Dealing with grief, friendship and finding yourself, what’s most loveable about this book is that it’s nowhere near cliche. It has real human emotion - which is something not a lot of authors can give a character.

Marshall, a very ordinary main character is not satisfied with where his life is when he decides to do something extraordinary: join a boarding school (YAY! HAHAHA!). That’s when he actually meets the extraordinary he's been missing in his life all along: Alaska Young.

THIN SPACE BY JODY CASELLA This book, although sentimental, has a plot of gold. Not the usual teen fantasy book, this one speaks on the grief and depression that comes with losing not only a family member but a sibling. Marshell, after the death of his brother walks around - no matter the season - barefoot (WHY, THOUGH? LIKE. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!) He also believes in a mythical thin space where the dead live (HAHAHA!) But deeper past the first pages of the book you realize neither of these is a joke. Mershell felt terrible about his brother's death, thinking it was his fault. So instead of killing himself (his original plan) he wants to find his brother and apologize.

Love & My Religion

BY JOSELYN ALLENDE

When you’ve grown up taught that men should only be with women and vice versa, seeing anything outside of that can cause complete shock and some of the craziest reactions.

environments know those teachings had an affect on how we viewed what is acceptable and how we view ourselves. There are many religions that have damaging restrictions on sexual identity and expression. Naturally, this stops a lot of who identify as LGTBQIA+ from showing our true feelings. It also puts pressure on our relationships, making them become very unhealthy. Many experience spiritual violence (when someone uses a person’s spiritual beliefs to manipulate that person) while going through the journey of finding acceptance, including displacement. Several homeless youth are without homes because their families do not accept how they identify.

Some people lash out saying things used to make LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bissexual, Transsexual, Queer, Intersex, Assexual, etc) people feel inferior, claiming the Bible condemns same-sex relationships and that it’s not “normal.” Whatever that means. Others simply act disgusted. Blinded by their religious views, so many make no effort to try and see past sexuality. Being attracted to the same sex or believing in anything outside of heterosexual (male + female) marriage is immediately considered wrong.

Some of us decide to leave those religions that do not accept us as we are. Some of us allow our relationship with our faithto become unhealthy and stressful. Some of us are cast out of our religions against our will. But some of us find new spaces to call home where we are accepted religions and spiritual centers that accept LGBTQIA+ people as whole and acceptable the way we are.

It’s true that for a lot of us, sexuality and sexual norms (what’s considered “normal”) are usually linked to the religious beliefs that our families raised us in. These opposing beliefs range from sexuality having a negative overtone to believing it is simply a phase or strange choice. Many of us who grew up in super religious

Which one are you? Or which one will you be? 19

smile,beautiful by amanda thompson

YOU GOT MAN?! YOUBEAUTIFUL. GOT MAN?! HEY BEAUTIFUL. OT MAN?!HEYYOU GOT MAN?! GOT MAN?! YOUBEAUTIFUL GOT MAN? YOU GOT MAN?! HEY BEAUTIFUL. EAUTIFUL. HEY YOU GOTMAN?! MAN?! HEYYOU BEAUTIFUL. GOT HEY BEAU BEAUTIFUL. GOT MAN?! HEY BEAUTIFU CAN I KISSYOU YOUR TOES? YOU GOT MAN? CAN I KISS YOUR TOES? N?!YOU GOT MAN?! N?! YOU GOT MAN?! UL. HEY BEAUTIFUL. HEY BEAUTIFUL. HEY BEAUTIFUL. CAN I KISS YOUR TOES? AUTIFUL.HEY BEAUTIFUL. HEY BEAU ?! FUL. YOU GOT MAN?! HEY BEAUTIFUL. YOU GOT MAN?! HEY BEAUTIFU N?!YOU GOT MAN?! YOU GOT MAN? YOU GOT MAN?! CAN I KISS YOUR TOES? GOT MAN?! 20

Hey beautiful. your toes? Can I kiss

! ? N A M T O YOU G

I do not know. And e spat at me by men ar at th ts en mm co of ve to be attacked? t these are the kinds or hit on? Why do I ha lking down the stree to wa d y lke da ta g en in giv be y t an On y head and withou ts come rushing to m that I can't just walk gh is ou hy th W e es y? th wh l , Al elf s? ys I think to m d day or family issue I could be having a ba at th k in th er ev ey Do th day. d don’t let it ruin my I usually I let it go an

! L U F I T U A E B , E L SMI

OH, YOU THINK YOU'RE TOO GOOD TO TALK TO ME?! But there was this one day that I was walking through streets of Brooklyn around 6pm at night. I got stopped by a guy who was literally twice my age - a man that looked like he could've been my grandad. He had grey strands of hair growing out of his old wrinkled head. His skin was pale and saggy. He walked up to me and asked me if I could take his number down and call him sometime. I ignored him and kept walking. As I walked I could see the red smoke coming out of his ears as he walked side by side with me. When he realized he wasn’t going to get what he wanted, the conversation ended with him screaming at me, curse words flying my way one after another.

YOU’RE UGLY AN YWAY, B**CH!

After this happen ed I thought to m yself: Why is it th sisters? How wou at men cannot ta ld they feel if som ke rejection? Or do eo ne n't they have a m ra nd human being? Is omly spoke to th other or n’t that enough? em th at w ay ? A A nd ll th what about the fa ese thoughts cam harassment affe ct that I’m a e rushing to my m ct me but this tim ind. Usually I don' e it did. He made mad at myself fo t let this me feel so bad an r not giving him d, th is time, it ruined m a pi ece of my mind. get a young girl’s y day because I w I didn’t speak up phone number is as for myself? I didn n't okay. I didn’t ’t tell him that tr tell him he didn’t yi ng to need to talk to m e that way.

How to Avoid Being a Pervert: An Instructional Guide Against Catcalling BY SHANICE TRAMBLE

The world would be a better place if there were less jerks on the earth. Right? But there are so many! What to do? Let’s start with the ones women and girls have to deal with every day of their lives: catcallers AKA street harassers. Yeah, that’s right. I am putting all the catcallers on blast. They’re everywhere calling us names as we walk to school, telling us we’re too pretty not to smile on every sidewalk, and making comments about our bodies while asking for our numbers when they’re twice our age. Catcallers make it hard for us to ever feel safe. So I’m here to help - or at least try, if you think this might be you. I’ve come to bring you four lifesaving, helpful steps about how to stop this ongoing problem so, listen up. Okay? Okay.

STEP ONE: THINK BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH! Thinking before you speak is SO underrated. Actions are not the only way to impact or hurt a person but, words can too. Words have power. Before you say that creepy thought to a person you find attractive, think. Think about how it might make them feel. Things can go zero to one hundred real quick.

STEP TWO: GET SOME SELF CONTROL. Surprisingly, a lot of people do not know what this is. And all it is, is the ability to control how you act when you feel or want something. You may find see an attractive person on the street and feel, naturally, like you have to say something. If you feel the urge to stare at a certain body part or even began to speak about it out loud, that is when self control needs to come in. Hold your tongue and find somewhere else to to look and distract yourself. We all have eyes and It’s okay to look briefly. But remember you are looking at a woman and not an object. Of course, it's easier said than done because of what you’re used to seeing and doing but, at least try. Find your chill button, homie.

STEP THREE: BE REAL WITH YOURSELF. Okay, I am not sure if anyone has told you this or not, but harassing or catcalling a person will not give you the attention you want. Most women are put off by your obnoxious comments and would rather cross the street than deal with it. Catcalling isn’t cute, funny, or generous. It’s really stupid, annoying, and it isn’t what we want, nor will it get you what you want.

STEP FOUR: PUT SOME RESPECT ON IT. Having respect for people is honestly the most important step against this problem. If you really have respect for me, you won't come at me any kind of way. Especially in public. Think about someone you care about or who you respect. Would you let a stranger call them everything but their name or talk loudly about their body in public? No? Didn't think so. Likewise, don’t be that guy doing it to someone you don’t know. Put yourself in their shoes when thinking about how to approach them.

Those were just 4 steps to guide you into being less of a pervert in the streets. However, you are not just limited to the steps above. You can do more to make it safer for women to walk the streets and live their lives in peace. Us women can’t control you but just trying would life changing. I have faith you can make the right choice.

#DontBeAPervert 23

Questionable Facts About Donald Trump & Hillary Clinton By Felix Castillo *Editor's note: by the time you read this article, November 8th will have just passed. But hopefully we'll still be using our critical thinking skills to hold our leaders accountable!

1. Donald Trump was sent to Military camp as a child. Donald Trump was actually sent to military camp as a kid because his parents thought he needed more discipline. Obviously that didn’t work out, considering his track record of treatment toward women and people of color. Surprisingly though, one of his classmates inside the camp says that he only has positive memories of Donald Trump in the camp because he used to stand up to bullies. Again, hard to believe.

2. Hillary Clinton used to be a Republican (and Donald Trump’s friend). It’s funny to think that next month, your possible Democrat vote could be going to Hillary Clinton when at first she was a Republican. She even states it in her book Living History that she was heavily influenced by her father and history teacher who were both Republicans. She didn’t even bother to look up what it meant to be a Republican. She had just became one because of her father mostly. 24

3. Donald Trump believes that Obama was not born in the U.S. In a normal person’s eyes we see Barack Obama as two things, the first black President and an American citizen. Donald Trump is so senile that he wanted to chase down Barack Obama’s “real” birth certificate. He even went as far as to join a group of people known as the Birther Movement. A group of people who believed that President Obama is not a U.S citizen and, therefore, unqualified to be the president of the United States.

4. Donald Trump was almost sued for discriminatory behavior (and is on trial for sexual assault). Donald Trump once said in an interview, “I lived a hard life. When I was a child my father gave me a small load of one million dollars." Yeah, SMALL alright. Anyway, from that he managed to become the CEO of his father’s real estate business. Later after obtaining his father’s business he ran into some fire when possible tenants wanted to sue Donald Trump due to discrimination because of their race. Not the first time. By a miracle Donald Trump managed to unbelievably prove that no discrimination had occurred to either tenants.

5. Donald Trump: Trump Palace Donald Trump owns a waterfront palace in Palm Beach, Florida known as Trump Palace. The home costed $200 Million dollars in redesign from its initial purchase of $10 Million in 1985. Since the initial purchase, one of the many additions were a King Louis XIV style ballroom with $7 Million dollars worth of gold leaves on the walls. Art by Eric Yahnk 25

The Tragedy of Jobless Teens BY AILEEN VILLA

This one time I tried applying to a retail store that I really wanted to work for. I was excited because I realized I finally would have the chance to work in a store I liked to shop from and where I could receive benefits and special perks.

VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS American Red Cross Opportunity to provide to those in need that consists of donations Citymeals On Wheels Provide meals and services to the city’s elderly

When the moment came to speak to the manager, I was told that the minimum age requirement was 18. I guess the store legally can not allow sixteen year olds to work certain hours or what not. After that moment, youth getting a job at my age became a major concern to me. I realized that it wasn't only affecting me but young people just like me that are trying to find jobs or desperately need one for personal reasons. As a teenager desiring a job I’ve also wanted access to more opportunities, like programs that would help youth with no experience. It's true when people say finding jobs is harder than keeping one - especially if you are a teen who is new to it all. I don’t know about you but I am constantly pressured to find a job. People are always telling me I need experience when few jobs will give me the chance to get it. We globally miss out on job opportunities just because of our age range and lack of experience. Yet, in reality can us as teens be prepared for the real world and workforce without opportunities that allow us to grow in everyday skills? Youth employment teaches responsibility, develops organizational skills and is our first real chance at learning the value of money and the importance of saving. But since there are not that many job opportunities for teens in our local communities, most of us remain financially and professionally dependent on our parents for money we need. This is as tragic as it gets. If you think about it, society's economic system for youth employment has been low for a long time. This affects both now and later. No only does it stifle us now, but youth unemployment has the potential to make it harder to be successful in the future. However, if teens have an opportunity to gain work experience it can have a large and positive effect on the economy for, which helps everybody. Here are some options and places to start... 26

Homeless Shelters Serving food and providing other helpful services Green Teens - Youth can help make the environment greener by cleaning local parks, strengthening communities and helping protect the environment

ORGANIZATIONS FOR YOUTH JOB OPPS Job Corps Career and Technical Education WIA Youth Formula Funded Program Youth Go

The Thrifty Essay from the New York Times’ Memories & Hopes College Essay Series By Isabella DeSimone

My small body and head of curly hair trotted over to the refrigerator in search of some butter for my bread. I shifted some cans of half-opened Goya beans and the remnant of a brick of dulce de leche that had seen better days. After much shuffling, I spotted the big brown container of margarine. Carefully placing the tub on the kitchen table and readying for my “feast,” I opened the container. To my dismay, it was filled with arroz con pollo. My eyes tightened and my stomach made Chewbacca noises. Maybe I could mash the dulce de leche on top of the bread. My finding was not a surprise. Rather it was lesson number 73 engraved within the book of Dominican-bred frugality. Why buy 99 cent storage containers when the products we buy already provide them for free? These lessons came in Spanish with the speed of a bull in a bullring. It is a struggle for immigrant parents to successfully pass on values of frugality to their children while living in a developed country with a perceived flow of plenty. But my mother’s iron will was the perfect match for those incongruences. For a child, things like magic, fairy tales, and free MacBook offers make it difficult to grasp the value of money and to quantify the struggles that some families face to make ends meet. The collective hope is that through hard work and a miracle, one ends up figuring out how to make five dollars out of five cents. This fervor to be frugal and purposeful is something that was passed down to me much like some families pass down an obsession with monogramming or Thanksgiving Day traditions. My trailblazing family’s thrifty efforts were legendary in our neighborhood. We started reusing and repurposing way before it was trendy. We made do with what we had and made what we had do more in order to awkwardly swim toward the Dominican American dream. Frugality is a game, or at least we made it into one. A game of who can save the most money by turning off lights, keeping the heater off and going to the library when the apartment got too hot. A game of who could make a skirt out of a short dress or find a scholarship for swimming lessons at the Y.M.C.A. The act of conserving money, the audacity to solve problems no one has thought of before is what set my family apart. Together we share our victories in a little tribe of four Amazon warriors partaking in our own version of the show, Survivor: NYC edition. The phrase “making do” could evoke connotations of stagnation and despair for some; but for me it is about understanding my situation and being proactive. The values I gained from being able to make do are unparalleled. Making do gifted me with resiliency and gratitude. Making do allowed me to internalize acceptance and to value effort. Lesson 978 took place last winter. I woke up at home with numb toes. The temperature inside the house was evidently no different from outside. I questioned my seemingly crazy mother to which she replied, “Come cuddle with me.” With closer inspection, I found my two sisters under the covers. The average family can spend up to $1,000 on heating their apartment, but my home is already comforting in its own way. A small bed with too many people in it, arms and legs perfectly intertwined. It doesn’t get better than that on a cold morning. The laughs we exchange keep me warm, my grandmother’s advice, sigue adelante, or keeping moving forward, resonates with me, the arroz con pollo in the butter container satisfies me and our love for each other fuels me with drive to excel. We make do everyday and through our doing and making I know in my heart, the best is yet to come.

THE LONER

by Jasherah Nalls

About.

THE BRONX ACADEMY OF LETTERS WRITER IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM For 14 years, Bronx Academy of Letters has hosted a vibrant Writer in Residence program. Underscoring the importance of literacy and writing, the Writer In Residence program leverages the expertise of working authors to bring an authentic contemporary writing experience to all students. Students are offered opportunities to connect to the writing world beyond school, meeting with special guests, attending field trips such as the National Book Awards, and submitting to contests. Over the years students have won awards and honorable mentions at City College’s City Outreach High School Poetry Contest! Writers in Residence run two classes per day dedicated to poetry and nonfiction exploration. This year’s classes are Poetry-As-Activism, where students explore social issues and develop a unique voice in service of self and community advocacy, and The Raven, where students create our school magazine/newspaper publication. The Raven is BAL’s magazine/newspaper. Throughout the year students meet in class to report on pressing issues in the world, as well as in the school community, mixing both opinion and journalism. Focusing on social issues, BAL life, advice columns, media reviews, student surveys, interactive media, photos from school events, interviews with Writers Forum poets, memoir pieces, and more, The Raven has its pulse on what’s new, current and important in the lives of teens. Read the latest edition here. One Pen is the student-run literary magazine of the Bronx Academy of Letters. One Pen provides a voice to our school’s youth, in a culture where young voices are often marginalized, if not silenced. One Pen provides a creative outlet for our students to express themselves artistically about the issues that impact their lives using poetry, fiction, and memoir as a vehicle. Students meet after school throughout the year to edit and assemble two yearly issues. The Writers’ Forum brings a diverse array of professional writers to our school. These writers not only share their work with students, but speak intimately about how they arrived at their calling. Students interview guests for the school paper, read their work and prepare questions, and present their own writing at the assembly’s open-mic portion. The Writers’ Forum, in one single assembly, stands to have a lasting impact on every student in the school.