Recommending The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian

After reading "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian" by Sherman Alexie, I thought about how much you would really enjoy reading this book! Not only was this book one of the most hilarious books I have ever read, it was entertaining from page to page, it had awesome pictures the author would draw, and most importantly, I know it’s a book you can really relate to at sixteen! The diary was about a young Native American named Junior living in an Indian Reservation but attending a white school outside of the reservation. He was a target to all bullies at the reservation for being a skinny and abnormal looking teenager who was just as poor as every other Native American at the rez.  Junior strived for success and didn’t want to be “killed” at the rez along with all his other classmates and his best friend, Rowdy. With the motivation of one of his teachers (by the way he throws a text book at him), Junior decided to do something no teenage Native American has ever done before and leave his school to attend a “white school” outside of the rez.

Now imagine that? Imagine being the outcast in your own home town and suddenly moving to a better and richer school the very next day! To make things even worse, Junior is the only Native American student at school; he sticks out like a sore thumb! Even though Junior was a very motivated and driven kid there were so many obstacles he has to face due to moving schools. I really recommend this book because I know it’s a book you could really relate to and learn from as a sixteen year old growing up and still trying to figure out who you are, just like Junior!

Edith Espinosa

          My name is Edith Espinosa and I'm 18 years old. I was born in Guanajuato, Mexico and came to America when I was only two years old along with my mother. I recently started attending Chabot, for the first time, this semester and I'm really excited to have the opportunity to be able to attend college and finally start going after a long four years in high school. When I'm done with school I'm planning to transfer to a university and major in microbiology to become a clinical lab scientist.  Before coming to Chabot I attended San Lorenzo High school for all four years. There I meet a lot of amazing people, found out what I wanted as a career, and had many great opportunities such as being accepted for the Dream Act and being able to joint the soccer team. 

          You most likely already know what the Dream  Act is but if you won't I'll be glad to fill you in on the great opportunities and privileges the Deam Act gives to young student immigrants like me. About two years ago I kept on wondering many things like how am I going to get a decent job here as an immigrant? How am I going to attend college? How will I ever even receive financial aid if I do? How will I ever be able to buy a home? I can't even open a bank account without a social security number? So many things I worried about it made me scared and discouraged to become an adult with so little opportunities here. Then just not long ago the Deam Act was made and accepted for young undocumented student in America. The process took months and a big amount of money but it was really worth it. Not everyone was allowed to have such a big privilege though. To apply be accepted for the Dream Act there were many things you had to do such as be I'm school(high school or middle school) or finish school, and have no criminal record what so ever, which made me even more proud to be part of the Dream Act. 

Status of Native Americans in the United States

“I believe that one day, we’re going to be able to look back on these years and say this was a turning point. This was the moment when we began to build a strong middle class in Indian Country; the moment when businesses, large and small, began opening up in reservations; the moment when we stopped repeating the mistakes of the past, and began building a better future together, one that honors old traditions and welcomes every Native American into the American Dream”                                                                                            

-President Barack Obama, December 2, 2011

·         Obama is hoping to change the way and conditions Native Americans live in the future. He hopes to improve their status in America and live the American Dream, equally and fair, just like every American does in the United States. Since December 2, 2011 the Indian Community has not improved much. After doing additional research I found that, after 3 years that Obama said this, they are still in extreme poverty and the government has not necessarily yet met their needs according the Indian Reservations in the United States.

Sources: 

1. http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/07/13/business/Reservation.html?ref=southdakota&_r=0#

2. http://www.whitehouse.gov/nativeamericans

Democracy Now Topic

On January 29^th, 2014 Amy Goodman and others spoke and gave their opinions about the State Of The Union speech Obama gave the day before.  After listening to the entire radio show, there was one specific topic that really caught my attention because it was something I could really relate to and fully understand. Lorella Praeli, one of the guests invited by Obama, gave her options and thoughts about what Obama said about immigration laws and how this topic should be taken a bit more serious since it is something Obama has promised us since he was running for president. One of Praeli’s biggest concerns was that Obama barley spoke about immigration and how things will be changed in the future. She felt that he was just repeating the same exact thing he said the previous years and was going to change. I must slightly disagree with Praeli’s statement because I actually do believe Obama has made opportunities happen for undocumented immigrants compared to other presidents we have had in the past. He hasn’t done much for every undocumented person in America, but I believe he has given young immigrants many opportunities we thought weren’t going to happen any time soon. So far he has given young immigrants the right to legally be in America, have a job, go to college, receive financial aid, have a social security number, and many other things. On the other hand, he hasn’t done much for the same parents of those young immigrants that were given those rights, which I believe is something extremely unfair and it is also something Praeli stated. At a certain point Praeli started talking about how a family member was deported over a minor traffic incident and it was something that I really could relate to. When I was younger my father was deported over a small traffic violation. Around this time I was really young and didn’t fully understand until my mother explained to me what was going on. I began to wonder why certain people did not want us here if all we wanted to do was have a better life and live “the American Dream.” We never wanted to harm America; we didn’t come here to cause problems, so why didn’t they want us here? Our parents sacrifice themselves being here and risk being deported every single day just for us to have a better life, so why don’t they deserve the same thing too?