The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Dereke Williams  

Some days when my knees are giving me a lot of pain I’ll look over at my shadow doing a slow pigeon toed wobble down the street, and I just think to myself how gross and unhealthy I look.

My mom taught me how to love me for me. I remember she once told me, “You’re fat simple as that, and until you’re ready to put in the hard work to change, you might as well be the cutest fat boy in the game.”

Some people in my life worry that if I accept myself the way I am, that it means I don’t want to change, but what they don’t understand is that the only way I can lose weight is to do it from a place of strength, not shame.

I’m accepting myself for who I am now, not what I wish to be or who I may become in the future, keeping in mind that wherever I go, my shadow will be there. Except now when see it, my shadow doesn’t have a negative hold on me. Instead I smile to myself and think, what a fat black beautiful bowlegged young man.

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Brittany Austin 

Having African American hair can be time consuming and expensive.

Even though I like my naturally tightly curled hair I feel more socially accepted with relaxed hair.

Two weeks before a social event I have to get a perm, which could take hours, to make sure that my hair won’t be too flat or too “volumized.”

Styling my hair takes five hours. My white friend can style her hair and be ready in 15 minutes. But, my hair care can max out my credit card in one trip to the beauty supply store. I need: IC Frizz Control to keep my hair intact, olive oil to give my hair natural hydration. If I didn’t invest in all of these products my hair would be dry, damaged, and broken.

In the 70’s, afros were in style. Not only did they take less time but they also didn’t pinch your wallet but it’s hard to stay natural when Black celebrities glamorize relaxed hair.

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Chris McCoy 

 The months following graduation have been a precious time for me to reflect on what I want to do with my life. What kind of work should educated young people like me aim for and what wages must we expect entering the work force?

I am not returning to school in the fall for the first time in seventeen years. I don’t have classes to enroll in or textbooks to buy, but pressure is building up for me to move forward and launch my career--whether it be as a poet, public servant, actor or journalist.

Now I’m starting to post my resume online and submit applications to organizations I respect. I’ve been getting myself out there, volunteering for campaigns and media outlets to get more experience and to stay active.

But will all that, I know an undergraduate degree may not immediately translate into a high paying job. During this transitional phase, I’m making sure to keep my job search swag.

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Lanaya Lewis 

 I applied for early admissions to six colleges and was accepted to all of them. But not many of my classmates are in the same situation.

“Do you know what a Historically Black College is,” my tutor asked. I had never heard that phrase before, but from that day on, I knew exactly what type of school I wanted to go to. I’ll be the first person in my family to go to college, and advice like this from the college prep program Upward Bound has really helped me.

Even my mom has been a great support. Every day when I come home from school she asks: “Did you do your homework, because I don’t want to hear any excuses when report cards come?” But not everyone has parents who push like this.

Many of my friends have been struggling on their path to college. I was lucky that I qualified for Upward Bound, but luck shouldn’t matter in trying to further your education. There should be more programs that reach out to students who want to be helped regardless of grades, GPA, and family background.

College is intimidating enough, and programs with a lot of qualification requirements are an unnecessary hurdle.

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Meisha Sanders 

I’ve heard stories of young teens in rough situations. Why do some make it and others quit?

My dad was born to a single mother, so he had some struggles in life when he was a teenager. He started selling drugs and wanted to give up on life. But when he had his son, he changed. He got a job and tried to be the best father he could be.

On the other hand, my friend who was in the same situation with a single mother has decided to act like she doesn’t care about life. She runs away from her problems at home and comes home late without an explanation.

The New York Times recently published an article called, “What if the key to success is failure?” According to the article, character strengths like optimism and perseverance can be the key to overcoming failure. And those who can overcome failure are more likely to succeed in the future.

Is that the difference between my dad and my friend? My friend is strong but she quits a lot. I know she’s been through failure but I wonder if my friend will learn about perseverance in time to change her life around.

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Sayre Quevedo 

The fact that I didn’t go away to college used to make me feel like an underachieving, ugly duckling among my friends.

When my friends left for college, it was bittersweet. It meant they’d disappeared for a bit, but so had the question, “So what are you doing now?” Those words were practically the soundtrack of my summer. No, I’d say, I’m not going to a university. No, I’m not moving away. No, I haven’t chosen a major. I’m just working and going to community college.

Honestly, I felt insecure. I was missing out on a milestone simply because I couldn’t afford to pay for it. But one morning as I sat on the bus going to work from my new place I realized: I’m doing plenty. Moving out and working to take care of myself are milestones too; ones my friends at school might not reach until after they graduate.

So if my friends’ college migration has taught me one thing, it’s this: I may not be walking the same path as everyone else but that doesn’t mean I’m not on one.

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Raven Atkins 

“You’re such an Oreo.” When I heard that I thought of a cookie, not a stereotype.

One day I started singing along to a song on the radio by Howie Day. My little sister walked in and said I was an Oreo, she told me it’s when someone is black on the outside but acts white on the inside.

I was surprised yet disappointed in myself.

It made me think I didn’t pay enough attention to my sister, and that influences such as T.V., school and her friends were shaping her ideas around stereotypes.

Stereotypes aren’t a huge issue in my family, but this experience showed me how big the issue is for youth, even 50 years after civil rights.

Being called an Oreo made me realize that stereotypes have created a stupid idea of the type of music I’m supposed to listen to as an African American.

I’ve always tried to be myself and will continue to do so. But I hope I can influence my sister by being more a part of her life and introducing her to different types of music.

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Bianca Brooks 

I often read “Democracy” means “rule of the people.” Yet, with all the political corruption and manipulation I’ve noticed in the last few years, the definition is often lost on me. I sometimes think a better meaning would be “people cower to government rule.”

But my mind is changing. In the last year I’ve seen these changes while watching young people protest the shootings of Oscar Grant and Mark Duggan, and the youth in Libya and Egypt make historic demands for new government.

Whenever I report about injustice or hand out voter registration forms I feel like I’m a part of this progression.

It’s clear to me now that we’re not asking for nations with justice or nations with liberty. We’re demanding a world with both. We’re all guaranteed rights and freedoms that shouldn’t be compromised for the interests of people in power. And I’m so proud to be a part of a generation that’s showing the world that the “rule of the people” still applies. 

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Asha Richardson

 Every day I check my Gmail and tell my Macbook Pro how much I love it. But when I graduate from college next year, I’m not sure how much these companies will love me, and by love me I mean hire me.

This year as a part of Youth Radio’s App Lab, I visited the headquarters of one of the world’s biggest tech giants four times and was never introduced to a single black engineer or executive.

Silicon Valley often identifies as a place where people advance based on their ideas and achievements, but what gets glossed over is that it’s only a meritocracy if you’re in the club.

It seems like membership requires attending a well funded high school, doing well on the SATs, and earning top grades…preferably from an Ivy League College. Race, privilege, and class continue to affect Americans’ opportunities.

Hopefully, more tech companies will recognize the value, and profitability, of ideas and input from a variety of demographics. As an emerging entrepreneur, I don’t want my ideas to be funded because I’m a black woman. I want them to succeed on their merits. But for that to happen, I need to be in the room.

The following originally aired on KCBS

By: Kayla Ritchey

Being in foster care means no one knows everything about me because I only choose to tell them certain things.

When I first walk into a new home the foster parent usually tells me the rules of the house and where everything is. Then over the next few days I’m asked to tell my life story to my new family, and even though I answer all their questions they still don’t know me, it’s incomplete.

When I tell my story there’s certain events I leave out or sometimes just lie about. I have been through some hard times in my life. I don’t like reliving them, let alone sharing them with other people. When I remember all the things that I’ve lived through, I feel like I have to ask someone for advice, to cope with the hurt that I feel inside. But I feel that people will judge me so I keep my stories to myself, even my diary doesn’t know everything about me.

Being a foster youth there are a lot of things I don’t have control over, but my story that’s one thing that I can call my own.