Youth Radio - Topic: Civil Rights

Silence Isn’t Enough

denise — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:58:37 -0500

The following originally aired on KQED-FM.

By: Sayre Quevedo

Sitting in class, a friend tapped me on the shoulder and I ignored her, hoping she'd take the time to read the plaque hanging around my neck: Please understand my reason for not speaking today. I am participating in Day of Silence, a national “student protest” against the silence faced by the LGBTQ community and their allies.

About a hundred kids at my school managed to stay silent the whole time while others simply wore the cards in support. I have been a part of Day of Silence for 6 years and while I've stayed true to the nature of the event, a part of me wasn't totally invested.

I barely uttered a word all day, but after school I left to attend a rally in the Mission district where I yelled and chanted for transgender rights. The event was held outside the 16th Street BART station, where weeks earlier, a transgender woman named Mia Tu Mutch, was punched and kicked to the ground.

The climate at the rally was electric. People held signs and chanted, but when I looked around I didn't see any of the kids who had been wearing the plaques at my school.

Out of my own experience, I know that it's not easy to be the one constantly educating and standing up, but if people my age can find solidarity in silence we should also be able to find it in speaking our minds.

Looking back, most of the people who did their first Day of Silence in middle-school were like me, scared into isolation, and looking for some sense of community. But at the end of the day it felt like we hadn't changed anything. The people who bullied continued to bully, the silent stayed silent.

Now that I’m about to graduate high school I find myself wondering what is the point of being silent one whole day if we're also silent the other 364.

Community Split Over Whether Oakland Injunctions Are A Youth Issue

rgee — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:45:34 -0600

By Denise Tejada and Robyn Gee

In a surprise move this week, the Oakland Education Association in Oakland, California announced their opposition to a proposed gang injunction. This new law would restrict 40 members of the Norteño gang in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland from associating with one another within the 450 square block radius known as "the safety zone." The injunction would only apply to those on the list whose gang-affiliation and criminal record are proven in court.

The teacher's union announcement is good news for Oakland’s City Attorney’s Office, which has struggled to assure community members that the law won’t target young people.

The proposed injunction has divided the city’s residents for months, as well as the city’s leadership. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and City Attorney John Russo are are locked in disagreement over the issue and Russo is considering leaving his Oakland post, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

There is no one under the age of 18 on the injunction list. Russo said in an interview with Youth Radio, “If you’re under 18 years old you’ll never be subject to the injunction. If you are over 18 years old and you’re not a member of a gang, you have nothing to worry about from the injunction.”

Cesar Cruz, Director of Homies Empowerment, an organization that helps rival gang members resolve their differences, is worried that young people will be targeted sooner or later. He said the youth at Homies Empowerment are afraid of being targeted by accident, and points to specific language in the injunction about their online activity. “If you’re on MySpace or Facebook and you are proud of your neighborhood and you call it the murder dubs or the thirties, somehow now that’s gang symbols and gang affiliation,” said Cruz.

Once that digital fingerprint is there, it's hard to tell how law enforcement might use that information later.

Russo insists his office went to great lengths to protect civil liberties when drafting the proposed law. He calls it the most civil rights oriented injunction that exists because instead of naming entire gangs, it's a very specific list of names, which is different from other cities. “The law says that a city can go and get these gang injunctions just by proving the existence of the gang. Police decide on the fly who is and who is not member of the gang. That’s not how we wanted to do it in Oakland because you can quickly get into racial profiling,” said Russo.

The City of Oakland has to prove to a court that every individual on the list is a Norteño gang member who has committed gang-related crimes. This means young people shouldn't be singled out on street corners because of the colors they wear.

Russo said police officers in the Fruitvale area will even have photos of named gang members to reduce the risk of harassing the wrong people.

Jory Steele of the ACLU predicts that once youth turn 18, they will immediately be targets of the injunction and said the ACLU has opposed injunctions since their inception. “Certainly there are public safety concerns in Oakland and everyone should live in a safe community, everyone should feel free to go outside in their neighborhood and feel safe at night. But, we seriously question whether gang injunctions are the way to go,” she said.

Italia Barron agrees. She’s a senior at Fremont High School, inside the injunction’s safety zone, and several of her classmates identify as Norteños. Barron said police don’t treat youth with enough respect, and she sees the injunction as a slippery slope. “Right now it’s from the dubs to high street. Next thing you know it’s gonna be from high street to the sixties. After that, from the sixties to the deep. They just taking one step at a time right now and then that’s why a lot of people are just getting angry.”

Barron said she would like to see more money put into prevention programs and education. However, Ignacio De La Fuente, Oakland’s City Council Member who represents the Fruitvale district, is in favor of trying new strategies. “We have for years worked in interventions programs and allocated resources, but I think it comes to a point where residents and children get caught in the crossfire of the war between Norteños and Sureños and gangs, we must use every tool available for us to protect the people that live in the city of Oakland,” he said.

On the other hand, Cesar Cruz at Homies Empowerment argues that youth in Oakland are constantly caught in the crossfire between things like inadequate schools and zero resources. In order to really protect the people of Oakland, he says the city needs to redefine crime. “In Oakland it’s easier for kids to buy cocaine, a gun, pills or weed than it is to get a Raza history book…So we do want to have an injunction on liquor stores, we want to have an injunction on false history, we want to have an injunction against cocaine and guns in our neighborhood,” said Cruz.

Like many who oppose the injunctions, Cruz wants new opportunities for young people, not more punishments. The City Attorney’s office insists that the argument is not an either / or issue – and Oakland needs both - more youth resources and new strategic law enforcement policies.

FCC Commissioner discusses net neutrality

nmexico — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:12:58 -0600

By Victor Torres

On Tuesday, November 16, 2010, I was invited to join the KUNM Youth Radio Project at the Future of the Internet Town Hall in Albuquerque, NM. The Future of the Future of the Internet Town Hall was sponsored by the Media Literacy Project, Center of Media justice, and Free Press, and was hosted by the National Hispanic Cultural Center. The town hall was formed to create a platform for people to have the opportunity to speak about the future of Internet freedom. At the town hall was FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, who was there to hear people’s thoughts on Internet freedom.

I believe this town hall was important because the Internet has become the main source of communication; but, certain companies such as Verizon, AT&T, and Comcast are trying to privatize content to users. I believe if they are successful we may have a problem communicating like never before, because it will limit our ways of communication, and the people in this country might lose touch with one another which will make our country behind in numerous ways. We not only use the Internet to communicate we use it for searching for things, which makes education better to have those kind of resources. I will continue to support Internet freedom and I encourage you to as well because without the Internet our lives will never be the same. I am glad we have a public official like Commissioner Copps to support Internet Freedom. Overall the Future of the Internet Town Hall was great and I hope to see more of these types of meetings to better our community.

National Hispanic Cultural Center 10-year Celebration: Roberto Mondragon

nmexico — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:40:26 -0500

On October 10, 2010 the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) celebrated its ten-year anniversary in Albuquerque, NM with a community open house. The NHCC featured local performers, behind the scenes tours, dance classes, hands-on art, and the unveiling of the fresco inside the Torreon. KUNM Youth Radio Project's Iemanja Lambert had the opportunity to speak with Roberto Mondragon, Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Mr. Mondragon talks about the importance and symbolism of the NHCC for him personally and extends an invitation to the community to continue to support and visit the NHCC.

National Hispanic Cultural Center 10-year Celebration: Dr. Carlos Vásquez

nmexico — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:37:10 -0500

On October 10, 2010 the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) celebrated its ten-year anniversary in Albuquerque, NM with a community open house. The NHCC featured local performers, behind the scenes tours, dance classes, hands-on art, and the unveiling of the fresco inside the Torreon. KUNM Youth Radio Project's Iemanja Lambert spoke with Dr. Carlos Vásquez, History and Literary Arts Director at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Dr. Vásquez tells us why the 10 year celebration is an important mark, and what his hopes are for the future of the NHCC.

National Hispanic Cultural Center 10-year Celebration: Dr. Shelle Sanchez

nmexico — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:32:54 -0500

On October 10, 2010 the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) celebrated its ten-year anniversary in Albuquerque, NM with a community open house. The NHCC featured local performers, behind the scenes tours, dance classes, hands-on art, and the unveiling of the fresco inside the Torreon. KUNM Youth Radio Project's Joshua Horton spoke with Dr. Shelle Sánchez, Education Director at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Dr. Sánchez talks about educational programs, her hopes for the future of the NHCC, and why celebrating ten years is important to her.

National Hispanic Cultural Center 10-year Celebration: Danny Lopez

nmexico — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:23:30 -0500

On October 10, 2010 the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) celebrated its ten-year anniversary in Albuquerque, NM with a community open house. The NHCC featured local performers, behind the scenes tours, dance classes, hands-on art, and the unveiling of the fresco inside the Torreon. KUNM Youth Radio Project's Victor Torres interviews Danny Lopez, Marketing Director at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Danny Lopez discusses the importance of the relationship between the National Hispanic Cultural Center and the community.

Day 1: My journey to Sierra Leone, West Africa

nmexico — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:56:43 -0500

By Kyra Ellis-Moore

After 26 hours spent on planes and in the airports and on the runways of Washington DC, Brussels, Belgium, and Dakar, Senegal, and the five hours spent in a taxi, SUV racing along island highways, parked on a packed-to-the-gills ocean ferry, and stuck in a perpetual traffic jam on the streets of the city -- my mother and I finally arrived at our hotel in Freetown, Sierra Leone at 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 8, 2010. We went to bed by 1:30 a.m., but, being six hours ahead of New Mexico time, it only seemed to be around 7:30 p.m. After stubbornly willing the very slow internet connection to work for half an hour, we were able to send out a couple of emails to friends and family to reassure them of our safe arrival, and then we went to bed.

The next morning, after very cold and short (but appreciated!) bucket showers, my mother and I went down to breakfast and ate bananas, toast, and African omelets, as we drank copious amounts of tea and coffee. The open windows of the restaurant let in a breeze partly relieving the unbelievable humidity. The Hill Valley Hotel, although located rather out of the way as we would find, had an incredible view of the Atlantic Coast, which we could see from where we were eating.

We had the opportunity to meet several people during our time at the hotel. Several of the staff took care of us, one even going as far to go out and take a taxi to purchase a local cell phone and phone card so that we would be able to communicate with people when my mother’s cell phone didn’t work. We also met a few groups of guests staying in the hotel, including: a group of doctors from Seattle, WA who run a free clinic in Sierra Leone; and, the Sierra Leonean National Soccer Team who were eating huge amounts of food in the restaurant and boisterously watching the international soccer games playing on the TV as they prepared for their own match against South Africa on Oct. 10, 2010.

On Saturday night (Oct. 9) we walked down the hill from our hotel to the headquarters of the United Nations in Sierra Leone, and the one-time headquarters of the largest UN peacekeeping mission in history, during the Sierra Leonean civil war. There we met with Michael Schulenburg, the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Sierra Leone. We were fortunate to have this meeting with him in his own home within the UN complex, as he offered us tea and coffee surrounded by his impressive collection of African cultural art. We also got to know his dog (a Sierra Leone “street selection,” luckier than most of her compatriots) who kept mischievously trying to lie down on the table.

Before coming to Sierra Leone, Schulenburg had served the UN for many years in Iraq and Afghanistan. He talked to us about the current state of the country, the decline of traditional life, the disintegration of the educational system, the drastic urbanization, and the rampant unemployment.

Although my mother’s main interest for the interview concerned peace keeping and transitional justice, I was able to ask him some questions specifically on the subject of youth. During the war, one of the greatest resources of the rebel groups and armies was youth. Youth are easily radicalized, easily mobilized, and when they have no hope or family support, have a large potential for violence. Now, with approximately 60 percent of the country under the age of 20, and 70 percent unemployment in this age bracket, coupled with low education rates and high concentration of youth in the city, Schulenburg says this potential is higher than it has ever been.

Sierra Leone youth are defined as people who have not yet found their roots, goals, or role in society. These youth have been largely left behind by the war: they are uneducated, unemployed, alienated from traditional backgrounds, and normally to not belong to any community or social groups. But now, they are being reached out to by political parties, and with a voting age of 18, these youth hold huge political clout, which will most like determine the outcome of the upcoming 2012 presidential election. Schulenburg believes this election is a turning point and will determine the country’s future, and if it begins going in a direction of development and sustainability, it will be time for the UN to begin their exit, and give the nation a chance to be self-sustaining.

After thanking him, my mother and I returned to our hotel to have dinner. We had fish and chips, and I am quite happy to report that Sierra Leonean ketchup is quite up to par. At dinner we also found that the hotel’s internet connection was working much better; and, to my mother’s chagrin, I was able to get on Facebook! Apart from the opportunities we have here, I think that one of my mother’s favorite aspects of this trip is my reduced access to technology and ability to be constantly communicating, so I didn’t make it through emailing and Facebooking without a significant amount of nagging.

5-part blog series: Youth Kyra Ellis-Moore shares her experiences as she travels to Sierra Leone, West Africa

nmexico — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:44:19 -0500

My name is Kyra Ellis-Moore and I am an 18-year-old senior at Albuquerque High School. My involvement in Youth Radio stemmed from my participation in student government and Model United Nations in my school and my interest in empowering youth to be organizers and leaders in their communities, both in and out of school. I'm currently serving as the Student Body President of AHS and the Governor of New Mexico Girls State. In the fall, I hope to be starting college out of state to study international relations, history, gender studies, and education.

This past October, I had the opportunity to return to West Africa with my mother (I lived in Guinea when I was a baby) to spend a week in Sierra Leone doing research for her book on international law and transitional justice in Africa. My mother and I also lived together in Tanzania and my father lives in Angola, so I have been blessed with opportunities to travel and experience other cultures, which I hope to have the good fortune to continue in the future.

Day 1: My journey to Sierra Leone, West Africa

nmexico — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:38:28 -0500

By Kyra Ellis-Moore