Year: 2016

by Miguel Quezada When I knew there was a chance that I could reach out to you young men and women in the Modesto Juvenile Hall, I was ready for the opportunity. You see, back in 1998 and ’99 from age sixteen to seventeen, I was in the max unit, and in 1999 I spent some time in the boy’s unit too. Back then I weighed about one hundred and fty pounds. But I felt a lot bigger because I carried within me a lot of resentment, loneliness, fear, and rejection. All of this spilled out into the world and

by A. Raheem Ballard Since the beginning of time, language has allowed people of all ethnicities to communicate, to be heard, and to be felt. Through the exchange of words, language has also allowed people to persuade others, and to be persuaded. For example, the ery speeches of Adolf Hitler convinced a nation of people that blonde hair and blue eyes was a sign of ethnic superiority. Then, there was the congregation of Jim Jones, which was tragically misled from America to Africa, only to commit mass suicide. These horri c acts were not only carried out with bad intentions,

by Michael Mackey Yes, I’ve been in many group homes and foster homes. I’m surprised I’m not the poster child for the foster system. I was rst placed in the foster system when I was seven years old. My twin sister, Michelle, and two younger brothers, Johnnie and John Earl were also with me. My uncles and aunties made the decision to place us in the foster system. I’m not sure if our granny was a part of that, but I think she knew. The only person who asked if we wanted or needed anything was the case worker who was