Far From Utopia

For the past twenty one years I have resided in a predominantly blue collar neighborhood in East Oakland, where you will find African American and Latinos (immigrants/Chicanos). My part of the city is known as being unsafe, disruptive and dirty. Although each one of these words holds an element of truth they are not completely accurate. My street has gone through many phases, such as chaotic teens, drug addicts roaming around, and people feeling the need to dump trash. You will also find many families that work hard to maintain a comfortable home who hate the way their environment is being abused.

 As a young child, I had a lot of pride knowing that my mother owned our two floored house, but as I began to get older I came to realize the bad conditions many people were in. I hated the way trash was dumped on the sidewalks, illegal substances and prostitution was sold. I wouldn’t dare invite people over because I felt a great deal of shame due to my neighborhood. I felt like it was a reflection on the type of person I was and therefore, it left me powerless.
            The only escape I had was being placed in the San Francisco school district because the people were different, creative, knowledgeable, and advocated on behalf of their beliefs. The teachers encouraged us to protest for immigrant rights and the funding for our school. It gave me the opportunity to revitalize myself by finding my voice. I put these lessons into practice by personally picking up items left on the street and contacting the city to pick up bigger items such as couches and mattresses. People usually believe that if they weren’t the ones creating the mess, they shouldn’t be the one having to clean it. If we continue having this mentality, we will never progress.  I use to judge the people around me for being ignorant, but as I’ve matured I have come to realize that  many people are not properly educated because they come from unstable homes, the school system failed them or they come from different countries. My community feels limited; immigrants are afraid of being deported or sent to jail for crossing the border illegally and citizens view the authority as the enemy who are looking to detain them.
          Even though my neighborhood has not been the most positive place to grow up, it allowed me to appreciate the positive role models and to take advantage of the opportunities that have been presented to me. My grades in school are a reflection of who I want to be and where I want to go and I will find a way to help my family, along with my community.