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Why Teen Girls Should Care About the Presidential Debate

10/16/2012
Around the Way Girls, inspiration, Local, Motivation, National, New Jersey, News, Politics
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Woman Moderator Petition

NJ Girls Elena Tsemberis, Emma Axelrod and Sammi Siegel start a petition for change | http://www.huffingtonpost.com

If you aren’t old enough to vote, you may not care about the next election. You should, but sometimes it’s hard to get excited about something that affects you so greatly and yet, you have no say in. I would, however, urge all of you to share your opinions and thoughts about the election with the adults  in your family and in your lives who are old enough to vote. Who knows? Your opinion may change (or help someone else figure out) the way they think and plan to vote.

So, while you may not watch the next presidential debate (I watched the first one with my 14-year-old nephew, so who knows), here’s one thing you should know about/reason why you should care ~ there will be a woman moderating the debate, thanks, in part, to three New Jersey high school students who petitioned for there to be one.

Basics- so the presidential debate has the two candidates (President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney) face off in a live televised discussion about the issues/where they stand/what their plan is for America. They are basically trying to convince those people who are undecided that they are the best person for the job and get the people who’ve already decided excited about showing up at the polls on November 6th. The debate is moderated by a journalist who puts on his/her impartiality fairness hat and tries to ask the questions that the American public wants to know and keep them each from talking over each other and going over their allotted response time. This happens to varying degrees of success.

The first debate, earlier this month, was moderated by Jim Lehrer and, if you’re interested, you can google what most people thought of it. (Basically, the president lamed out, Romney did his thing and the moderator didn’t moderate). The vice-presidential debate, held last week, was much better and an actual debate. (Vice President Biden got all in Congressman Paul Ryan’s specifics, Ryan made some pointed jabs and the moderator ~ O.G. journalist Martha Raddatz  ~ held it down.

The debate tonight is going to be the final presidential debate, where the president and Mitt Romney face off again. And it’s really important for both to do well. The point of all of this that may matter to you is that CNN reporter Candy Crowley is moderating it ~ this is he first time a woman has done so in 20 years and is partly due to the petition started by Emma Axelrod, Elena Tsemberis and Sammi Siegel. After learning in their high school civics class that the last woman to moderate a presidential debate was in 1992 (!), they stated a petition at change.org. The petition was a huge success, garnered over 118,000 signatures and lots of support from public figures for their call for a woman moderator. And, well, they got their wish.

“It’s important for teenage girls to see women with political power,” Elena Tsemberis told MassLive.com. “The more we only see men in positions of authority, the more girls teach themselves to believe we’re not as worthy or important or capable as men.” Source

Side note: If you have an issue you’re really passionate about, you might want to consider starting a change.org petition. Some of them really take off and who knows, once people know what you’re fighting for/against, additional help may come pouring in.

Girl Positive: Hydeia Broadbent Shares What Life is like Living with AIDS

05/18/2011
Global, Health, My Story, National
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Today is HIV Vaccine Awareness Day. What does that mean, exactly? Well, scientists are still trying to find a vaccine to stop the spread of HIV. And they want to make people aware of what they’ve done, what they’re doing, and that they are still optimistic that they will find a vaccine. You may or may not be interested in the details, but take away the important (and simple) lesson- if you chose to have sex, protect yourself. Ok, it may not always be easy to do, but your life is worth it.

In the first issue of Homegirl NYC, international AIDS activist Hydeia Broadent, who was born with HIV and had full-blown AIDS by age three, shares her story. Here’s an excerpt:

Hydeia Broadbent on the cover of Poz magazine. Photo courtesy of the magazine.

“I am 26 years old. I take 3 HIV/AIDS medications a day and I go to the doctor every three to six months, more if I am feeling ill. I went to college but I had to stop going because I was sick and needed to rest. It is possible for someone living with HIV/AIDS to have a relationship but partners have to be educated on how to stay safe. I am dating someone I have known since high school. We plan on getting married after he is done with school. At one point I was madly in love with someone who was ashamed of letting people know I had full-blown AIDS, which hurt and sometimes brought me down. From that I learned I needed to date a man who was sure of who he was and able to handle people if they said negative things. I can have children without passing HIV onto them but I’m not sure if I will take that risk. I try to stay positive because there are people who are no longer here with us, and I don’t want to walk around depressed when I have a heartbeat. So I try not to think about death. I look at it like everything that lives and breathes will die—I could get hit by a car. I try not to think about it ‘til that day comes. Yes, it’s always there in the back of my mind but it does not affect my everyday outlook.

Hydeia B. in 2009, by Robert John Kley. Photo courtesy of Hydeia.

I am an HIV/AIDS activist. I travel all over the country and the world, speaking at colleges, health conferences and youth events about HIV/AIDS. People think they can tell when someone has HIV/AIDS–they have an image in their minds of maybe of a gay man or an IV drug user, as if those are the only people at risk. I am here to say that image is so wrong! Take me as an example and wipe that right out of your mind. Please remember your health is your responsibility, no one else’s! If you are in a relationship, go with your partner to get tested. If you can’t go together, is this really the person you should be sleeping with? It’s 2010 and we need to understand you can die from having sex! Yes, sex is a beautiful thing and I am not telling anyone not to have sex, but I am tell you to be safe and educate yourself. Getting tested is free and so are condoms in different heath centers or free clinics in every city. All you have to do is Google locations or look them up in the phonebook. We all need to do our part, this is our problem!”

Today is HIV vaccine awareness day… spread the word. To find a testing site near you, visit www.hivtest.org.

Connect with Hydeia online through email (Hydeiabroadbent@gmail.com) or on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/hydeiabroadbent. Check out the rest of what Hydeia had to say in the magazine, available now. 

17 and (Not really) Pregnant: Stereotypes, Rumors and Statistics

05/07/2011
Latino, National, Teen Pregnancy
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In the first issue of Homegirl NYC, Khalya Hopkins shares her story of being 15 and pregnant. She was dealing with a lot at the time—a boyfriend in jail for committing a gang-related crime, threats against her safety, finding out she had chlamydia, and dealing with neighborhood gossip. She says, “that summer was rough. I was the talk of the neighborhood, called every negative thing you can think of. My friends’ parents did want them to hang out with me because they thought I was a bad influence. It hurt.” But she made it through the hard times and now, at 24, she’s a successful teacher. What happened to her happened ten years ago, but have things changed all that much?

Question. How do pregnant girls get treated at your school? What do people say about them behind their backs? That they’re fast? Irresponsible? Statistics? Ruining their lives? What do you say? Or, what have you had said about you?

Gabby Rodriguez talks Stereotypes, Rumors and Statistics. Photo courtesy of Seattle Weekly.

Well, one teen wanted to find out for herself, so she posed as a pregnant teen. Gaby Rodriguez, 17, walked around with a fake belly for six months for her senior project “Stereotypes, Rumors and Statistics.” A straight-A student, Gaby wasn’t spared any of the usual gossip so she wrote down what people said about her and talked about how it made her feel during an assembly where she revealed her ruse. Gaby hoped that what she learned would help other girls (especially other Latinas who statistically have a high rate of teen pregnancy) fight stereotypes. Seems extreme, but do you think she made her point?

Chicago Girl Goes from the Projects to Yale…then Back Again.

04/02/2011
College, Giving Back, inspiration, My Story, National, News
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By now we all know that life isn’t fair. And that it doesn’t spread it’s unfairness around evenly—some people get too much, while others never seem to get enough. So what do you do when it seems like life keeps picking on you? Whatever it takes to change your circumstances.

 

Timeica E. Bethel talks about the long journey from the projects to Yale. Image courtesy of msnbc.com.

Meet Timeica Bethel, a college senior who grew up rough. Her drug-adicted mother abandoned her when she was three and sent Timeica (and her three siblings) to live with their grandmother in the LeClair Courts public housing projects in Chicago. Timeica loved to read, excelled in school, got a scholarship to private high school and went to Yale University, where she’s now a senior. She graduates in May and plans to go back home and teach the kids who are now live where she’s from that anything’s possible. Check out her interview with msnbc and see what she has to say for herself.

And I’m not trying to get all “where there’s a will there’s a way” preachy on you, but don’t let people kill your dreams.

-arcynta

White House Mentoring Program for Teen Girls

11/07/2009
Giving Back, Making a Difference, National, News, Politics
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A few days ago, it was announced that First Lady Michelle Obama is starting a mentoring program for 20 high schools girls in the DC area. The goal of the program is to teach the girls “life skills,” expose them into the inner workings of government, and pair them up with some of the most powerful women in government. “Second Lady Jill Biden, White House advisor Valerie Jarrett, Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, and several members of the first lady’s staff and the senior staff in the West Wing will serve as mentors.”

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According to the article, “the 20 protégées, who are sophomores and juniors, were chosen by principals at area high schools and include young women from military families.”

The program will last for a year and “will include financial literacy training and exposure to different career paths, as well as possible field trips with the first lady, advisors said.”

Score another one for The White House! I LOVE this! I’ve been saying for YEARS that D.C. government needed to create a mentoring program for girls in the area, but maybe now, someone will listen. I love the this is being done, but everyone (not just those at the top levels of government) need to get involved and give back. My only hope is that the girls selected will be ones who can really benefit the most from this type of exposure. Don’t get me wrong, any young woman would benefit (I know I would and I’ve been out of high school for a minute), but I know that at my high school and college, and most times in life, the “chosen ones” are the ones who will make it anyway. And it’s nice to choose the best, but  sometimes it’s better to give the overlooked a shot. My two cents.

Oh, and as not to leave the fellas out, “the West Wing also will launch a mentoring and leadership program for high school boys that the president will participate in, aides said.”

Check out the video, where the First Lady of The United States (FLOTUS) talks more about the program. And you can even read the remarks, courtesy of The Huffington Post. Sounds great to me. And don’t worry ladies, once we’re up and running, mentoring will definitely be a part of the program!

Rape Victim in California Speaks Out

11/05/2009
National, News, Staying Safe
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We recently reported on the brutal gang rape of a 15-year-old outside a California high school that outraged the nation and put the community (and the school) where it happened under a very critical microscope. It also brought many in that community together to speak out against violence and look for solutions. Well, some of those concerned residents gathered together on Tuesday for a vigil/rally/support session where the pastor of a local church read a letter from the young woman.

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The message was simple and powerful. According to the article, she said, “Violence is always the wrong choice.”

“We realize people are angry about this,” the 15-year-old sophomore said in a statement read by her church pastor at a rally at the high school. “But let the anger cause change, change that is necessary to keep our children, our neighbors and our friends safe.“

Well said. Let your anger lead you to create change.

Also, according to the article,  “Richmond High School is accepting cards and donations for the victim and her family. They can be mailed to the school at 1250 23rd St., Richmond, CA 94804-1011. Make checks out to the Richmond High Student Fund, with “For sex assault victim” written in the memo line.”

National News (10/19/09-11/1/09)

11/02/2009
National, News
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Man Runs Over “Westernized” Daughter, October 30, 2009, NYDN

Over in Arizona, an Iraqi immigrant allegedly ran his 20-year-old daughter, Noor  Faleh Almaleki, down with his car “because she was becoming ‘too Westernized.'” He was arrested when his plane  arrived in Atlanta. smh…

Teens Ticketed for Rapping at McDonald’s Window, October, 30, 2009 NYDN

Four teens in Utah drove up to a Mickey D’s drive-through there and rapped their order. According to the article, “the teens said they were imitating a popular video on YouTube. They rapped their order, which begins with, “I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce …” once quickly before repeating it more slowly.” They were given a ticket for disordely conduct, although they dispute that they ever held up the line.  Ok, the ticket-issuing was dumb, bu the youtube video was hilarious! If you haven’t seen it…here it is-

“Balloon Boy” is a Hoax, October 29, 2009, NYDN

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard about the “balloon boy” controversy. If not, here goes- a 6-year-old Colorado boy named Falcon Heene captivated the nation when his parents called 911 to report that he trapped in a floating hot air balloon. Well, turns out, after a two-hour search, he wasn’t in balloon after all; he was in the attic hiding/sleeping. Police now believe the parents set up the entire incident to try to get a reality show. Now, I saw the Heene family on Wife Swap, but this is truly shameful. If you want more, google it…ican’t.

FBI Bust Saves Children From Sexual Exploitation, Arrests Predators, October 27, 2009, NYDN

According to the article, “FBI officials say they have rescued 52 children in a series of raids around the United States aimed at under-age prostitution.” sexual expoitation. Let us remember that there is no such thing as under-age prostitution or child prostitutes. Children too young to consent to sex, cannot be prostitutes; they are victims. Good job on the raids. Keep it up.

Missing Black Women in North Carolina Get No Media Attention, October 21, 2009, Newsweek

Well surprise, freakin’ surprise. So, according to the article, “Ten women have been found slain or have been declared missing in Rocky Mount, N.C. in recent years. But the rest of the country hasn’t heard about a possible serial killer stalking the young women in this Southern town of 60,000.” People are starting to question why. Perhaps because “they were all African-American, many were poor, and some had criminal histories including drug abuse and prostitution.” There’s also a multimedia piece on unsolved serial killings in LA. Check it out.

Girl Gang-Raped at High School Dance; People Participate, Some Watch and Yet No One Helps

10/30/2009
National, News, Staying Safe
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So, I’ve been holding off on posting this because I didn’t know quite what to say…I STILL don’t, but here goes. Apparently, last Saturday, a 15-year-old girl was gang raped by a group of guys animals for two and a half hours on the campus of Richmond High School in the Bay Area in California, while a homecoming dance was going on inside. There was plenty of security inside, along with parents and school officials, to make sure that there was no violence, at the dance, but none outside. The girl left the dance and was going to meet her father to go home when a male “friend” asked her to walk with him to another (secluded) part of the campus. There, they met a group of people who had been drinking. She was then robbed, beaten and brutally raped. And if that was not horrible enough, “As many as 10 people were involved in the assault in a dimly lighted back alley at the school, police have said, while another 10 people watched without calling 911 to report it.” Some put that number as high as 20. Some of the “bystanders” stopped to participate in the rape, and even recorded the brutal rape on their cell phones. WHAT?!

The girl was finally found, not because someone saw what was going on and called the police, but because “someone in the area who had overheard people at the assault scene talking about the incident,” called it in, according to police. How heartless can you be? Oh, and good luck prosecuting the “bystanders” though, as “A 1999 California law makes it illegal not to report a witnessed crime against a child, but the law applies only to cases in which the child is 14 or younger.” I am beyond disgusted.

According to the article, “three juveniles and two adults are in custody in the rape on Saturday, said the Richmond police spokesman, Lt. Mark Gagan. The three juveniles will be charged as adults, he said.” Police believe she knew at least one of her attackers. What is this world coming to? When our girls can’t even depend on decent people to help protect them? I mean, it’s sad that it has come to this, but we expect criminals to behave like animals. But we expect more of “decent” people, regular citizens, we have to, in order to believe that others will protect us when we can’t protect ourselves. Not necessarily get involved (because many won’t), but at least, call the police. I guess, “decent” people and criminals have one thing in common- you certainly can’t tell by just looking.

Sarah’s Story: Sentenced to Life as a Teen for Killing Pimp

10/23/2009
National, News
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So, this is a story that’s recently gained a lot of traction,  and that weighs very heavily on my heart. Sarah Kruzan is a young woman from California who grew up hard-  a mother on drugs who abused her. At 13, she met a man who forced her to prostitute herself sexually exploited her. At 16, she killed him. Sarah was sentanced to life in prison w/o the possibility of parole…plus four years. She’s now 29, this is her story.

In cases like these, we all wonder what we can do. Well, the first thing, I think, is to educate ourselves and share what we’ve learned. Two years ago, I went to a panel discussion hosted by the National Organization of Women (NOW) here in New York. They topic was “Mean Streets: NY Teens Caught in the Sex Trade,” and the panel was discussing the selling of children for sex, specifically in New York State (what it is, who it affects, and what we can do to help)

Here are some of the startling facts I learned there:

Fact: “Every year, thousands of kids, 85% of which are girls and 67% which are African American, end us as the victims of sexual exploitation in New York City.”

Fact: “Selling sex if a harsh reality for girls as young as 13 and 14, which is the average age of entry into prostitution in the Unites States.”

(no longer a) Fact: “Children under the age of 17 are not old enough to legally consent to sex, yet under current New York State law child runaways caught in prostitution are prosecuted.”

The panel was to raise awareness for  The Safe Harbor Act which would “treat sexually exploited youth as children in need of supervision and services,” (instead of criminals) and “create a range of specialized, community-based programs to help sexually exploited children reclaim their young lives and get them off the street permanently.” And after years of working to raise awareness, lobbying, rallying, speaking out, and testifying in Albany (by girls who themselves were formerly exploited), The Safe Harbor Act passed last year! It wasn’t an easy fight, but it happened because people worked to make it happen.

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One thing that will always stand out in my mind about that NOW panel was this advice- don’t call it “child prostitution,” because that makes it seem like the girls had a choice, or agency, in selling their bodies for sex. Instead, call it “child sexual exploitation,” because that is what it is- adult men exploiting children (who are the victims) sexually. From that point on, I have stopped saying “child prostitute,” and corrected others when they did. It may not seem like much (and it is really a very little thing), but changing the way people think about something is the first step to changing how it’s dealt with.

So when we read stories like that of Sarah Kruzan (and make no mistake about it, she is not the only youth who was sentenced to life in prison without any possibility of getting out), let’s think about what we can do. Learn about the issue, sign the petition (if you are so inclined), send a letter to your congressman,  friend the campaign on myspace.com, or facebook.com, but even more than that, tell somebody else. Start a dialogue in your home, with your friends, in your community. Get involved. It’s the only way to make change happen.

And if you, or someone you know is being sexually exploited, there are places you can go for help. Please check out G.E.M.S.,  a phenomenal organization here in NYC that’s making a real difference.

National News (10/12/09-10/18/09)

10/21/2009
National, News
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Teen Vogue Cover Controversy? 10/16/09, New York Daily News (NYDN)

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So, Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman, two young teen supermodels, are on the cover of Teen Vogue. Score 1 for Teen Vogue for putting teens of color on their cover, but that’s not the controversial part. Jourdan, 19, is also pregnant, although you can’t see her “baby bump” on the cover. Apparently, the magazine said they didn’t know she was pregnant when they shot the photos, but she talks about the pregnancy in the article. Hmmm….controversial? or made up ish? You decide. I call bs.

Ralph Lauren Fires Size 4 Model for Being Too-Fat, 10/15/09, NYDN

16108886 amd_lauren

So, we’re back to too-fat models again…or not skinny-enough models, I should say. This time, model Filippa Hamilton is claiming that Ralph Lauren cancelled her contract when she couldn’t fit into the clothes. She is 5-feet 10 and all of 120 pounds, a size 4. Then an ad shows up which was photoshopped to death, making the girl look bobblehead ridiculous. Many are concerned with the message this sends out to young girls.

Cross Burning and Lawsuits in Westchester 10/14/09, NYDN

Ok. So this one is a bit of a doozie…Timothy Montague-Artope was suspended for four months after hitting a girl who said racist things to him back in 2007. The girl, on the other hand, was suspended for about 5-10 days. Her older brother, Christopher Hudak, and his friends then burned a cross on Timothy’s yard. So Christopher went to jail for six months for that and went back last week for making threats against President Obama online. Now, Timothy’s family is suing the school district for not doing more to prevent what happened. Drama. Is this not 2009? People, please.

15-year-old Boy Burned in Florida, 10/13 and 15/09, Associated Press (AP)

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Michael Brewer, a 15-year-old Florida boy was set on fire by about 5 other teens and badly burned. He is in the hospital in serious condition. Apparently, “Michael Brewer was attacked at an apartment complex i in South Florida on Monday after turning in another teen for trying to steal his father’s bicycle, authorities said.” Check out the article for more details.

Halloween Costumes Too Sexy for (Pre) Teens? 10/12/09 NYDN

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Halloween is fast-approaching, and with it the “too-sexy costume” debates…Pre-teens and teens dressing too provocatively and sexily for their parents (and other concerned adults’) tastes…idk…what say you?

Miley Cyrus Leaves Twitter, 10/12/09, People Magazine

Miley Cyrus (actress, singer, phenom) quit twitter last week and wrote a rap about why. (Basically, she wants some more privacy in her private life). Can’t be mad at that. But I’m sure her fans/followers miss her. Do you, girlie.

“Yeah, the rumors are true, I deleted my Twitter. I had to say goodbye and this little rap is to tell my fans why,” People magazine quoted her as saying in the song. “I want my private life private. I’m living for me.”