First person: Does my Watts neighborhood want me to get pregnant?

March 18, 2014 By Leave a Comment


A college student asks why she gets so little support compared with young women who have children

Shanice Joseph and her mother

Shanice Joseph and her mother

If I were to get pregnant, I would know just where to go for help: the local offices of Women, Infants, and Children, the federally funded food and nutrition program; Planned Parenthood; and the Family Resource Center. All three are places where I stood in line for hours with my siblings as a child growing up in Watts. But finding local resources to pursue higher education is harder. As one of the few community college students living in Watts, I can’t find a place to print out an essay or get college-related advice.

When I ran into a friend who grew up in the same low-income housing development as I did, she said there was an easier way than to struggle through college. “You should get pregnant,” she told me. “Girl, the government will take care of you, trust me.”

I didn’t think much of her idea. But she was right about one thing: In my community, there are many resources for young parents, and barely any for college students. Just on my own block, I recently counted a total of five programs for mothers my age or younger.

Click to hear Shanice Joseph give an “audio intro” to her neighborhood, produced with Kerstin Zilm.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Featured Story, Reporter Corps Tagged With: , , , , ,

First person: Why I should get in-state tuition as an undocumented student

March 5, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Obama offered me protection from deportation and the chance to get a job — But what about my education?

My Graduation

Miguel pictured with family at his high school graduation in June 2012

I am told I crossed the border to the United States when I was 2 years old, sitting in the back of a car. But my earliest memories are of South Los Angeles — of my parents staying up until midnight and then waking up every weekday and on Saturdays at 3:00 a.m. to check on the tamales and boil water mixed with maizena, blocks of chocolate and cinnamon, for champurrado, a traditional Mexican corn-based drink. My dad would load his yellow vendor tricycle with a huge olla , or pot, of tamales, utensils, and the freshly made champurrado. My mom would fill a grocery cart with the prepared foods, which she would push as she walked my sister and me to elementary school.

That changed the fall of my senior year in high school. My parents told me they were moving because they feared for their lives. They had reported to the police that a gang member was extorting money from them. When the gang member found out, he threatened to kill them. My parents wanted me to move with them, but I chose to stay to finish high school because I believed there were more opportunities for me in California as an undocumented student. The day before I sat for the SAT, I said goodbye to my younger siblings and my parents.  My father started to cry when I hugged him; I think that was the first time I saw him cry — and it made me cry. I then entered my house alone and lay on my bed until I fell asleep. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Featured, Featured Story, Immigration, Opinion, Politics, Reporter Corps, South Central LA Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Reporter Corps on KPCC: Touring South LA’s Manchester Square

January 30, 2014 By Leave a Comment


"Touring Manchester Square" | Skylar Endsley Myers

“Touring Manchester Square” | Skylar Endsley Myers

Public radio station KPCC teamed with Intersections this week to present “Touring South LA’s Manchester Square,” an audio slideshow by Skylar Endsley Myers about the neighborhood where she grew up. Myers created the project as part of Reporter Corps South LA, our program that trains young adults to cover their South LA communities using multimedia journalism. KPCC will broadcast and publish online more Reporter Corps “neighborhood tours” over the coming months.

Check out the piece on KPCC’s Take Two page. And thanks, Curbed L.A., for the shout-out.

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Filed Under: Neighborhoods, Reporter Corps Tagged With: , ,

First person: Thanksgiving without turkey?

November 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment


A turkey drumstick for Thanksgiving. | Flickr/ D. Sharon Pruitt

A turkey drumstick for Thanksgiving. | Flickr/ D. Sharon Pruitt

As our family ate tacos and cupcakes on the occasion of my grandmother’s 65th birthday last week, my four-year-old brother Bryce—the youngest of the seven of us, four of whom were present—asked her, “Nana, what are we doing for Thanksgiving?”

He had a huge smile on his face while he waited for an answer, but my grandmother, with whom I live in Watts, and my mother and I all looked down in shame. No one wanted to be the one to tell him that we didn’t have anything planned for Thanksgiving. Or that we weren’t certain whether we would be able to come up with something.

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day of appreciation and celebration. If nothing else, it’s the one day out of the year when my entire family gets together at my grandmother’s house.  Normally, I work nights at LAX and go to school during the day at Long Beach City College, where I study sociology. Thanksgiving is a day off. My six siblings come over from my mom’s place in Lomita. Other relatives from far and wide make a point of getting back, despite how busy they are. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Featured Story, Food, Reporter Corps, Watts Tagged With: , , ,

My neighborhood: Central Alameda

November 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment


Participants in Reporter Corps, a USC Annenberg program to train young adults from South LA to report on their own communities, created audiovisual introductions to their neighborhoods this summer. Miguel Molina’s  project focuses on areas for community gathering, drugs, and graffiti.

Miguel Molina, 19, Big Picture Film and Theater Arts Charter School, East Los Angeles College student, speaks Spanish

My family emigrated from Guerrero, Mexico when I was 2 years old. I lived in South Los Angeles for most of my life. My grandparents taught my father to make tamales and they sold them for 16 years in South Los Angeles. Growing up, my mom didn’t like for me to go outside and play because she thought the neighborhood was too dangerous. Although I did witness a shooting once, I never saw South Los Angeles through my mom’s eyes. For me, my neighborhood wasn’t bad. For me it was filled with families and people that liked to go outside and play in the park and enjoy themselves. I want to explore afterschool programs in South L.A., because I didn’t see many growing up, nor did it seem to be an issue people were aware of. I am passionate about writing, helping my community, and immigration reform. Through Reporter Corps I hope to be able to inspire my community involved in trying to pass immigration reform this year. I also want to engage my community in education and youth issues. I believe that writing can empower my community and bring positive changes.

Filed Under: Community, Reporter Corps, South Central LA, Your Story

My Neighborhood: Martin Luther King & Western

October 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment


Participants in Reporter Corps, a USC Annenberg program to train young adults from South LA to report on their own communities, created audiovisual introductions to their neighborhoods this summer. Mario Narciso speaks with his neighbors about parks, safety, and community. 

IMG_3105-333x250Mario Narciso 18, Foshay High School graduate, University of California at Riverside incoming freshman, speaks Spanish and Zapotec  

I am from a large, proud family from Oaxaca, Mexico. In their town most speak an indigenous language, Zapotec, as well as some Spanish. In 1989 my parents left Mexico in search of work and moved to South L.A., where I was born. As a participant in Reporter Corps I am interested in focusing on two issues: special education and perceptions of Latino and black youth. I was in special ed for three years and if my father had not helped me leave, I may have been stuck in it. I would also like to also show the positive and the untold stories of the “wild jungles” of L.A. Attending Reporter Corps will allow me to gain more experience in journalism and to help me understand about my major when I attend UC Riverside.

Filed Under: Community, Crime, King Estates, Neighborhood, Public Safety, Reporter Corps, Uncategorized

My neighborhood: Manchester Square

October 21, 2013 By 1 Comment


Participants in Reporter Corps, a USC Annenberg program to train young adults from South LA to report on their own communities, created audiovisual introductions to their neighborhoods this summer. Skylar E Myers project focuses on history, poverty, and love. 

Skylar Endsley Myers, 23, Saint Bernard Catholic High School graduate, University of California San Diego graduate 

My family has lived in South Los Angeles for nearly three generations. My grandparents remember the treachery of the Watts Riots of 1965 just as vividly as they can recall their first time witnessing the genre-bending genius of George Clinton & the Funkadelics at a house party in Compton. And let me tell you their words are unlike anything you’d read in a history book. In the midst of gang wars, riots, and disparity my grandparents would tell me these stories and they’ve worked to instill me with pride, hope, and dignity throughout my life. I always assumed they told me these stories as a reminder that we’ve been here before and we’ve made it through and we have the power to get through it again. For this reason I feel storytelling is important, especially for the improvement of the community. Stories are records of what has happened in the past to form both who you are and how you’ll behave in the future. Through Reporters Corps South LA, I hope to bring light and voice to the overshadowed stories of the streets, the people, and the schools in hopes of instilling all South Central Angelinos with the same pride, hope, dignity and attachment I feel for this city.

To read about Skylar’s experiences growing up in South Central click here.

Filed Under: Community, Homelessness, Inglewood, Neighborhood, Reporter Corps, South Central LA Tagged With: , , ,

Growing up queer in Watts: What happens when school is still not a safe place

October 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment


 

Watts Towers | Photo taken by Xochil Frausto

Watts Towers | Photo taken by Xochil Frausto

Discovering my sexual orientation in a violent, poverty-stricken environment was not easy. I remember the first time someone called me a “dyke” at Markham Middle School.  At that time I was a punk rocker, wearing ripped jeans and men’s shirts. I didn’t yet consider myself queer — or even really know what that meant — but I was already aware of homophobia. Not until junior year of high school did I begin to explore my identity. Jordan High was reflective of the area that I lived: It was dangerous. Race riots broke out between Latinos and Black students, and students were not welcoming of gays. I did not feel that teachers, administrators or counselors could support me. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Featured Story, Neighborhood, Reporter Corps, South Central LA, Watts Tagged With: , , , , ,

My Neighborhood: Watts

October 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment


Participants in Reporter Corps, a USC Annenberg program to train young adults from South LA to report on their own communities, created audiovisual introductions to their neighborhoods this summer. Xochil Frausto and Shanice Joseph take us on a trip through Watts and speak with residents about safety, pride, and history. 

Xochil Frausto, 23, Jordan High School graduate

My parents emigrated from Baja, Mexico to Watts in the mid-1970s to realize the “American Dream.” But Watts was not how they had imagined America. Growing up I saw the cyclical reality of poverty, drug abuse and gang warfare. Walking to school I would see bodies, blood and altars. Although these circumstances brought many hardships in my life, I also feel fortunate to have grown up in a place that is so unique — from its historical role in the Black power movement, to the arts, to the cultural mixture of Blacks and Latinos. But Watts is too often voiceless. I want to share the stories of my neighborhood and bring forward a renewed perspective of South Los Angeles — issues that pertain to the immigrant community, gentrification, foreclosures and the Black community, and LGBT issues. I actively try to contribute to Watts whether through community organizing or through sharing my story of growing up in South L.A. I am also working to earn my degree in photography, and I write fiction and poetry about growing up Chicana.

Read about Xochil’s experience growing up Queer in Watts here.

 

Filed Under: Community, Culture, Neighborhoods, Reporter Corps, South Central LA, Watts

My Neighborhood: Baldwin Hills

October 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment


Participants in Reporter Corps, a USC Annenberg program to train young adults from South LA to report on their own communities, created audiovisual introductions to their neighborhoods this summer. Ryan Johnson takes us to where she grew up, Baldwin Hills, and talks with residents about problems with schools, diversity, and transportation challenges.

Ryan Johnson, 19, Immaculate Heart graduate, Loyola Marymount University student 

Three generations of my family have lived in South Los Angeles, and I have lived in the Baldwin Hills section my entire life. Although that area of South L.A. has gained the reputation of being a predominantly middle-class, African-American neighborhood and is often referred to as “the black Beverly Hills,” that is not the whole story. Not all of Baldwin Hills is wealthy, and the media neglects covering the poverty and lack of resources that also exist. While living in my neighborhood, I have always felt that I needed to travel to other parts of L.A. to gain better resources, an education, and entertainment. Unfortunately, my neighborhood has never felt safe enough to walk to various places in comparison to other regions of L.A. I have attended school both in my immediate community as well as in the greater Los Angeles area. As a result of the positive and negative experiences I’ve had in my neighborhood, I have always been interested in learning the ways in which I can give back and improve conditions in the southern Los Angeles region.  I am a sociology major at Loyola Marymount University and I had the privilege of taking a community organizing course this past semester.

 

Filed Under: Baldwin Hills, Community, Neighborhood, Neighborhoods, Reporter Corps
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