When sports network ESPN announced its decision to award the coveted Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Caitlyn Jenner, social media was quick to respond. Many argued that Jenner, who won gold in the 1976 decathlon as Bruce Jenner, did not deserve the honor. Below, We’Ced youth reporters share their thoughts on the award and on Jenner’s decision to embrace her gender in public.
President Obama began his campaign for prison reform earlier in the month by commuting the sentences of 46 nonviolent drug offenders. Days later, he visited the El Reno federal prison outside Oklahoma City, the first sitting president ever to visit a federal penitentiary. After his visit, the president described the men he met at El Reno as “young people who made mistakes that aren’t that different from the mistakes I made.” Below, We’Ced youth journalists weigh in on the president’s decision to visit El Reno and his nascent efforts to reform the country’s criminal justice system.
The event, hosted by the Guadalupano Youth Society of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, was created to provide South Merced residents with information they may not access to otherwise.
“The Trafficked Life,” set in Bakersfield, shares the stories of survivors like Diana Cisneros, who was sex trafficked by her father beginning at the age of seven. The film gives viewers a glimpse of Bakersfield’s trafficking underworld and also highlights efforts by advocates who are combating the issue and offering services to victims.
Organizers and community members gathered in Merced on June 24th to pay homage to the nine African-American victims killed at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Organized in conjunction with Live Free Merced and Mt. Pisgah, the local AME church, the event brought together about 60 people.
My heart begins to pound as I enter the gym at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) on the outskirts of Chowchilla, about 20 miles south of Merced. Within moments memories of my own time behind bars flood my mind.
We’Ced youth journalists recently spent time discussing the massacre at the Emanuel African African Methodist Episcopalian Church in downtown Charleston, which had a white shooter killing nine African-Americans. Many We’Ced members expressed outrage at the actions of the shooter, but the conversation soon began to circle around another issue: gun control. The tragic violence of this incident rekindled questions about how we regulate guns and guns access in our country.
My celebration of the Supreme Court decision comes with the knowledge that the new law is not a cure-all. I'm happy that America has recognized that everyone deserves to be with person they love without limitations, but I will not stop pushing for full equity in my community. This fight is far from over.
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