Assignment 1: Read pages 1 - 61 in the text! Write a response to the 1st 61 pages with this prompt: What is Crenshaw High School like in comparision to Mililani High School? You may write in terms of the community, the layout/enviornment of the school, and the students/faculty/teachers? This needs to be at least 300 words. You may use quotes from the text to support you





The absurdity that takes place every day at Los Angeles’s local High school, Crenshaw will mostly start to begin at Mililani High School when pigs fly. The daily lives that they lead are insane compared to those of the middle class children who attend Mililani High School. On a typical day, a Mililani student will wake up eat breakfast, jam it to school, live a dragged out schedule of classes, then go home and study, and probably only thinks about their wonderful opportunities once in a blue moon. Now comparing that to a student that attends Crenshaw, we will have a whole different view of a school day.
For example take a look at Olivia. She is a sweet, outgoing and independent foster care child. Already at the age of seven she was being beaten by her mother daily. The struggle she faced to run away, attend court (where her mother said she didn’t want her), and then be placed in a home with children that she had nothing in common with, other than the fact that they have no home, would be a challenge enough, yet she managed to stay on top of her school work which eventually placed her in GT courses. “The gifted magnet program, however, was a refuge for Olivia, and she immediately felt comfortable in the program. She met many other students, who like her, had wretched childhoods, yet had managed to stay focused on school and retain a love of learning.” (Pg. 12) Olivia is a miracle child who also works, drives illegally to get from place to place, takes rigorous classes, while living in a care home where things are constantly stolen from her. Nothing seems to defeat her. At Mililani High school, we are very lucky. We do not live in a tormented world, like the one Olivia sees every morning that she wakes up.
In the community there are many gangs who create violence with each other, over whose territory is what, and who holds a greater power. Many youngsters are pulled into these unfortunate groups in order to protect themselves from other groups. The lives that these people face are so outrageous, that every time they step out of their home, there is no security of them returning. At any second they could be shot by a drive by or they could get put in a situation that risks the lives of their forever. Sadikifu, a bright intelligent student at Crenshaw High School faces these issues everyday because he is a gang banger too. But he is different than all the rest, he has a future. He comes from a broken family, where his father left him and his mother, a mother who has dealt drugs. Sadi as many call him begins to change his life, when his best friend Chaos is killed on the street, while he is registering for AP and gifted classes. He begins to write poetry about his family and his neighborhood… “Tell me why. Why my dad and uncle were strung out on crack… that’s why I have to grow up strong and black I can’t let nothing hold me back. Tell me why where emancipated, but still segregated and hated.” (Pg. 37)

Many of my fellow classmates along with myself would probably not be able to handle living in this sort of community. Mililani is a very friendly town, both loving and supporting of its children. Growing up we have always been fortunate enough to play outside at our local park till it got dark, I don’t think that has even been an option for the children of Los Angeles. We have always been taught to set goals, and to strive to achieve them. Can you imagine what it’s like to not be able to dream? To not know if you were going to be alive or dead tomorrow? I sure can’t. All I know is by reading “And Still We Rise” I am grateful once again for all the things that I have been blessed with in my life. Mililani Town does have children that come from broken families and homes which are saddening, yet we all have the chance to be great because our community is like a family very willing to help take care of each other. This book helps reminds other people, such as the students of Mililani, that anything is possible no matter what the circumstances, as long as you are willing to work at whatever it is, that’s important to you.