Letter To My Representative

The Honorable Michael E. Capuano
Office of Congressman Michael E. Capuano

1414 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515


Dear Representative Capuano,

   Teenage years are the most important years of your life and help shape the way for your success in dealings with the real world, but the majority of 13-19 year olds living in the urban neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts find themselves dealing with multiple hardships and it can sometimes sway them into a negative direction. The biggest problem with this is that it all sprouts into Gang, Gun and Drug violence in our community , plenty of people that I know have suffered loss of family and friends to pointless violence and it causes them dissuasion and the point of questioning themselves in today’s society.

“Why strive for the best when I’m just going to end up like the rest of the people in this neighborhood?” 

  As sad as that sounds many of the young adults living in Boston have this view on life and because of it they will end up joining gangs or acting out in anger which is a subliminal cry for help.  Wanting to be apart of something and the desire for acceptance usually helps create this behavior. During my high school career I was apart of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps  [JROTC] Program, it was an extra curricular activity that I took pride in and it really taught me a lot about myself and others. Current Friends I have met from this program inspired me to develop such a passion for this issue in our city, most of had lost family members and back to back in the same year due to violence and I would always question myself on how they are staying so strong coping with the tragedies. When asking them I would always get, “because we love the JROTC program and it motivates us to become better citizens”.

   The main issue is, we need more funding for extra curricular activities for students, additional time spent in self development and sports versus roaming the streets with nothing to do looking for trouble really balances out the good that can come out of this generation.  I know I had way too much free time on my hands so I found a job, but not everyone have the opportunity like I did, so in the Boston public ,and charter schools I feel that advising counselors should ensure that all students are using their free time efficiently rather than putting it to waste.

  As a service project for “Be The Change” a civic engagement campaign conducted by my professor, I went back to my high school JROTC program and helped with this years drill team and helped recruit more kids to help the team and themselves, I really wasn’t expecting to get such satisfaction out of assisting others but it really made me feel that I was making a change in someone life, the team ended up winning 2nd place in the north east division this past weekend, and it is just proof that you can put individuals together from all different races, genders and living environments but still have some sort of success come out of it.

I am not trying to change the world, but I feel that it is my responsibility as a young adult in such a beautifully diverse city to at least try to help and speed up the process.

Sincerely,

Julius Jones

*1 O*kn*y Rd,
B*ight*n, MA 02135

Steady Progress..

After revising the letter over and over again it actually inspired me to change the person i would be sending it
i really felt uncomfortable writing to chuck turner because i was very iffy, about the bad publicity that he has been receiving
lately, so i ended up choosing representative Mike Capuano of District 8, one of the most violent Districts in Massachusetts


PS.. My Project is coming together great im putting together an awesome slide show and putting in the cadet quotes on how they
have benefited from it and keeping away from Boston's violence

They Did It :D

2 First Place Trophies and 1 2nd Place

 Shows proof that no matter what communities you bring people from if you put them all together we all have the ability to act as one and make a difference

--this is the ultimate progress i feel like i could have made toward to the team i have alot more pictures and videos of the cadets explaining how jrotc made them better citizens and motivates them to make change in the world to my slide show,

Congratulations Julius, Your Actually Multitasking...

Okay so this has been a really lame week for me because i have so work and tests to study for but i am still managing to do my service project right, im currents wrapping up practices with the drill team and we are ready to go to the competition saturday hopefully the team will place so i wont look like a complete dud in class during this presentation


i will be putting together a collage of photos from Before and After how the teams came along to illustrate the progress that they are showing , and hopefully a photo will a big ole trophy..but we shall see Saturday >;(

other than that everything and my scheduling is doing just fine

Dear ____________,

For our written letters to legislators i will be writing city councilor Chuck Turner, despite the recent shade that has been brought to him with this whole bribe scandal chuck has really helped the urban community of Boston, with the increasing gun violence and deaths i hope that my letter will help chuck stay motivated to continue his running in office and help fight towards decreasing the negativity taking over our city

Relating To My Project

HOW TO: Promote Peace Within Yourself And Your Community

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mallika-chopra/how-to-promote-peace-with_b_772135.html

                   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7LqCDAQOQ&feature=player_embedded#!



I believe that self motivation is the key to refraining from being sucked into bad groups and being influenced by negative individuals, if everyone was there own person and set their own goals our society would/could be so much better, watch the video its really inspiring 

Blueprint

My project will be a collage of pictures and videos from the JROTC drill team competitions and an actual trophy brought in to present how a team of inner-city kids can still manage to be the BEST , im anticipating working with the cadets again because i know that their drive to win and become better is at a maximum this year , i am going to need to obtain a command list from my army instructor and the roster list of cadets that are on the team

i will try to get city councilor mark ciommo of  Brighton involved in this project for funding , i used to intern for him and we developed a very close relationship hopefully he will be able to fund the team for new rifles or more uniforms 

My Issue, My Tactics

The issue that I am going to be tackling is the lack of resources to keep our inner city youth in destroying their lives and the other lives of many families that have loss in gang related violence and delinquency


The problem is that I believe there are not enough after school programs and extra curricular activities that keep teenagers interested in wanting to make their lives better and disciplining them to want more in life


What’s at stake is that there and simply kids that are not contributing to the successful minorities in America , if everyone was able to find their niche and make themselves believe n themselves then we’ll just watch today’s youth fall into the cracks, one of the kids out there killing and robbing getting a record, could possibly be apart of the team to find a cure for cancer, or be the politician that  could help get America in to a better state

It matters to be because I have lost a lot of friends and seen friends lose loved ones to violence and it needs to stop

And it ends up effecting other friends of victims and family members and sometimes discouraging the people around the victim and causing them so go into the same path that their friend or family member was in and it creates a pattern that just doesn’t help our society at all

My solution for this problem is to help play a part in helping kids from urban areas stay after school and participate in a school team or sport, I have spoken to my old army instructor from my ROTC high school  program and we have planned out this years drill team season, being an alumni cadet I know a lot of the underclassman who participated in the team were from urban areas from Massachusetts that are gang-ridden and are exposed to violence, and encouraging them to not be with the bad crowds and actually help themselves

I know I can change the world but I think giving back to the program that helped me motivate myself  could make a difference to someone

Civic Engagement Oppourtunity

This past week i realized that my " Be The Change " project is going to be about (At Risk Boston Students) who need extra curricular activities to  keep themselves occupied while participating in self Construction rather than carrying on the violence and delinquency in Boston massachussettes


An opportunity i came across was the Brighton High School JROTC drill team, JROTC is a program in high school to motivate young people to become better citizens and graduate high school, as a former cadet i would know first hand how self improving this program is, the Drill team is one of the school extra curriculars that help students stay after and actually learn techniques that could help them , i was apart of the Unarmed Exhibition Team which placed 1st in the North Eastern Brigade and most of the cadets on that team were from urban parts of boston were gun violence and death was of a common sort, i believe that helping with this years drill team and making sure that the cadets stay commited could actually help them improve themselves, and possibly motives their friends and friends of their friends to become more active on a school team, i am not trying to save the city, just help make it a little better

--JJ

A quick run through

Ever though of how a a bike was put together?, well you need wheels, a chair, pedals the frame, and seat, every part of the bike is needed for it to be able to work out, that is just like democracy, and public offices in America, there are parts, people and maneuvers you need to perform to get the process going. you are governed by a bunch of people, from city counciliors>City representatives>Mayors>Senators>Governers>Congress Members>VP>Commander in chief
thats basically the chain of command , any congress member can propose a law by handing it to someone in the house or to the hoppper  the billl is then assigned a number and labeled with a sponsors name then is sent to the GPO then sent to the committee and they approve  or disapprove it at the hearing "we,the people" is so important in this country because we ARE the key to democracy and that is what we are based on

So I'm Registered To Vote...

I registered to vote @ Rockthevote.com, it literally took like 5 minutes, all you need is a Mass ID, pen, envelope and stamp, in the morning im going to mail it to the elections division, i honestly feel a little bit more mature now that i am going to be able to vote, it makes me want to get more involved in politics, this is really important to me because not only am i of legal age in the US but im also able to contribute to the fundamentals of exercises of democracy.

and yes, im a leo :) best star sign everrrrr

Polar Poltics...

                Today I attending the gubernatorial debate hosted by BHCC, I was only able to stay for 2 candidates but I have to admit it was a very interesting event to attend, it was crowded, I also ran into one of my classmates from my college writing class, which was pretty refreshing even though I forgot her name, she is still one of my favorite in that class because she wrote the amazing love story about our sneakers…..erm..well not to get off topic, the hall were the debate was held feeling like deep freezer, way too cold in there and this lady next to me kept rocking back and forth, I was getting a little scared because me having to save her life and everyone applauding me for it would just trigger my social anxiety..and that’s not good…but the arctic breezes soon faded away because the rapid questions on economy, health-care, and Massachusetts deficits heated up the room, the first candidate to show off his “Stuff” was Charlie Cahill, he sort of rubbed me the wrong way because he seemed to be more of a pretty boy with jokes rather than a politician, but everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, im not going to go in depth of his stance on certain issues, but when asked by the panel “what is your solution for grad students who cant find jobs?” his response, “Come Work For My Campaign!” (-_-)….seriously? I’m all set with that, I wasn‘t laughing. The second and final candidate that I was able to see was the lovely she is representing the Green/Rainbow party which means pigs will fly if she wins this election , but I still like her,  she was  unsure of herself  while speaking, but always seems to  get her point across and pull people into her beliefs and that’s one of the reasons I support her so much, because I feel like im the exact way when it comes to persuasion,  Jill tackled a few questions about her base thoughts on making the world more green/ increasing jobs in greenspace and carpentry and everyone near me seemed pleased with her answers as I was , I feel that her peak in her discussion was when she said “we need to help the people are at the bottom and stop rewarded those already at the top”, that was such a strong way of acknowledging the obvious treatment and well being of the “less-economically comfortable” people of Massachusetts. Shortly before her discussion ended I had to leave for my next class, but I really enjoyed this debate because and am excited for voting in November

I can't change the world but i can TRY to make it better

Im still undecided about what my topic will be because i heard a lot of really good ideas in class today and if anything it my choice harder, i didn't know most of you all shared the same views as me on certain issues. ill come back to this..



---a complete curve ball from what i mentions as my 2 choices in class today, i think im leaning towards teen suicide prevention, but yea ill definitely come back to this 

I, Too, Sing America

 

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides, 
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

The reason i picked this poem is because Langston Hughes is one of my favorite poets, and im not that "into" poetry, since this week we are covering black civil rights movement, i thought it was pretty unique that this poem was apart of the primary sources because it dosent really have ALOT to do with the black rights, it speaks about the light skinned--darker skinned, tension that has been  going  on between the african american race since the years of slavery, to make a long story short the light skinned black people were treated better than the darker skinned because they were closer to the white complexion, and because of that theres been theory that the light skinned black people thought they were better and had a high rank is society,

"I, too, sing America.I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,"


this is perfect because it tells a story in 3 stanzas, yet is still emotionally felt in the poem

"Then.Besides,They'll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed--I, too, am America."

this was a very unique way to end the poem because it still emphasizes the irony of hope and confidence which is two of the main keys that helped to proceed progression in the equal rights for blacks in America

In Response To "What You Hear" Blog

Socrates Wrote

The primary source I chose was "Respect" by the diva Aretha Franklin. This song was written in 1965 but became a hit when Aretha redid it in 1967. I think the song is amazing, probably one of the best r&b songs ever made. The message was so strong and so correct. If that's your women and she's doing all this that for you, you do owe her if not anything some respect so I think this song hit it right on the mark. I think her tone in the song is a little bit demanding but that shows you the way she's feeling 

I completely agree with everything written in this post, even thought the song came out before i was even a twinkle in an eye i feel that it is one of the most empowering songs for women that was to ever be released, and its probably one of the best reads for the week on "Feminism" because it shades a positive light on the woman's movement for equality

-JJ

Why So Sensitive?

Now I'm one for the strong independent female but geesh....

  >>BARBAROUS RITUALS: 84 Ways To Feminize Humans<<

because just the title alone seemed to amuse me.. and let me tell you..... it sure did, this text mainly shows the progress of a  the female gender that is born and goes through issues, hits toddler years develops more issues, goes through puberty, takes a nose dive at life, and gets off the stop called adulthood, were leading up to the mid life crisis only seems like a slap on the wrist , this article over emphasizes the pains of being a woman in this lifetime and i think its a bit overdone..i mean not saying that men have worst experiences than women..we dont have to pop a living being out of our body [and i totally respect that you guys do that !!] BUT this article makes women seem weak..sensitive and just over all grouches..and i believe that this is not true..its very funny and over exaggerated but way off.. i have plenty of female friends and they DO NOT act like this, or show these emotions towards situations like these...or at least they have a good job hiding it,

being secretly afraid that you'll lose your virginity to a tampon, but being too ashamed to ask anyone about it.

I though this quote was hilarious i almost dropped my laptop laughing so hard because during middle school when i would hear adolescent girls talking about tampons i thought they were some sort of hair clip..little did i know they were beginning their journey to womanhood,

my over all feeling towards this "diary of a mad frustrated and confident woman" text if you may, i truly believe that a woman can do what ever a man can to mentally and physically, we are all  equals i just think that woman  should get more respect because they create us, nurture us and give us reason to feel envied because sadly  they end up "being tagged with a pink beaded bracelet thirty seconds after you are born, and wrapped in pink blankets five minutes thereafter" everyone knows blue is SOOOOO much betterrrrrrrrr

ha


-- (JJ)

Disrespectful Or Progressive??

>>Ground Zero Islamic Community Cente -Huffington Post<<

Alot of tension has been sparked between 9/11 victims surviving family members and people of Muslim  religion the discussion is of the accused "disrespect" of the proposal of the community center for Muslim youth to be built a few blocks away from the ground zero disaster sight , though the attacks happens 9 years ago there is still extreme strain between Americans and Muslims and subliminal prejudices aimed toward the race, and i feel that since individuals of that race committed the attacks almost a decade ago that Americans should try and mend the wound and embrace a community center for the Muslims.......then again i also think to myself that  i can sense what the people protesting this center are feeling..a [slap in the face] is what most are calling it..a poster that i seen from one of the protesters holding made a point..but also made me feel like bigotry is also a motive in the view of a person not wanting this mosque to be built...i feel like i would have to make an update to this post and research more about this topic though... --JJ

Hmm... (-_-)

Where would be without an oppinion?

Amendment I

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances"

My name is Julius Jones, and  i feel that freedom of speech is one of the most important rights that we have in our country, if i wasn't able to expressing my feelings on a certain topic there wouldn't really be any reason to exist on this planet, id be no more important than a vegetable growing in a garden...the way the American government if configured is very complex compared to other countries where religion and gender could put you on a lower level on the human ladder, America expresses that we are all equals, we have come a very long way, civil rights, women's rights , movements ect.. and we still are pushing for more equality but i do believe that having freedom of speech is the doorway that helps us push for more barriers of prejudice to be broken down