Never did I ever believe we’d be in this situation again. But bigotry has made a stronger comeback than before, rising up and reclaiming all the progress we’ve made. It tries to put us “back into our place.”

I remember waking up on November 9, 2016. My eyes were puffy from the night before. I had cried myself to sleep. I was tired and frustrated and scared. I remember hoping to wake up to miracle; I believed everyone would come to their senses.

But I was wrong.

I woke up to only find that hate is greater than common sense. It’s greater than change and it’s greater than love. My heart had fallen to my stomach and my entire body felt heavy. I couldn’t think and trying to think made everything worse. My whole spirit was broken and I felt destroyed. I couldn’t breathe. I was too choked up with tears that breathing didn’t seem as important as crying.

At school, no one stood or said the pledge of allegiance that day or days after. We all had the same question, should we pledge our allegiance to a flag or to a country that couldn’t even do the same for us? A country that broke treaties time and time again and continues to enforce years of colonization, ignorance, hatred, and fear in almost everything we do, could we pledge allegiance to that? Without any hesitation, our immediate answer was, “No.” This country can’t give us the loyalty it so rudely asks for so we don’t owe it any.

We were all shocked, some of us completely broken. I had countless friends come up to me in tears, in fear for themselves and their parents because of their documentation status. Teachers were quiet. Students were silent. We didn’t do much that day; everything was heavy.

It’s been almost two months since that awful day. And now tomorrow, hate and fear will take on the role of president. The sad part is that hate and fear aren’t new parts of our country; this country was built on hate and fear. But I think this time is different. I think this is an attack on change. It’s an attack on a black president. It’s an attack on the change any minority has ever made and that is why I am in pain.

See, I knew my country hated me, but this much?

But despite all the pain I’ve felt for the past months, and even now, the fight for our liberation will go on.

¡Mi gente, somos fuerte!

We are valid and strong. We are the roses that grew from concrete.

Fight. Heal. Revolt. Survive. Decolonize.

Mi gente, how I care and love you. We have passion in our soul, from the food we eat, to the way we walk with music in our feet. We are the seeds of resistance and we will plant them for the rest of our lives. We create movements with just one flick of our fingers.

We will thrive like our ancestors intended us to.

Our existence is resistance.

We are valid. Our feelings are valid.
We exist. We are powerful.
We are here to stay.

– Chicahua

*Because the author is underage, Coachella Unincorporated asked that a pseudonym be used.

“Today was my last day in Iowa campaigning with Mikva Challenge students. Although I had a lot of fun, I am ready to go home.

This morning, I woke up with my roommates one last time, and I said my goodbyes. I will miss all the people I have met, and I hope I get to see them again some day.

After breakfast, I headed off to my last activity at Drake University. I had the opportunity to listen to speakers who discussed their time in politics. I enjoyed asking the speakers questions about their life experiences and how they got involved in politics.

As all of us students prepared to leave, I thought about how everyone was heading back to their homes with  a lot more knowledge than we all arrived with. I had no idea that the political life was so complicated and time consuming. Candidates have to do everything possible to earn people’s votes. One of our speakers at Drake University said that when he was campaigning for himself, he knocked on thousands of doors so he could speak to people face-to-face. I found his story extremely impressive, especially considering the weather here in Iowa is freezing!

It’s almost time for us to drive to the airport. I know I will miss Iowa, especially the people I met during my time here. I have never done anything like this before, but meeting so many new people really helped open me up to the rest of the country. I’m glad I had the opportunity to learn more about politics and to witness presidential campaigns up close. I want to challenge other young people to be actively involved in the political process.

One thing I learned from talking with other Mikva youth was that education and funding for education is such an important issue. I have always known education is an important issue in my community of Coachella, but I learned a lot about how education is also important in communities across the county.

The phone calls, the canvasing, the selfies and the van rides were the best experiences for me. I am now inspired to go out and meet many more new people because I know I can learn more about life. This was an amazing  experience for me,  and I will never forget it.”

— Naomi Carrion

About the author:

Naomi Carrion is a senior at Nova Academy in Coachella, Calif. Naomi joined Coachella Uninc. this fall as an apprentice and she is excited to make a difference in her community through her writing. Naomi also enjoys art and math. She hopes to attend college next year to major in math. View Naomi’s author page here.

“Today was an extremely busy day. I woke up at 6:00 am, ate breakfast and headed to Senator Marco Rubio’s rally. When Senator Rubio arrived at the rally, everyone stood up and clapped like crazy. After his speech, he allowed audience members to ask questions then everyone surrounded Rubio to take photos and speak with the presidential candidate. I was lucky enough to get a selfie with Rubio before heading to his office to make phone calls.

Today, I also had the opportunity to walk around a Des Moines neighborhood and ask people about their opinion on Senator Marco Rubio. Part of my job was to report people’s answers to the campaign office through a phone app. The temperature was freezing outside! I was about 10 degrees but I survived! My door-knocking experience was fun, and people were kind even if they were not Rubio supporters.

After campaigning, I had the opportunity to visit a museum and learn more about the Iowa caucus. Everything was so exciting, but my day wasn’t over yet. I also had the opportunity to visit Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign office. It was nice to get a view of a Democrat’s office. After I visited Sanders’ office, our whole group traveled to Drake University to meet up with all the Mikva Challenge students for Youth Issues Summit.

During the Youth Issues Summit, all us Mikva youth formed groups where we were asked to give a presentation on different issues; my group’s issue was education. My group and I created at stop motion video to illustrate important education issues. It made me think of how important education is here in Iowa and also back home in the eastern Coachella Valley.

Today was such a busy day but I enjoyed every minute of it. Working as a team with other youth from across the country was my favorite part of the day because I saw how we could all work together even though we didn’t really know each other. Goodnight!”

— Naomi Carrion

“I started this morning by attending Senator Marco Rubio’s rally. I was eager to hear him speak on immigration. Immigration is such an important issue in the eastern Coachella Valley. Listening to him speak about his plan for immigration reform reminded my of people back home who are very concerned about what will happen when President Obama leaves office. I felt like this was my chance to get as much information about his policy so I can help people inform people back home.

After Rubio’s rally, I traveled back to Senator Ted Cruz’s campaign office. At the office, I again more phone calls to potential Cruz supporters. While at the campaign office, I got to participate in a barbeque where I listened to Cruz supporters speak about their grass root efforts in Iowa. While these Iowans were speaking, I thought about how much they reminded me of my neighbors in Coachella. It seems like these people really want to work with their neighbors to fix issues and find common ground.

Later in the day I toured Senator Bernie Sanders’ office and then I had a chance to attend a rally for Hillary Clinton. I was able to hear President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton speak on behalf of Hillary. I was a great opportunity to see how campaigns operate from both political parties. After the rallies, I headed to Drake University for a Youth Issues Summit.

At the summit, I participated in the group presenting on education. My team and I said that issues in Iowa, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Coachella can’t be solved if people don’t have access to a proper education.

After the summit, we all returned to our hotel to rest. After two and a half days of activity in Iowa, it’s almost time to say goodbye and pack up to go home.”

— Karla Martinez

About the authors: 

Karla Martinez has been a youth reporter with Coachella Unincorporated for two years, where she has produced numerous articles and reflections on issues like community violence prevention to voter registration. In April 2015, Karla won the Young Lady of the Year Award for Riverside County District 4 for her work with the Land Use Planning Awareness project. View Karla’s author page here.

Naomi Carrion is a senior at Nova Academy in Coachella, Calif. Naomi joined Coachella Uninc. this fall as an apprentice and she is excited to make a difference in her community through her writing. Naomi also enjoys art and math. She hopes to attend college next year to major in math. View Naomi’s author page here.

“Waking up in Iowa this morning was a surreal experience. I was excited for today because I knew I would find out which candidate’s campaign I would be working with for the rest of the weekend.  During breakfast, they revealed to us our assignments and I was chosen to work on Senator Ted Cruz’s campaign. Senator Cruz was my first choice and I was ecstatic to begin helping his campaign.

After we were assigned our candidates, all the students from Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Coachella came together to brainstorm questions we wanted to ask Iowa representatives at capitol. After speaking with the other youth, I noticed that my questions were very different than the questions from other students. I think coming from the eastern Coachella Valley and a rural community, I have a different perspective than the other students. But I was surprised by how we all agreed that it was our job to help prepare our country for the future no matter which political party we favor.

Today’s highlight was when I arrived at the Iowa State Capitol. I was fascinated by the building and the history. During our stay at the Capitol, I got to listen in on some key speakers in Supreme Court Chamber. The speakers were discussing the issue of education and school funding. Immediately, I thought of how these issues being discussed here in Iowa are also important to us in the eastern Coachella Valley. Even though I am far from my home right now, I am able to see how education is an important issue throughout the nation.

After our trip to the capitol, it was time to meet up with our assigned campaigns. Once I got to Cruz’s campaign office, I was given a crash course that I now call, “Cruz 101.” I was taught about questions people might ask me and soon enough I was making calls to people in Iowa. I enjoyed speaking with people about the future of America and I enjoyed talking to people who were educated about the candidate. It was, by far, the best part of my day. I have to admit I was very nervous at first, but by the end of time at the office, I had called 45 people in Iowa.”

— Karla Martinez

“I only slept for about three hours last night. But I can’t complain because my roommates were great and I enjoyed meeting new people.

After eating breakfast, we traveled to the Iowa State Capitol. While I was there, I got speak with two Iowa representatives, one Democrat and one Republican. I asked them what their views were on taxing the top one percent and the Democrat said she thought it was necessary but the Republican quickly opposed. It was a interesting to hear them debate their viewpoints and I’m glad I got to speak with very opinionated people about their views.

After talking with the representatives, I took a tour of the Capitol building. There was an amazingly large library and a beautiful ceiling. After the tour, we went out for lunch. Do you know how hard it is to travel with 140 kids on more than 30 vans?

Earlier in the day, I found out that I was assigned to work on Senator Marco Rubio’s campaign. At Rubio’s campaign office, I was asked to make phone calls. That was a very interesting experience because not everyone was for Rubio. Some people were nice and some were irritated but I understand that it is just part of the process.

This has been an amazing experience so far, but right now I am exhausted so I’m heading to bed early!”

— Naomi Carrion

About the authors: 

Karla Martinez has been a youth reporter with Coachella Unincorporated for two years, where she has produced numerous articles and reflections on issues like community violence prevention to voter registration. In April 2015, Karla won the Young Lady of the Year Award for Riverside County District 4 for her work with the Land Use Planning Awareness project. View Karla’s author page here.

Naomi Carrion is a senior at Nova Academy in Coachella, Calif. Naomi joined Coachella Uninc. this fall as an apprentice and she is excited to make a difference in her community through her writing. Naomi also enjoys art and math. She hopes to attend college next year to major in math. View Naomi’s author page here.

Day 1

“Today we are traveling to Iowa for the Iowa caucus! I am excited that I will get to experience the caucus the same year I will be voting for the first time. I hope I get the chance to meet the presidential candidates. Wouldn’t it be great to meet the winning candidate so that I could say I was face-to-face with the president?

This morning when I was checking my bag, I was so worried I would forget something. Both my parents dropped me off at the Palm Springs Airport. I know they wanted to see me board my first plane ever.

I’m writing this blog post while we have a layover in Denver, and I can now say that my first time flying was both fun and scary. I did not expect the plane to move so much, or to get butterflies in my stomach, but once we were in the air, I could not stop looking out the window to take in the amazing view. Everything and everyone looked so very small, and once we flew higher all the people disappeared. I was supposed to read a book for my government class while on the plane, but time and the plane flew by fast. I spent almost the entire time gazing out the window.

Now it’s time to rest because tomorrow we will have many activities and we get to meet the other students from across the country.”

— Naomi Carrion

“While I was getting ready to travel to the Iowa caucus, I thought about whether or not I was ready to leave home. Even though the trip is just for three days, my heart raced and I began to miss my room even though I was still home. In my suitcase I packed thick jeans, thick sweaters and thick socks. I packed beanies and scarfs and gloves. Since the current temperature for Des Moines is 34 degrees, I knew I needed to pack for temperatures I’m not used to feeling here in the desert. Before leaving, I also spent time thinking about the experience that awaited me in Iowa. I didn’t know what Iowa looked like because I had never been there before but I was more than ready to make Iowa my home for three days.

The first flight we took was from Palm Springs to Denver. While we were waiting to take off, I thought back to the first time I had flown and I started to become nervous. Thankfully, my teacher sat next to me and oddly enough, it brought me so much relief. For the entire flight, which was only one hour, I watched movies and looked out the window. When we arrived in Denver, my first thought was, “How does so much snow exist in one place?” My second thought was, “How would people from Coachella react to this temperature?”

After our turbulent flight from Denver to Des Mois, our group was tired but we met a few of the students from other groups who were also staying at our hotel. I was more than excited to see who I would be rooming with and who my assigned candidate would be for this weekend. I can’t wait to spend three days learning about advocacy and campaigning. I’m excited to watch the youth from Los Angeles, Washington D.C.,Chicago and Coachella work together to create a better America for tomorrow and for ourselves!”

— Karla Martinez

About the authors: 

Karla Martinez has been a youth reporter with Coachella Unincorporated for two years, where she has produced numerous articles and reflections on issues like community violence prevention to voter registration. In April 2015, Karla won the Young Lady of the Year Award for Riverside County District 4 for her work with the Land Use Planning Awareness project. View Karla’s author page here.

Naomi Carrion is a senior at Nova Academy in Coachella, Calif. Naomi joined Coachella Uninc. this fall as an apprentice and she is excited to make a difference in her community through her writing. Naomi also enjoys art and math. She hopes to attend college next year to major in math. View Naomi’s author page here.

JOHNNY FLORES / Coachella Unincorporated

The word ‘first’ continuously surrounded me during this past year.

For starters the University of Southern California has always been my first choice of college, and that’s where I’ll be heading this fall. There, I’ll be studying at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, which is regarded as the top school for budding young journalists like myself. I will also be the first in my family to attend college. In more proper terms, I am a first generation college bound student.

So what does this all mean?

Several months ago when I embarked on the college application process, I was scared and nervous of what lay ahead. I was unsure of what to do or where to go. I carried with me the hopes, dreams, failures and fears of those in my family who came before me. For those family members, due to various circumstances, attending and paying for college was not an option. Even finishing high school and in some cases, even making it through middle school was not an option. My family members are my inspiration to be among the first in my family to be accepted and to attend college.

Now, as an admitted student to the USC, I want to be a motivation for my younger siblings as well as all of my cousins. I want them to reach for the stars and never give up. The college application process is scary and immensely difficult. I want to a shining example of the fact that anything is possible.

Never in a million years did I think that the grandson of fieldworkers and son of a custodian and homemaker could be accepted, let alone attend one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. Hard work, dedication and a whole lot of heart made this journey possible.

To inspire is to give courage, to give people something to believe in. I want to inspire my family to believe in what may seem like the impossible, and to have courage and step outside the norm. This is what being the first in my family to go to college means to me.

To view stories Flores has produced as a student reporter, visit his author page here.

As part of their training, the youth reporters created this photo series based off of interviews they did with each other. Each student was asked to think about how they would describe themselves in one word. The students also produced a video sharing the hopes and dreams they have for the eastern Coachella Valley.

All the portraits and the video below were produced and edited entirely by students in the Coachella Unincorporated Summer 2015 program. 

“I plan to attend medical school and to become a pediatrician. I hope to provide care to those I treat.”

– Amanda Flores, 15

“I chose this word because I enjoy writing about the Eastern Coachella Valley, and I will be attending journalism school in the fall.”

– Johnny Flores, 17

“I chose these words because no matter what you do, in any situation, trying to be be a good person is of most importance.”

– Ivan Valenzuela, 21

“I chose the word ‘student’ because I am continuously learning from my community. I also chose the word ‘student’ because it is fun to continually learn.”

– Andy Pinedo, 19

“When my parents found out I was going to be born, it was a surprise. So life is huge surprise, and I’m ready for anything.”

– Karla Martinez, 16

“The last name ‘Duarte’ comes from my mother’s family. Growing up, I would hate that my last name ‘Duarte’ didn’t appear in any of my documents in the United States.”

– Bryan Mendez, 20

[youtube]https://youtu.be/e4CZRnCZceM[/youtube]

COACHELLA — Earlier this year, students from the Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA) joined the Land Use Planning Awareness (LUPA) Project to learn about the power of land use planning in the eastern Coachella Valley. The students chose to focus their efforts on raising awareness about the need for affordable housing in Coachella.

Through the LUPA Project, the students were able to learn about the relationship between income, cost of living and health. The students found that though statistics for the eastern Coachella Valley are scarce, the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that between the years of 2006-2010, up to 32 percent of households in Riverside County had to use 50 percent of their monthly household income to cover their monthly housing costs, including rent and utilities.

During a LUPA Project session, the youth developed a scenario of a family of five living on a fixed income, and then the students listed all of the family’s expenses. As a result of the high housing costs, the family in the scenario had little money left over to pay for food, bills, and other expenses. The connection between housing costs and health became apparent as the youth analyzed how the family had little money left to pay for goods and services that could enhance their quality of life such as nutrition, health care and education.

A site visit to the Las Casas apartments, an affordable housing complex in Coachella built by the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, was an instrumental part of the learning process for the students because they were able to speak with residents about their living conditions.

After conducting the site visit to the Las Casas apartments, the EYA students collaborated with Coachella Unincorporated to create a photo blog, modeled after Humans of New York (HONY). The students wanted to find a way to document the stories of residents in the affordable housing community and to to highlight the impact affordable housing has had on the lives of low-income families in the eastern Coachella Valley.

View the stories here:

“I worked in the fields driving the tractor to harvest the vegetables for  more than twenty years. Before I lived here, I had to live with my boss on a ranch.”

How has living here in the Las Casas apartments changed your life?

“It’s more economical and comfortable to live here.  There’s a lot more services here.  Now I grow these flowers outside my apartment to make it look nice and it keeps me busy. My neighbors like the garden. This bush here is starting to look like a turkey.

“Yo trabaje en el campo manejando el tractor para cosechar las verduras por mas de viente años. Antes de vivir aqui, tenia que vivir en el rancho de mi jefe.”

Como ha cambiado su vida al vivir en los apartamentos de Las Casas?

“Es mas economico y  suave vivir  aqui. Hay mucho mas servicios. Ahora yo cultivo estas flores afuera de mi apartamento para que se mire bonito y tambien me da algo que hacer. Mis vecinos le gustan el jardin. Este planta aqui se esta mirando como un guajolote.

“It’s very peaceful to live here. I feel safe, and because we are farmworkers, this community has services to give us priority and to help us with our rent each month.”

How has living here in the Las Casas apartments changed your life?

“I am able to use the extra money I save from living here for my children, for my family.“

“Viviendo aqui es muy tranquilo. Me siento segura, y porque somos campesinos, esta comunidad tiene servicios de bajo ingreso que nos da prioridad y nos ayuda con la renta  cada mes.”

Como ha cambiado su vida al vivir en los apartamentos de Las Casas?

“Yo puedo usar el dinero extra que ahorro por viviendo aqui en mis ninos, y para mi familia.”

“The rent is low here for low-income families. We are able to save money from living here, money that we can use to help our children, to give them food to eat.”

How else does living in this community help your family?

“My son’s school is close to here, within walking distance. I feel safe because it is close by.”

“La renta esta baja para las familias de bajos ingresos. Nosotros podemos ahorrar dinero viviendo aqui, dinero que podemos usar para nuestros hijos, para darles comida para comer.”

En que mas le ayudado la comunidad a su familia?

“La escuela de mi hijo esta cerca de aqui, esta de la distancia de caminar. Me siento segura porque esta  la escuela esta cerca.”

How does living in the Las Casas community help your family?

“Since we moved here, there are many more opportunities for our children to study and to learn more.”

“If we had the opportunity to study here, we would. We tell our children that we will work hard so that they can study and learn.”

En que le ayudado la comunidad de Las Casas a su familia?

“Desde que nos movimos aqui, hay mas oportunidades para que nuestros hijos pueden estudiar y aprender mas.”

“Si tuvieramos la oportunidad de estudiar aqui, lo hariamos. Le decimos a nuestros hijos que nosotros trabajamos duro, para que ellos pueden estudiar y aprender mas.”

JOHNNY FLORES/ Coachella Uninc.

A few years ago Karla Martinez didn’t think a young person like her could ever make a difference in her community.

But after getting involved with local organizations, Martinez’ opinion on this was reversed. She has devoted almost every spare minute of her time to bettering her community.

“To me, serving is a way of thanking your for community everything it has done and provided for you,” Martinez said.

Martinez, 16, is currently a junior at Nova Academy in Coachella. She has been a regular contributor to Coachella Unincorporated for two years, where she has written numerous articles and reflections on issue ranging from community violence to voter registration.

This past year, she became especially involved with her community because NOVA Academy requires students to complete community service projects in order to graduate.

Martinez decided to volunteer at the Esperanza Youth and Family Center. It was there that she joined the Environmental Youth Alliance and forged a passion for community service, and found out about the Land Use Planning Awareness (LUPA) project.

Because of her involvement in the LUPA project, where she assessed affordable housing in Coachella, Martinez was nominated to win the Young Lady of the Year Award for Riverside County District 4.

The award is given to one young woman in each district in Riverside County. The recipient has to be dedicated to improving the lives of young women and families within Riverside County. On April 14, Martinez, along with several other young women from the county, will be presented with the award at the Robert T. Anderson County Administration Center in Riverside.

Through the LUPA project, Martinez worked to help low-income families by advocating for quality affordable housing in the Valley. Through her continued work with Coachella Unincorporated, Martinez was able to write articles that shed light on improving the quality of life for residents in the east valley.

For Martinez, the award is something more than just another item to add to her college resume.

“The award gave me a further boost to do what I do, [which is] working with the youth and being involved with activities that benefit the community,” she said. “I never expected anything in return for the work that I do, but actually receiving the award was a great blessing.”

As Martinez finishes her junior year, the prospect of college and future goals loom ahead. She hopes to attend a four-year university, where she hopes to study urban planning and political science. This plan was greatly influenced by her involvement in the LUPA project.

“I want to give back to my community, and also better the lives of individuals and the future to come,” she said.

But for now, Martinez hopes to continue doing what she loves and inspiring others to do the same.

“To inspire others is to set an example,” she explained. “I want other youth to see me and then other candidates who won the award as an inspiration be active and change any injustices they have seen in their community. Find something you’re passionate about and pursue your dreams. There are no obstacles the youth can’t overcome because we have the voice to make a change.”

 To view stories Martinez has produced as a student reporter, visit her author page on the Coachella Unincorporated website.

KARLA MARTINEZ/ Coachella Unincorporated

For as long as he can remember, Johnny Flores, 17, knew he wanted to be a journalist.

“Being a journalist has allowed me to find myself, as well as help bring about much needed change to my community,” Flores said. “For me it’s a way to connect and empower.”

Flores has been an active reporter for Coachella Unincorporated for four years. As a young journalist, he has constantly been looking for ways to further his training.

During his freshman year of high school, Flores found the Princeton Summer Journalism Program. The program is a competitive all-expense paid ten day intensive held on Princeton’s campus in New Jersey. It is specifically for rising senior high school students from low income families who are interested in pursuing a career in journalism.

Once Flores became a junior he applied and was chosen to attend. He is the only young person from the Eastern Coachella Valley to ever participate.

“When I finally got my email it read, ‘Congratulations Mr. Flores,’ and it had flight details and all these amazing things,” he said. “I was so happy, and I was so excited I couldn’t sleep the whole night.”

While at Princeton, Flores was given the opportunity to listen to professors and professional journalists give lectures. But the experience Flores most remembers happened outside of the classroom.

 “The most memorable moment was covering a Jets game at MetLife stadium,” he explained. “Being a huge sports fan, it was a dream come true to be able to sit in the press box and cover the game.”

Flores was able to write a feature on Princeton’s basketball coach, Mitch Henderson, during his time at the intensive. The Princeton program, according to Flores, gave him the opportunity to explore his future beyond the Coachella Valley.

“I met an array of people from across the United States who shared the same passion as I did for journalism,” Flores said. “The program allowed me to experience life on a college campus apart from my family and allowed me to learn more about myself, my future, and journalism.”

Flores was recently accepted to the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, where he plans to major in print and digital journalism.

“I would tell anyone to give it your all and never give up,” Flores said, as advice to potential young journalists. “You never know what will happen or what you will learn.”

To view stories Flores has produced as a student reporter, visit his author page on the Coachella Unincorporated website.