THE TRUTH
By Jennitzy Talavera
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
By Angel Simone Julien
THE CUPCAKE AND THE LEMONADE CLUB
By Lilly Lasseigne
The truth
By Jennitzy Talavera
8th GRADE
Battle Creek, Michigan
You can pretend it’s not real.
But our society needs to heal.
When will it stop?
Who can be our rock?
Who can lead us to the end?
They can’t breathe. We can’t breathe.
Why can’t you just let them be?
Can’t you see? They can’t breathe.
Why can’t you just let them be.
The precious souls of our community.
I wish I could just set them free.
A father, a son, a worker, a nun.
They forced them to run.
Been slaves, never free.
Change that lesson in history.
If you just looked beyond the stereotypes.
You’d agree to fight.
We are beautiful.
We are a miracle.
Beauty’s inside and out.
Just meet us—it’ll cure your doubt.
Where do we go from here?
An excerpt by Angel Simone Julien
5th GRADE
Our Lady of Fatima Parish
Metairie, Louisiana
For the first time in our history, we have an opportunity for real change. We cannot drop the ball. While the momentum is strong, and others, particularly young whites and brown people are on the frontlines with
us, we must push for an overhaul of the criminal justice system and policing in our local communities. We cannot stand by any longer and let our young people die at the hands of police brutality.
We can’t have a band-aid placed on the problem. We need systematic changes in our policies if we are going to truly see a new day. More importantly, we have to embrace our brothers and sisters and alleviate the suffering around us and this can only be done through changing those policies and laws that govern us.
The cupcake and lemonade club
By Lilly Lasseigne
4th GRADE
Our Lady of Fatima Parish
Lafayette, Louisiana
I say, “Meg, do you think we should help the families who lost their homes in the hurricane?”
“But what can two 11-year-olds do to help?” Meg asks.
I reply, “Do you remember that time we sold lemonade and cupcakes on the boardwalk?”
She answers, “But Ava Grace, do you know how much money we would have to make?”
“It will take a lot of work, but they need the money. Can we please try?” I ask.
“Let’s do it!” she says with a smile.
The next day Meg and I go to our special spot on the boardwalk and set up our stand. Seven hours later we are completely out of lemonade and only two cupcakes remain. We decide to eat them and count the donations we have collected.
We both start yelling when we see our grand total, $1,0052.09! We were having so much fun that we actually forgot we are helping others. It sure leaves us feeling good to donate our earned money to the rebuilding fund.
“Hey, maybe we should do this more often!” I say.
“Yeah! Think of all the people we can help,” says Meg. “The Cupcake and Lemonade Club!” we both say at the same time. This was not the summer we had planned, but somehow, it was even better.
