“America is going to hell if we don’t use her vast resources to end poverty and make it possible for all of God’s children to have the basic necessities of life.”

— Martin Luther King Jr.

http://www.childrensdefense.org/library/PovertyReport/EndingChildPovertyNow.html

https://sponsor.savethechildren.org/?pid=251

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juvenilization_of_poverty

The child poverty rate in the United States has increased by about 28% between 2000 and 2009.

Half of all children will be on food stamps by the age of 18.

The United States government does not seem to have a model where the children are a priority.

44% of single mothers in America are on food stamps, yet struggle to provide food for their families.

http://www.childrensdefense.org/library/PovertyReport/EndingChildPovertyNow.html#

Impacts of Poverty on Children

• Impede children’s ability to learn
• Contribute to social, emotional, and behavioral problems
• Contribute to poor physical and mental health
• Risks are greatest for children who experience poverty when they are young and/or experience deep and persistent poverty

Audio Podcast: http://www.npr.org/2014/11/18/364062673/new-york-city-teen-balances-school-and-life-in-poverty

Jairo Gomez, 17, knows the importance of school, but his home life leaves him struggling to stay focused. “If I don’t get an education, I’ll be stuck like my parents.” 

Marcell Jenkins, 12. CAMDEN, NJ

He is struggling to provide himself a better future in a city blighted by high crime, unemployment and school dropout rates.

Organizations here to Help:

Major federal food assistance programs:

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-formerly Food Stamp Program)

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP)

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Feeding America provides food assistance to an estimated 12 million

UNCRC: Every child has the right to life, to survive, and to live an adequate standard of living

Ratification of the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) would reverse child poverty in this country. The government needs to take action to solve this worldly problem and save millions of children around our nation from the misery of living in poverty.

Works Cited

http://www.childrensdefense.org/library/PovertyReport/EndingChildPovertyNow.html

http://www.nccp.org/topics/childpoverty.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/10/29/child-poverty-in-the-u-s-is-among-the-worst-in-the-developed-world/

http://www.alternet.org/economy/numbers-are-staggering-us-world-leader-child-poverty

Katie Krasnoff

Research Synthesis

When I began my research, I had my mind on a completely different topic then what I ended up with. I began to look into abortion and where people in the U.S stood on this controversial topic. After a bit of thought, it became clear to me that this was somewhat of a cliché since it has been discussed so much. I searched the web to look for other topics that have been less prominently discussed in the open. I came across poverty in America and this interested me since I did not know much about it. After some more research, I narrowed the topic to poverty within children living in America. The first source I found was from a website that gave me mostly facts. Percentages, numbers, and growing rates. This was a good place to start because it allowed me to see what the issue is and how bad it really is in the U.S. I looked at a few other websites as well to compare all the facts and numbers and they were all around the same. Now that I had the facts, I wanted to look into the causes of the rising child poverty rates in America. I came across a Huffington Post article that discusses the causes of the growing rates, how children are affected by it, and policies that could fix the problem. This research allowed me to refine my question, making it more specific to look up on the internet. I narrowed down my question to: In what ways can the government help low income families in order to lower child poverty rates in the U.S? My question now became easier to research because it is more specific. Child poverty rates mimic the unemployment rates, meaning by fixing these numbers, we can also tackle child poverty rates. I now began research touching on unemployment in the U.S and how to lower those rates. By lowering these rates, families of low income may reduce, in return reducing child poverty rates. Some articles suggested things like massive infrastructure projects to create more jobs. Others advised for tax cuts or unemployment benefits. All in all, there are countless ways to aid families of low income. This leads me to ask why child poverty is still a big issue when the solution sounds so simple? This question was driving the end of my research in that I was searching for reasons that poverty has not yet been fixed, and what problems arise from the possible solutions to poverty. I found that public programs lifted almost 40 million people out of poverty in 2011, including almost 9 million children according to the Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure. This same source showed me that programs such as Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), and SNAP (food stamps), have all lifted families out of poverty in the past. These programs have proven to work effectively, therefore increasing the money that goes into these programs could allow them to help more low income families, dragging children of those families out of poverty. With this information, my thesis for a research paper would be as follows.

Child poverty has made quite the jump in the past few years in the United States. The increase in these numbers follows the increase of low income families in the country. In order to lower these rates, I believe the government should be transferring more funds into the programs such as Medicaid, EITC, CTC, and SNAP, that aid these families. By bringing these families out of poverty, the children will be dragged out as well, thus giving them a better chance to be economically successful in their future and not raise more children in poverty.

Katie Krasnoff

Debate of Happiness

In todays culture, driven by a demanding, materialistic society, the search for happiness is becoming more and more significant. Despite this epic search, people still cannot exactly pinpoint what it is they are looking for or where to go to find it. The definition of happiness differs from person to person, yet is not perfectly clear to anyone. In Sara Ahmed’s excerpt “Why Happiness? Why Now?” she defines happiness as what gives human life a purpose and a meaning. Her writing discusses what is called the happiness crisis, the control over people looking for happiness where it is supposed to be found, even when it is not there. I think people struggle with this because we see what we believe to be happiness through social media, television, history, and other humans, and expect to find that emotion in the same ways and by the same things these people do. In the 2014 pop song “Happy” by Pharell Williams, he sings about how happy he feels and how he wants everybody who feels this way to gather together to celebrate their happiness. He shares with listeners that he has simply found happiness within himself. Ahmed and Pharell portray to us that by altering our outlook on happiness, we can stop searching for the feeling and just start living a naturally happy life.

In examining human confusion with happiness and puzzlement on how to achieve it, Pharell’s song and Ahmed’s text directly connect in their discussion of happiness. Pharell sings “clap along if you know what happiness means to you.” This poses the question to listeners, what does happiness mean to you? In Ahmed’s text she mentions how we don’t really know what we are striving for when we are searching and wishing for happiness. Most people do not even know what it is they are truly looking for. The song is saying if you actually know what happiness means to you then you should celebrate that because it is very rare to come to that understanding with yourself. Finding what makes you happy, even if it is small, simple things, can change the way you live your life.

Secondly, Williams starts off his song by saying that it might seem crazy what he is about to say and then he says how happy he is. This points out the rareness and scarcity of happiness in the world. Ahmed makes readers see the lack of happiness as well when she refers to it as “a wish, a will, a want,” making it sound like it is something that has not yet been found, or something that is dreamed of (Ahmed 1). It makes happiness seem far away, although it is much closer then we think. Also, in the text it talks about happiness being from associations and from certain things, such as wealth or marriage. We have been programmed to associate happiness with these things that have appeared to make others happy. Ahmed hints at the danger of the “very promise that happiness is what you get for having the right associations” (Ahmed 2). On the other hand, the song sings about being happy for no reason at all.  The lyrics speak to everyone, urging people to never let anyone drag them down or take away from their happiness. I believe that other people often affect our happiness and it is a wonderful thing to be able to stop ourselves from letting others take away or disturb our happiness. I think he is sharing how joyous it is to feel happy and encouraging everyone to forget about all their problems and just be happy. Be happy with the small parts of life that we all take for granted. Forget about what you think will make you happy later, and concentrate on what is making you happy now.

Lastly, Pharell claims what he is saying could shock people because everyone seems to be searching for happiness throughout their life and may never get it because they are too focused on obtaining something that they are not even sure of. Ahmed mirrors Pharell’s lyrics by quoting Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer arguing that “there is probably no other goal in life that commands such a high degree of consensus” (Ahmed 1).  People are not living in the moment, but rather reaching for future happiness. Before we know it, the future is now and we are still searching and striving for this enigmatic sensation of happiness.

In conclusion, I think everyone is too caught up in the happiness crisis. We are wasting our time searching for something that is right in front of us. The cultural text I have chosen and Ahmed’s excerpt are trying to tell us that happiness should be simplified, not thought about in the way we see on television and in magazines, but in our own way. We need to stop looking for something that cannot be found and live in the moment. By looking at Williams song in this way, and analyzing it alongside Ahmed’s work, we can see how relevant our own mindset is to our happiness.

Katie Krasnoff

More than a Town, a Family

                        My hometown has always held a special place in my heart. The small town of Holliston is hidden in Eastern Massachusetts, but will forever stand out in my eyes. Moments, both of tragedy and pure joy, have brought my town closer together over the years, providing me with a place, physically and emotionally, to be a part of. Holliston as a whole represents my sense of family with people who are outside of the usual household spectrum. In psychologist Seymour B. Sarason’s inspiring 1974 book, he proclaims that community “is one of the major bases for self-definition.” Shaping me and turning me into the person I am today, Holliston is undeniably how I define myself.

The tiny suburb feels not as if I am trapped in a small space, but embraced tightly and contentedly within it. With low crime, slow pace, and wholesome fun, Holliston is made up of a few local owned businesses and even fewer restaurants. It is home to a mere thirteen-thousand residents, all of whom contribute to a certain sentimental impression. And it’s more then just the people, it’s the places. The one downtown hangout spot that every middle school student flocks to after school. The one sub shop every family, friend group, and elderly couple order from every day. The one high school football field that every community member attends each Friday night. Each minor place a part of me in one way or another. At Goodwill park we celebrate Holliston annually with cookouts and festivities, enforcing our closely joined community. Cancer walks and sports tournaments in town honor diseases and deceased, causing my sympathy and kindness to grow. Holliston’s countless memories stick with me, enabling me to take on the social niceties of the world. I have learned how much we need each other, because down the road things can get exceedingly hard and there is always going be someone to talk to and someone to lean on. Holliston has taught me that that’s what life is about: that connection with others: that sense of community.

“It takes a village.” –Hillary Clinton

                        A sea of red swiped across the arena. Spirited apparel draped across every fan there. Signs of red white and black swung in the hands of the crowd. Screaming, cheering and chanting roared, blocking out every other noise. The announcers, drowned out by the crowd and barely audible, shouted Holliston’s victory to the stadium. The town was in an uproar. Screaming of excitement and crying of joy, fans ran about the stadium to celebrate with the players. Everyone felt the same exhilaration. It was a memorable moment for the town of Holliston. The entire town in one spot, rejoicing, commemorating, and grasping what we had just accomplished.

In 2008, two boys from Holliston died within five days of each other. Desolation, shock, and bewilderment struck the town. At such a young age, I felt hopelessness. I had never experienced anything like this before. How do I act? What do I say? Of the many uncertain thoughts I had, one thing was for sure; Although the cruelest of all misfortunes hit the town, I knew we were in this together. The boys were different ages and died from different circumstances, but they shared a love of Holliston football. The football coach started what was called the “Dream Goal.” This goal was to win two high school football championships in each of the boy’s names and be able to raise each of their jerseys at Gillette Stadium. The jersey of the state champion hangs for one year at Gillette. This goal was not only put in place for the boys, but for their families as well. In 2010 the team dedicated our big win to deceased junior football player, Joey Larracey. But the team still needed a title for ten-year-old football captain, Timmy O’Connell. Now six years after the deaths, most of the players didn’t even really know Joey or Tim. But yet they played as if they did. The inspirational attitude that the boys played with throughout the season caught on immediately with the fans as well. Our town attended every game with lively and spirited demeanor, ready to “get that W.” (W being win). And every time, with a full fan section, we did.  With dedication and teamwork, we won the championship of 2015 and accomplished the “Dream Goal.” It was more then just football; it was a whole larger sense of community and family.

It has been inscribed in me that perseverance and devotion will get me where I want and what I want. I have a driven personality and know how to do whatever it takes to accomplish my goals. I have seen this done in action within my town, therefore I have confidence in the process. Holliston has taught me all about standing together at all times, fighting for what we believe in, and building each other up along the way.

“love creates and builds up” (bell hooks 124)

Holliston stood together for years to accomplish the goal and the experience has truly taught me what it means to be a community. Bringing happiness to families outside our immediate circle gave me insight to compassion and empathy, traits I will carry with me my whole life. Holliston has given me the feeling of family on a greater scale and made me desire that feeling of togetherness in my future. I am proud to be from the town affected, but grown stronger, by the deaths of two young, inspirational boys. I am proud to be from the football team who took us all the way to Gillette stadium where we won the “super bowl” and honored both of the deceased football players. I am, and always will be, proud to be a Hollistonian. In bell hooks words, my town is “a place where my soul can rest.” It is a place I will always feel myself in. And a place that will always be the backbone to my character.