VOICES FROM OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

Dear Brothers and Sisters in South Africa,

We’ve read your letters and we want to thank you for sharing your South Africa with us. There are many things affecting Oakland too, and some of these things are similar to what goes on in Africa. So we understand where you’re coming from, and we too believe that if we work together we can change some of these things.

The challenges we face out here are: high murder rates, drugs, high prison rates, abuse and poverty. We had over 180 murders in Oakland last year (2008), and they affect our entire community - at school, at home and in the streets. Abuse, dating and domestic violence are also issues we are dealing with in Oakland. And like there, we too have teen pregnancies. Abortion is also a big issue right now, especially during this past election. They almost passed a law, called Proposition 4, that would make it mandatory for girls younger than 18 years of age to inform their parents if they wanted an abortion. (Is abortion legal in South Africa? Do teens have to get permission to get one? How do you all feel about this issue?) Well...as you can see, we are going through a lot too.

However, we also have a lot of interests that keep us busy and positive. Most of us love music, and there are a lot of Hip Hop artists from Oakland. Some of us are a part of the hip hop club at our school where we are able to make our own beats and create our own music. Some of us also love art. We have an art academy here and we do a lot of art related activities in our community. Sports are also a big part of our life. Many of us play basketball, football and soccer, but mostly basketball and football. And...we like to go to the movies, shop and just hang out with our friends.

You probably have heard that we have a new president, Barack Obama, who is half African. This is a very big time for America and you have probably seen it in the news but people are very emotional that we have elected our first black president. We too, have made history! And as much as Obama can promise us, we have faith that our future will be a better place.

We hope that you can relate to some of this and to the excitement that America is feeling and we hope that with us, you guys will create change too.

Peace

Oakland High Students