Awesome post, Elizabeth! Unfortunately, it’s the reality that so many young black men in urban areas fall into gang-related violence. There are multiple issues that affect their involvement, and adequate education is a prime example. Here’s a link to gentrification and redlining, both of which can affect predominantly black neighborhoods. (https://www.chicagotribune.com/real-estate/ct-re-gentefication-gentrifcation-logan-square-0707-20190702-fmia4wsxdbd2ndcznlx6bselky-story.html) and (https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/august-2017/how-redlining-segregated-chicago-and-america/)

I recently wrote a post about young black men who fell into gang violence and their efforts at exiting the cycle. Check it out! (https://nowcomment.com/documents/254010)

Elizabeth,

I really enjoyed reading your blog post about sleep and why it’s so important, especially for the youth today. You offered a lot of useful and interesting insight on the topic, as well as providing researched facts to help back up your statements. I agree that sleep is very important today and that it can affect a multitude of aspects in our lives, as you mentioned. One line that stuck with me was when you wrote, “By getting enough sleep, we are allowing our minds and body to reset and face all the challenges of the next day.” Even getting an extra few hours of sleep than one normally would could help a person immensely in their focus and energy the next day, which really puts into perspective how important sleep is. Like you said, it allows our energy to reset for the day, and helps us function properly. As someone who often finds myself staying up too late, whether that’s due to school work or other extracurricular activities, this has made me realize the importance of sleep. I really enjoyed reading this blog post, and I look forward to reading more of your work in the future!

Dear Elizabeth,
Your post is very interesting because it discusses an important topic that more people should be aware of. I like how you highlighted the problems that can arise when we do not get enough sleep. One thing you said that stands out to me is: “This matter is so serious that scientists have compared it to driving drunk.” I think this is important because people should know the risks of driving while sleep deprived, and this sentence emphasizes the seriousness of the issue. I also think that most students have experienced not getting enough sleep, so your post is a great reminder of why we should prioritize sleep and find enough time to get a healthy amount of sleep. Thanks for your post, and I look forward to seeing what you write next.

I found your article “Why Sleep Is Important” very informative. I had some previous knowledge of how sleep deprivation causes drowsiness and lack of performance throughout the day, however, I was unaware of the long term effects. Something that stood out to me was “Long term effects are more serious as deprivation of sleep long term can cause decline in cognitive function, anxiety, depression, and paranoia that become more serious over time.” This isn’t very surprising to me, but I now properly understand that getting rest is extremely important. Thank you for sharing and I look forward to more of your work.
– Wendy