Dear Jessica, Christy, & Jose,
I am amazed by your post “Food Deserts” because of how much research you have put into the topic. I really enjoyed how passionate you seemed about the topic as well. This is something I have never thought about, and after reading your post I now have a concern for how affordable/available produce is near myself as well. One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is “Based on our research on Yelp we found that there were no grocery stores between 73rd and 105th.” I think this is insane, as you would think there would be at least one grocery store between those streets. This makes me think about how far people in the area must travel to go to a grocery store, if they even shop at one at all. It seems super inconvenient to travel so far just to get some fruits and vegetables, and if I lived in that area I most likely would end up eating more junk food as well just because it is more convenient to eat junk instead of drive far to get some healthy food. Another sentence that amazed me was “Unfortunately, since some families are low income they have to choose between eating junk food or eating nothing at all, you either eat something that’s not nutritious or starve.” It absolutely breaks my heart to know that people have to choose something that will in the long run destroy their body in order to not starve. Eating is a passageway to survival and eating the proper food to sustain our bodies should be a given right of human life and not treated like a privilege. Your post reminds me of why our obesity rates in America keep rising. People have to feed their children junk food which in the long run will make them obese just because they do not have the resources to buy nutritious food. This is going to continue being an issue until we are able to build more grocery stores in neighborhood that not only sell fruits and vegetables but make them more affordable as well. I hope the mayor supports your idea!

Dear,Jessica I was amazed how good you explained your story and really liked it,I specially when you said that women are usually looked down on but I liked how you showed otherwise by saying That women try their best to prove those counter claims wrong.Great work!

Dear Jessica,
I like your box a lot because its very descriptive. A sentence you wrote that stood out to me is “I’ve chosen to include inspirational women quotes with a garden of flowers around them because we women are usually looked down on as “dependent” and “weak” when in reality we try our best to prove all those who doubt us wrong” this stood out to me because it’s true what people see us as, and because I like the objects you added to represent that. Another thing you wrote that stood out to me was that your really proud of your ethnicity. Which is a good thing, I believe everyone should be proud. Thanks for writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because your so detailed in your work.

Jessica,
I want to start by saying that I think you are an insightful young lady full of determination. Thank you for sharing some of your insight as to how you think other people perceive you as well as how you perceive yourself.

A few things that got my attention:

You said that when society looks at you, they see a young women who doesn’t speak up for her rights and keeps her truths silent.
My first question would be what are some rights and/or truths you keep silent? With that, my second question is why do you think you tend to keep these rights and truths silent? What are the reasons for that?

Secondly, I think it is very mature and caring of you to recognize your position as an older sister, what that means for you, and how that affects your younger siblings. I have a younger sister and when I was your age I was not the greatest influence and I didn’t treat her how I should have. It makes me so thankful to see that your are recognizing how great of an impact you have on their lives and I’m glad to see that you want them to see your strength and courage through the hard times.

Best of luck!

Dear Jessica.
I want to say I am very intrigued on your persona and the story behind each items that represent you and your ethnicity. It takes a lot of courage to write about oneself. As a Latina and a feminist, seeing other young girls finding their voices in this society is empowering. This sentence captured my attention ” Society doesn’t truly know how courageous I am when it comes to defending my chosen identities because they represent the real me”. That sentence makes me think about Frida Khalo and Susan B Anthony, women who used their voice and painting to be taken serious in society and for the rights of women. I think you are headed the right path for a great future where females of different ethnicity can make a difference. Incorporating the two flags united speaks a lot about who you are. I am also the oldest child in the family, I was also enforced that rule of being the best daughter but I wasn’t. One thing I always told myself was that I would help my sister be better than I ever was and I am proud to say my little sister is one of the women I look up to. Hope one thing you can take out of this passage is, being a female from a different ethnicity is amazing and do not let negativity get you down. My brother-in-law always said “Hard time do not last, Hard people do” meaning that when you are faced with a difficult situation, you will find the way to solve them. Thank you for sharing your shadow box, I wish you the very best with your journey through high school and life.