Movie Revives Old Memories

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Pathways For Youth Inc.
Group
Homes
Black Media Foundation
SON OF SAM
1999 Summer Journalism Program
Movie Revives Old Memories
By Helene Gomez
LIFE IN A GROUP HOME
Damon Rose wakes up
every morning ready to face “a
challenge.” The 25-year-old is a
counselor at Glover House, an
all-boys’ group home of the Salvation Army Social Services.
“It’s a challenge everyday” to deal with 12 different attitudes in addition to the staff,
he said. It is also interesting for
him to watch his residents grow
up and become young adults
who are ready for the real world.
As his “kids” succeed in life, Mr.
Rose knows he was a part of that
change.
Mr. Rose lived in a
group home for two years as a
child. He realized that there was
a gap in the services that needed
to be filled. He has worked in
child care for four years and at
the Salvation Army for one year.
He works nearly 24-hour shifts
and still maintains the ability to
help and counsel his residents
in the home, which is located in
the upper part of the Bronx on
301 East 162nd Street. He has
that dedication because of his
passion for the job.
Continued on page 4
Racism in the new millineum
By Okwuchi Anyanwu
“He was a bad guy,” said
Emil Petrilli about New York City’s
notorious serial killer dubbed Son
of Sam.
David Berkowitz, also
known as the Son of Sam, altered
many lives with his killing spree.
Between July 6, 1976 and August
7, 1977, he killed six and wounded
seven. His murder spree came to
an end when the police found him
because of a parking ticket. He is
serving a 365-year sentence at
Sullivan Correctional Facility in
Fallsburg, New York.
However, his reign of terror has resurfaced once again. The
movie Summer of Sam, has caused
New Yorkers to remember their
feelings toward the Son of Sam and
that time period once again.
Curfews were instituted
and extra security was established
indefinitely because of the terror
that roamed the streets of New
York City. However, not everyone
that lived in the city was terrified
of him.
Julianna Lynch, of the
Bronx, said she was not really fearful because “I wasn’t living the
lifestyle.” She was married during
the summer of Sam’s killings and
she often arrived home at six in the
evening from work, so she didn’t
see herself as a target like so many
others.
Some other New York City
residents also remember not feeling any fear during this time.
Ed Kirchner, a Bronx resident, said that he and others joked
about the idea of being Son of
Sam’s next victim because they
thought the idea of him ever reaching their area outrageous.
Sharon Gilmore, a Bronx
native, believed that she was safe
from Berkowitz because she lived
in an area that people believed he
was unlikely to strike.
Some people did feel that
he was unpredictable and could
By Okwuchi Anyanwu
strike anywhere. Not only were the
residents of the community affected by this fear but businesses
also. The Son of Sam was known
for targeting women who attended
clubs and bars. According to Ms.
Gilmore, bars would close early
because of the patrons’ paranoia
that they would be targets for Son
of Sam’s next killing sprees. She
also said that clubs would be
closed indefinitely until the killer
was caught.
Some people were bothered by the movie Summer of Sam
because it stirred up the past.
“Don’t like it,” said Ed
Kirchner, a bartender at Randall’s
Pub on Randall Avenue, about the
movie.
He felt that the memory
of the Son of Sam should be left
for the families of the victims to
leave in the back of their minds
forever.
Mr. Petrilli had no problem with the movie. He felt that it
made people aware of the atmosphere during the Summer of Sam.
Photo David Berkowitz in 1977 after his arrest. Berkowitz
worked at a Post Office in the Bronx
TEEN PREGNACY, A HEAVY BURDEN
In 1994, when she 13, Jennifer DeJesus met the
man of her dreams. Two years later she was pregnant
and her dream man was nowhere around. Today she is a
high school graduate with a steady job but it has been a
long road for the 20-year-old mother of a three-year-old.
Ms. DeJesus is one of almost one million teenage
women
who become pregnant every year, according
By Jovani Lopez
to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights
advocacy group. Their statistics show that seven out of 10
teen mothers complete high school but they are less likely
to go to college than those who wait to have children are.
Ms. DeJesus managed to continue her education
with the support of her aunt and is planning to enter community college in the near future.
Ms. DeJesus met Frankie while hanging out in her
building complex.
“Meeting Frankie was the best thing that had hap-
Continued on page 9
2
NYCE ‘99
school
shootingS
Has Impact On NYC Schools
The Gun
Debate
Handgun Violence
Does banning handguns strip
away Americans’ second amendment
right? That is the debate raging across
the country as more and more shootings
are occurring with handguns.
As news reports show how easily someone like Benjamin Smith, a white
supremacist, can illegally purchase a .380caliber semiautomatic handgun and a .22caliber handgun to go on a racist shooting spree, more and more Americans are
demanding stronger gun control laws.
The NRA is one of the loudest
voices in the gun control debate. Members’ argument is that although the FBI
reports that guns are used in, the NRA
points to scholars’ reports that nine out
of 10 times it is more likely to be used in
self defense.
Still, the NRA is providing children around the country with gun safety
training and has served approximately 12
million children.
But those seeking gun control
believe that the abolishment of guns
would end up protecting everyone.
Clayton Ramey, coordinator and
director of Fellowship Reconciliation in
Nyack, NY, said banning handguns will
decrease a great number of murders. That
is the mission of Ramey’s non-profit organization.
“We strive to ban handguns
By Jenel Byrd
based on overall violence and gun issues.
The right to bear arms is less important
than the right to live in a society with no
violence,” said Ramey.
Madeline Provenzano, City
Councilwoman for Bronx District 13, believes gun violence goes beyond handguns. She believes that any kind of assault weapon is a threat to society.
The violence is usually the result of illegal possession of a gun, she
said, and that is why gun laws should be
strengthened. All guns should be
banned, said Provenzano, because the
“less guns on the street, the better off we
are.”
Trying to control the guns that
are already out there won’t work, she said,
because gun lobbyist reject ideas such
as installing a special chip in guns that
could identify the owner and only allow
them to fire the gun.
Black Media Foundation, Inc. Summer Journalism Program
P.O. Box 280573 * Phone 516-281-2217 * www.bmf.net
By Nicole Nickelberry
The recent school shootings
around the country have had an impact on
some of the New York City public schools,
according to school administrators.
Shootings by disgruntled students, like those in Conyers, Georgia,
Littleton, Colorado and Edinboro, Pennsylvania, over the last few years have served
to put local schools on alert. There have
been more rules and regulations instituted
to prepare for the possibility of any copycat shootings. The grade schools and
middle schools have not been as affected
as the inner city high schools, which have
had most of the changes.
Byron Moss, the principle of the
Herbert H. Lehman High School, believes
that the shootings have raised the awareness level of teachers. Now teachers know
that the same thing can happen to them.
Dr. Betty Rosa, the superintendent
of District 8, said that the shootings reverberated through the schools because young
people everywhere felt the impact. After the
shootings happened a lot of the city schools
which already had rules to deal with such
violence began to really enforce them.
City high schools have added more
safety rules, such as creating a bomb threat
procedure, even though some, like Lehman,
have never had to deal with any false alarms,
said Mr. Moss.
Mrs. Rosa has been at a school
when a false alarm occurred and was scared
by it because she felt that it could just as
likely have been a real bomb threat. After
the alarm was sounded the police and bomb
squad was called and the school was evacuated.
Overall the shootings are a great
loss to the parents and the victims, said
Yvette Harrison, an elementary teacher at
C.S. 50 on Vice Street in Bronx, New York.
Ms. Harrison believes the events
that happened are showing teachers how
important their role in the classroom is. She
says that teachers also need to be counselors and not just help the children academically but also emotionally.
Ms. Harrison thinks that these
kinds of violent crimes do not happen in
city schools because the children handle
their disputes in a verbal or physical manner.
“The children in inner city schools
have so many factors that distract them that
they have no time to pre-meditate and plan
such a violent crime,” said Mrs. Harrison.
The majority of the blame falls on
the parents because they did not get involved in the lives as much as they should
have been, said Mrs. Harrison. She is very
concerned about the kind of people her children have to deal with on a daily basis but
she believes that God will protect them. Still,
she is very strict about knowing all of their
friends because she believes as a parent
that she plays an important role in her
children’s life.
Everyone in the communities
where these crimes occur is accountable for
what happens, said Mrs. Harrison.
“If they knew the character of these
children and knew the negative influences
they were getting, someone should have
stopped it,” she said.
The shootings are both everyone’s
fault and no ones, said Mrs. Rosa. In times
of tragedy, she said, we all have to get together.
3
NYCE ‘99
Will Racism End In The New Millineum?
By Jovani Lopez
Race relations have come
a long way over the last century.
Here are the stories of three minority women of varying ages and
their experience growing up in one
section of the Bronx.
Graciella Clemente was
17 when she moved to the Throgs
Neck section of the Bronx from
Puerto Rico in the summer of 1951.
The area was predominately white
when she, her mother and six siblings moved there in search of a
better life.
“When I first moved to
the Throgs Neck area I knew right
away that I would be the out-cast.
People stared and mumbled things
under their breath as I walked by. I
was afraid for mine and my families safety,” said Clemente, 65.
She remembered a day
when a brick was thrown through
her living room window as she and
her family sat in their living room
listening to the radio.
“I was horrified. I didn’t
know what to do. It was obvious
that our neighbors didn’t want us
in the neighborhood,” she said.
About two weeks later
her family’s home was vandalized
while they were out. Garbage was
thrown all over the front yard, eggs
were splattered all over the front
of the house and on a tree that
hovered over the house a dummy
hung with the words “go back to
Spain spics” written across it.
“It was then that my
mother decided that it would be a
better idea if we moved to a place
where we would be safer and more
secure. So we moved to Harlem,”
she said.
Pamela Hendrickson, 33,
moved into a two-bedroom apart-
ment in the Throgs Neck projects
with her older brother and mother
in the summer of 1974.
In September of 1978
Pamela began her 6th grade year
at I.S. 192. She was the only African-American in her class.
“It was horrible living in
Throgs Neck as a child! The first
day of school I was looked at and
bothered by my classmates. They
threw paper balls at me during
class and I was left out of a game
of kickball during lunch recess. My
classmates referred to me as the
colored girl, the nigger, or, one of
my favorites, the monkey in the
back of the classroom,” she said.
One day she found a letter in her locker telling her to “go
back to Harlem nigger.”
“I tried to ignore the prob-
lem but everywhere I went I had to
worry about my safety. My brother
and I couldn’t even walk down
Tremont Avenue without being
called names or even have bottles
thrown at us. I was actually chased
out of school by a group of girls
who wanted to jump me because I
did a project on my African heritage,” she said.
The harassment continued for three more years until her
brother was jumped by a group of
white males on Tremont Avenue.
He was in the hospital for at least
6 hours and had to get 12 stitches
across his forehead.
“That’s when my mother
felt that it would be better to move
down south with my grandmother,”
she said.
Natalie Rosado was 1year-old when she first moved to
Throgs Neck in September of 1979
during the Labor Day weekend.
Although she was born in the
Bronx, Natalie’s Puerto Rican parents moved to Throgs Neck because Ms. Rosado’s mother
wanted for her children to grow up
in a safe environment and a nice
house.
“Being Puerto Rican and
living in an all Italian neighborhood was hard. If you even sneeze
the wrong way you were criticized
and bothered .I wasn’t really bothered being that I’m light skin, but
my brother was jumped a lot.
One 4th of July I had fireworks thrown at me as I walked
down the block .I been called a spic
a couple of times by some neighborhood kids, but I tried not to listen to them. My parents tried not
to let things like that bother them.
They wanted to be considered
equal so they kept to themselves
and acted proper. They wanted to
prove to their neighbors that they
were just as good as them, so they
worked hard and earned everything they had,” she said.
Ms. Rosado, 21, still lives
in the Throgs Neck.
Still No Answers For SIDS
A Strange Medical Mystery
By Jennifer Hamilton
Some people know it as “cot death” or “crib death” but whatever name you call it by, Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome is one of the biggest causes of deaths in infants and no one knows why.
More children die of SIDS in a year than all children who die of cancer, heart
disease, pneumonia, child abuse, AIDS, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy, according to the American SIDS Institute.
Infants two-weeks-old to 1-year-old die of SIDS, said Heidi Fhoemake, of the
American SIDS Institute. There are “ 8,000 to 10,000 deaths per year in the United
States, with most deaths occurring in the third and fourth month of a baby’s life,” said
Fhoemake.
In 1994 an organization called Back to Sleep suggested that you put babies to
sleep on their backs instead of on their stomachs to prevent accidental suffocation.
“Parents can place their babies on their spine or on their sides but do not put
the baby on pillows,” said Dr. Roseanne Ineglio, a pediatrician at Montefiore Medical
Center.
Sixty percent of babies who die from SIDS are males and 40 percent are females, according to the SIDS Institute. Medical officials don’t know why more boys
die then girls.
Native Americans have the highest rate of SIDS death by ethnicity. African
American are next, with whites, Hispanics and Asians completing the list.
SIDS claims the lives of a high number of premature babies and children of
teenage mothers who come from poor families. It is a worldwide phenomenon which
some investigators believe is triggered by a combination of conditions, including a
narrow and inflamed airway, temporary airway.
Smoking is also a possible cause, said Dr. Ineglio.
Scientists are exploring the development and functions of the nervous system,
the brain, the heart, breathing and sleep patterns, body chemical balances, autopsy
findings, and environmental factors. Statistics show that the seasons, maternal age,
and baby’s sex are among the factors that must be considered.
“It’s very important for parents to know about (SIDS) just in case it might
happen to their baby,” said Dr. Ineglio.
4
NYCE ‘99
Community Board 10
The Community’s
Eyes
By Nicole Nickelberry
Like community boards around the city, Community Board District 10 in the Bronx attempts to keep its
community safe and organized for its residents, according
to its manager. The district covers the Throgs-Neck, City
Island, Co-op City, Zerega, and Westchester parts of the
borough.
“They are the eyes and the ears of the community,” said James Vacca, the district manager of District 10.
Mr. Vacca has been the district manager for these
communities for the past 19 years. The community board
consists of 45 unpaid members. They are people who stay
very involved in the community, meeting once a month to
discuss resolving community problems.
They make sure that the residents of the community get the service they need, such as ensuring that the
streets are swept, complaints are addressed, and sanitation workers are made more efficient.
In every community there are problems and District 10 is no exception. The leading problem for the district
is automobile theft. Some major contributing factors for the
high auto theft rates in the area are that area residents have
very nice cars and the thieves can get to any highway to
get away, said Mr. Vacca.
Other big community problems are that stores are
selling alcohol to teenagers, and teenagers are spray painting the walls of businesses. But the police have that problem well under control, said Mr. Vacca. Area residents have
also told the community board that there is too much traffic
on local streets because of the businesses. The community board responded by ceasing to issue permits for new
businesses, said Mr. Vacca.
Group Homes
He remembers that when he was in the group
home he didn’t get the attention when it was needed. If
he can help someone and give them the attention that
he did not get, he can make a difference.
“I know I can help and make a difference,” he
said.
A lot of the residents of group homes are going through serious personal problems that require the
staff to be especially considerate. Alice Jackson, assistant supervisor at the West Bronx Group Home, a hardto-place home, said that her task is to help counsel people
who have lost loved ones, are depressed, have been
abandoned, are abused in various ways, or have gotten
into trouble and the courts have mandated that they
live in a group home.
A hard-to-place group home is different from a
regular group home because those in a regular setting
are usually what are called Persons In Need of Supervision (PINS), runaways, those who are taken away from
families and volunteers. In a hard-to-place setting, 9
out of 10 kids come from a lockdown facility, have been
in jail or they cannot cope in a regular family setting,
said Mrs. Jackson.
Mrs. Jackson, 50, has worked in childcare services for 25 years, working the last four years at the
Salvation Army. You have to have a high school diploma and a college degree in social services in order to
work in a group home, said Mrs. Jackson. It helps to
also have experienced everyday, said Mr. Rose.
For example, if you were a recovering drug addict it is possible that you may have a higher chance of
becoming a drug counselor, he said. The ages in the
group home range from 13- to 21- years-old.
While they are in the group home, there is an
opportunity for the residents to get the counseling that
they may need, said Mr. Rose. There are different types
of counseling available, such as one-on-one counseling, between a resident and a counselor. That one counselor helps and solves the problem the resident may
have that day.
Mr. Rose says his group home, a regular one,
is very lenient.
“In a hard to place home they need more structure
and discipline,” said Mr. Rose.
Ebony Milliner, 19, knows all about the structure and the discipline of hard-to-place group home living. She has been cared for by the state since she was 3-
Summer School 1999
By Dawn Simmons
Thousands of New York City public school students are going to summer school this year because
their reading and math test scores are low. Two-thirds
of the city’s fourth graders failed the state’s reading
exam and one in five can barely read at all, according to
published reports.
Some people believe that the scores were low
because students are not studying enough.
“If the students stop playing on the computer
and playing video games or stop watching TV and studied, they will pass dramatically! And if a student and
their parent learn three new things in a day, then that
person has learned over a thousand things,” said Robert
Di Dio, the principal of I.S.192 in District 8.
There are approximately 200 students registered
for summer school at I.S. 192, said DiDio. They range from
the fifth grade to the eighth grade. There are 13 staff members for the summer school program at the site.
There are 22,000
students going to summer
school in District 8 and
2,500 in literacy program,
said Alan B. Cohen, director office of student support services.
The
school
chancellor, Dr. Rudy
Crew, is scrutinizing some
other Bronx school districts, such as Districts 7,
9, 10 and 12, because of
their low-test scores. Some of these districts have a history
of low test scores.
years-old and has been living in Salvation Army group
homes for the past four years - both regular and hardto-place ones. In hard-to-place settings she has lived
with people who are on medication, have been in jail, or
a mental hospital. The group home is not only providing them with shelter but also teaching them household
chores and discipline, she said.
However, there are some things that as a resident of the West Bronx Group Home Ms. Milliner feels
are not being done. Residents 16-years-old and older
are not being properly taught independent living skills,
said Ms. Milliner, such a balancing a checkbook or opening a bank account.
When it comes to the punishment given at a
hard-to-place home, Ms. Milliner does not believe that
it matches the crime because the restrictions are too
strict.
“The punishment is too hard. This is a group
home, not a jail,” said Ms. Milliner.
But to Mrs. Jackson the punishment does fit
the crime and it is often explained to the residents why
they are being punished.
The severity of punishments differs between a
regular setting and a hard-to-place setting. If you are on
restriction in Glover House you have to stay inside,
depending on what you have done. In a hard-to-place
home, you get restrictions within the house. You can
not watch television, listen to the radio or use the telephone. Sometimes residents are confined to their room,
said Ms. Milliner.
A better option than a group home for some of
the resident would be boot camps and more counseling,
said Mrs. Jackson.
“I feel you can’t lock up someone and then put
them back on the streets,” said Mrs. Jackson, because
they would go back to doing bad things.
Kathy Freyre, whose daughter Amanda goes
to summer school at I.S. 192, said that she did not think
it is right for her child to go to summer school but she
hopes it will help her skills.
Mrs. Freyre thinks the teachers have to teach
the children more.
“If they have a spelling test they should get
the words a week or two before the test and if the kids
don’t get a high score they should be able to take it
over,” she said.
Another parent,
Rachene Brun, said that it is
good for the children to go to
summer school as long “it will
help a little.”
Alan B. Cohen, director of the office of student
support services at school District 8, said that he believes that
if children had somewhere to
go before and after school it
would help the situation. They
need extra help after school, such as the district’s afterschool program that runs from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
5
NYCE ‘99
PEOPLE ON
THE STREET
What Does
America Want
From Their Next
Presidency?
Boys Athletic League (BAL)
Pathways For
Youth Program
A Year Round
Beacon of Light
Al Gore
Bill Bradley
George W. Bush
1) John Casiano, MTA police, 31, Bronx
“ I want a president who will have the ability to
take our country into the next millennium, with new
ideas and changes, so that we are in the position to
help our nations that are not as fortunate as the U.S.”
2) Tenesha Johnson, 22, Long Island City,
Queens
“We need (someone to give us) good police
officers help the old people receive Medicaid and
help our city schools by supplying better education
and computers.”
3) Travis Christian, 23, Bronx
“Someone who tells the truth and keeps their
promises.”
4) Kent Schwarz, 50, Connecticut
“I need honesty and integrity. Someone who can
run a nation like a business or a household and like a
checkbook. A checkbook is balanced. Our government isn’t.”
5) Katherine Mays, 53, Massachusetts
“ A person who does not mess around with his
interns. Right now our government has a great economic boom. We just need someone with integrity.”
By Helene Gomez
Our roving reporter went
to Grand Central Station
to her answers.
One of the alternatives some New York City children have to hanging out on the street is the Pathways
for Youth program.
It was founded by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development as a way to
improve the lives of adolescents and families within the
community. Pathways is an umbrella program for smaller
programs that provide children with recreational, developmental, and educational programming all year round,
said John Oswald, director of the Pathways’ Beacon site
at I.S. 192. All of the Pathways sites are in local intermediate schools.
“It’s a home away from home,” said Deborah
Nunez, assistant director of the Beacon program.
After working for Pathways for four years, Ms.
Nunez said that the program has a positive effect on the
children’s attitudes and behavior. Pathways has nightly
shifts to keep teens off the streets, provide a safe environment, as well as tutoring and recreational programs.
The teens receive guidance, counseling and structure.
During the summer, children arrive at 9 a.m. and
depart at 4 p.m. Between those times the children are
By Jenel Byrd
taken out on field trips, or spend their time participating
in educational, and fundamental activities. Educational
activities include tutoring, computer literacy programs
and access to the Internet and library. The recreational
activities include athletics, performing arts, and material arts.
Pathways programs serve over 2,500 youngsters every day, year-round, 2,000 of which are in nine
South Bronx public schools and 500 at the Pathways
headquarters on Castle Hill Avenue.
Parents of children in the program receive workshops as well as computer literacy programs. They volunteer as activity aides on trips and inside of the centers. Pathways has also managed the Bronx River
Houses Senior Center, giving
For more infrmation contact:
Pathways For Youth, Inc.
625 Castle Hill Avenue Bronx,
New York 10473-1400
(718) 828-4518
Fax (718) 824-9579
www.pathwaysforyouth.org
email:
[email protected]
6
NYCE ‘99
PERSONAL VIEWS
DOUBLE THE PLEASURE
Santiago and Pedro did not meet each other until they were eight years old. Now they are inseparable.
Is Pro Wrestling
Too Dangerous?
Right now anyone who has
watched wrestling for the last ten years
can tell you that it has changed dramatically. There are many examples of how it
By Okwuchi Anyanwu
has changed but the one mentioned the
most would be how unsafe wrestling has
the high ropes in five-inch heels,”
become. Wrestling organizations like the
she is published as saying.
World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and
She is now suing
the World Championship Wrestling
the federation for $100 million, re(WCW) have become more careless with
lease from her contract, the right
their wrestlers because of their obsession
to keep the Sable name, and to
with beating out their competition. Their
keep the profits made from
need for ratings has caused death and
Sable’s merchandise. She claims
lawsuits.
unsafe conditions among other
The death of Canadian WWF
things. This stunt could have
wrestler Owen Hart is the perfect example.
caused injuries for Mrs. Mero.
He died on May 23, 1999 from a 90-foot
Rather than doing the stunt in
fall in Kansas City, Missouri caused by a
five-inch heels, she could have
failed stunt. This stunt was not necesdone it in sneakers or wrestling
sary at all. They were trying to portray The tragic death of Owen Heart has
boots.
him as a super hero that flies. However, caused concern
The WWF is not the
Owen Hart was a regular human being
only wrestling organization that
like the rest of us. If he was going to fly, God would
has safely issues with their wrestlers. Another wrestling
have given him wings, but didn’t.
organization, ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) is
The death of this wrestler could have been
known for their hazardous stunts like slamming oppoavoided in two ways. The whole stunt should not have
nents through burning tables or through columns of
been done in the first place and the engineers respontables.
sible for the stunt equipment should have taken more
Maybe the death of Owen Hart and the lawsuit
precautions to insure his safety.
issued by Ms. Mero against the WWF will open the
Rena Mero, a former WWF wrestler known as
eyes of the spectators and fans showing them that outSable, felt that her safety was at stake while working
rageous stunts are not only very dangerous but also
with the organization.
unnecessary.
“I was very uncomfortable doing jumps from
Our Twin life
By Pedro Alfonso
My name is Pedro Alfonso, and I am a twin. When
I was a kid I never knew I had a twin and now being a twin
means everything to me.
When I was in a foster home, my foster mother
never told me about my twin brother Santiago. I didn’t even
know that she was not my real mother.
Then when I was almost 6 years old my foster
mother told me we were going to see my twin brother,
Santiago.
I asked her why she didn’t tell me before that I had
a twin brother and she said because she was waiting for
the right moment. I told her that I would never forgive her
for not telling me.
Then when I was turning 8 on April 15,1993 my
real mother Migdalia Alfonso called my foster mother’s
house and wanted to say Happy Birthday Peter, which is
my nickname for Pedro. Then I heard that my twin brother
was going to live with me and I got so happy, saying to
myself now I could get to know my brother a little more. So
I went to my room and started saying “My brother is going
to live with me” over and over again.
When he came to the house I got so happy and
just rush past my foster mother and took him to my room
and showed him all the things my foster mother had bought
me.
After I showed him the whole house, I showed
him the back pool we went in and had some fun.
After that I said, “Lets talk a little bit. I would like
to know you better.
Twins are everything to people in different ways.
People always have comments about you. But the best
thing about it is that having a twin is like having a buddy at
your side.
NEW YORK CITY EDITION
This Summer Journalism Program was a collaboration
between the Black Media Foundation and the Pathways
For Youth, Inc.
Staff
Abigail West, Workshop Editorial Director
Vonti McCrea, Workshop Assistant
WORK SHOP TALENT
Helen Gomez
Jovani Lopez
Dawn Simmons
Jenel Byrd
Okwuchi Anyanwu
Kimberly Inez Mays
Crystal Hamilton
Jennifer Hamilton
Pedro Alfonso
Santiago Alfonso
Nicole Nickelberry
Support Staff
John Oswald, Director of the Pathways for Youth - Beacon
Program at I.S. 192.
Deborah Nunez, Assistant Director of the Beacon Program.
Natalie Rosado, Office Manager of the Beacon Program.
Pathways For Youth, Inc.
Neil Berger, Executive Director
Cliff Sperber, Assistant Executive Director
Black Media Foundation, Inc.
Natalie Byfield, Co-Founder
Clarence Sheppard, Co-Founder
This Program was funded and supported by The Fund For
The City Of New York and the Pinkerton Foundation
The views and opinions expressed here are not necessarily
those of Pathways for Youth, Inc.
7
NYCE ‘99
Crystal Clear
Talent Profile: At the beginning
of the program the students
interviewed each other.
By Jovani Lopez
Pedro Alfonso likes to draw, creating his very own cartoon characters, creatures, goblins, monsters, and insects. He
draws anything that he is imagining at the
time. Pedro’s goals are to either become an
Artist or a Computer Technician.
A 14-year-old California native, he
moved to the Bronx when he was 6 yearsold along with his identical twin brother
and 3 other siblings. Pedro is both Puerto
Rican and Cuban and is currently living on
Webster Ave in the Bronx. In his spare time
he also enjoys hanging-out with friends
and playing handball.
He graduated from Junior High
School 147 and is planning to attend
Alfred.E.Smith High School this September.
By Nicole Nickelberry
Santiago Alfonso, 14, wants to
learn how to be a computer technician. He
believes that he would do a good job because he is very experienced in that field.
His foster father in Queens spent years
teaching him about computers. He says
being a computer technician pays a lot of
money and he also likes working with computers. Santiago knows how to do programming, how to do stocks, and knows a lot
about the website.
Mr. Alfonso will be attending
Alfred E. Smith High School this fall. He
lives on Webster Avenue in the Bronx with
his mother, step-father, and his four other
siblings. Santiago Alfonso was born in
California but later moved to the Bronx.
Art by Crystal Hamilton
It was a grueling and
hot three weeks - but
we did it
Workshop Editorial Director, Abigail
West talks with Nicole Nickleberry
about her story
8
NYCE ‘99
Who is Mumia Abu-Jamal?
Seventeen Years On Death Row
By Pedro Alfonso
It has been 17 years since AbuJamal, a black former journalist and activist,
was sentenced to die for the 1982 shooting
death of 25-year-old white police Officer
Daniel Faulkner in Philadelphia. Today he
is still trying to win his freedom.
His supporters now include high
profile entertainers like The Beastie Boys,
Rage Against the Machine, Bad Religion
and Black Star, which headlined a concert
at the Continental Airlines Arena in New
Jersey last January. There are websites and
advocacy groups dedicated to helping keep
Abu-Jamal from being killed but there are
just as many people, such as those in law
enforcement, who protest his popularity.
Abu-Jamal supporters contend
that he was unfairly convicted because of a
biased judge with ties to the Fraternal Order of Police and unbalanced jury containing only one black. Abu-Jamal claims the
authorities coerced an eyewitness to testify against him unfairly stacked a jury with
white people and railroaded him to guilty
verdict.
Abu-Jamal’s gun was found next
to the dead officer.
Abu-Jamal has since become the
international symbol for the anti-death penalty movement.
Abu-Jamal, a former reporter at a
Philadelphia public-radio station was then
known as Wesley Cook. He was shot by
Faulkner while his brother was being arrested. Neither he nor his brother testified
at trial. He has repeatedly proclaimed his
innocence and has asked for a new trial, but
his conviction has been twice upheld by
the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Middle Passage Monument
Memorialize Slaves Transalantic Voyage
By Jennifer Hamilton
Three-hundred-fifty
years ago approximately 1.8 million slaves died in the transatlantic voyage that carried them between Africa and the Americas,
which is called the Middle Passage. On July 3, 1999 a version of
a monument that memorializes
them was placed onto the floor of
the Atlantic Ocean, 427 kilometers
off of New York City’s harbor.
Six replicas of the monument will be placed on land between the year 2000 and 2006 in
the six regions of the world where
transatlantic enslavement occurred - Africa, the Caribbean,
Central America, Europe, North
America, and South America.
Eddie Dixon, from Lubbock, Texas, designed the Middle
Passage Monument for the Homeward Bound Foundation, which
conceived the idea of the monument. The archway to the monument leads to a 100-foot- long,
black granite walkway, which is
engraved with African symbols,
like sankofa and hieroglyphics,
names of the ancient empires, and
significant names and dates. At the
end of the walkway is an 18-foot
bronze, female figure with her arms
outstretched.
The Middle Passage was
a physical and psychological
nightmare for an estimated 12 million slaves who were packed like
animals aboard slave vessels. This
was depicted in a scene from the
1997 film “Amistad”, which was
about a group of Africans’ fight
to become free.
One of the few firsthand
accounts of the Middle Passage
is by Olaudah Equiano, a former
slave turned anti- slavery activist
who captured his experience
aboard a slave vessel in his autobiography.
“When I looked around
the ship and saw a multitude of
black people of every kind of description chained together, every
one of their countenances expressing dejection and sorrow, I
no longer doubted my fate, and
quite overpowered with horror and
anguish, I fell motionless on the
deck and fainted,” he said according to the Encarta Africana encyclopedic compact disc.
Men were separated from
women on the ships but all were
confined below deck in slave quarters which were no longer than six
feet and just high enough to allow
an individual to sit upright. All
slaves were fed twice a day with
rations of fish, beans, or yams that
were prepared in large copper vats
below the deck. The ones who did
not want to eat were force-fed to
be kept alive for the auction block.
There are no songs,
dances, or tales of the slaves who
lost their lives on the voyages to
the Americas but now there will
be monuments to help the world
remember.
Congressional
Black Caucus
Requests
Federal Lands
for Middle
Passage
Monument
Destined for
North
American.
At the suggestion of
the Homeward Bound Foundation, the Congressional
Black Caucus, led by Congresswomen Donna ChristianChristiansen (D-VI) and
Cynthia Mckinney (D-GA),
has requested Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit to locate
suitable Federal lands in
Washington, DC; Savannah,
GA; New York, NY; Charleston, SC; and Alexandria, VA
to serve as potential sites for
the Middle Passage Monument destined for the continent of North America. The
aforementioned sites were
suggested to the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) by
the HBF for recommendation
because of their historical significance in the transatlantic
enslavement of African
people and their access to the
Atlantic Ocean.
9
NYCE ‘99
Teen
Pregnacy, A
Heavy Burden
Continued from page 1
pened to me in a long time “ Jennifer explains, “It
was like love at first sight. I knew right away that
this was the person that I wanted to spend the rest
of my life with.”
In April of 1996 Mrs. DeJesus went to the
clinic for a physical and found out she was pregnant at age 15.
“I never thought something like this
would ever happen to me. I was so safe. I didn’t
know how I was going to tell my aunt (who was my
legal guardian at the time). I knew she was going to
be disappointed,” she said.
The whole walk home from the clinic Jennifer cried. She did not know what she was going
to do.
“When I got home I called Frankie right
away and told him the news. He told me that everything would be okay and that he would take care of
the both of us because he loved me,” she said.
That was the last time Jennifer heard from
the 17-year-old Frankie.
Teen pregnancy experts feel that the teen
pregnancy rate is stabilizing, neither decreasing nor
increasing, because efforts are being taken to talk
to teens about sexually transmitted diseases and
teen pregnancy, said Ishmael Rodriguez, director
of Expectant Mother Care, a teen pregnancy center
in the Bronx.
Everyone suffers when a teen becomes
pregnant, said Mr. Rodriguez, not just the teenager. The mother and father of the teen, other relatives, and the baby all suffer the consequences.
It took a while for Ms. DeJesus to understand the responsibility of what was happening to
her.
“When the baby was being ripped from
me I felt as if everything I loved about being young
was being ripped out at the same time. Girls have to
remember that it’s no more fun and games,” said
Ms. DeJesus. “You have to be willing to take care
of this child because it is a living thing. It is something that was once living inside of you. It is something that you will have to support and take care
of. It is something that you have to devote your life
to.
“ I think that maybe if I would have
thought about the consequences of having sex at
such an early age, I would have waited a little longer
to have sex” explained Jennifer. “ I had to put the
Barbie doll’s away and take baby bottles out to
soon.”
Ms. DeJesus’ aunt promised to support
her throughout the whole pregnancy, if she continued to go to school and got a job to support
herself and the baby. The alternative school Jennifer attended, Lower East Side Preparatory, had a
program for pregnant girls.
Jennifer was able to complete high school
and got a job working downtown at a cellular and
beeper store but she has plenty of advice for young
girls.
“Girls think it’s cool to have sex at such
an early age, but they never think about the consequences such as pregnancy and an STD. The best
way to avoid these consequences are not using a
condom or taking birth control. It’s abstinence...
just saying NO!!!” says Ms. DeJesus. “Some girls
think it’s easy to have a baby because some of
them have raised there younger brother or younger
sister and it was fun to dress them and bring them
to the park but there is one thing they have to
remember. This kid is your brother or sister, not
your own.”
Talent profile - continued from Page 7
By Dawn Simmons
Crystal Hamilton wants to study music engineer
when she gets older but has always dreamed of becoming
a heart surgeon. That field of medicine has appealed to the
17-year-old since she was very young because she had a
heart problem when she was born. She had to have a valve
replaced when she was just a few days old.
Ms. Hamilton lives in the Soundview section of
the south Bronx with her mother, four siblings, her brotherin-law and sister-in-law. She attends Evander Childs High
School and wants to go to Harvard University.
By Crystal Hamilton
Fourteen-year-old Dawn Simmons dreams of
being a hairdresser. This Lowell High School freshman
became very interested in being a professional
hairdresser after her cousin taught her how to braid hair.
“I like the money that (hairdressers) make. I like
to make people look good. And I have fun doing it,” said
Ms. Simmons.
In ten years the teenager, who lives in the
Throggs-Neck section of Bronx, New York, sees herself
working in the music business or attending college in
Los Angeles or up-state New York.
By Jennifer Hamilton
Twenty-year-old Helene Gomez is going to
college in January of 2000 to train as a computer
technician. She enjoys working with her hands as a
technician.
Ms. Gomez has experience working with and
fixing computers along with video cassette recorders,
radios, and compact disc players. She also likes to clean,
and wants to work in a hotel.
In her free time she loves to listen to music by
her favorite artists, Janet Jackson and Puff Daddy.
By Abby West
Fifteen-year-old Jenel Byrd is preparing herself
for a life taking her work to the public, either as a choreographer or as an attorney.
The Harry S., Truman High School freshman has
been dancing since she was in kindergarten. She has taken
jazz, tango and ballet classes and has always liked dancing.
But the drama of the courtroom also appeals to
her.
“I like the debate and everything about the system,” she said.
Born in Harlem, she now lives with her mother,
stepfather and five siblings in the Bronx.
By Helene Gomez
Jennifer Hamilton has not yet decided on a career
goal but the 16-year-old does have a love for children and
music.
Ms. Hamilton, who is a sophomore attending
Evander Childs High School, also enjoys reading magazines such as Black Beat, Right On, and Word because
they all have to deal with music.
“I love music. My favorite artists are Cam’ron,
Chico Debarge, Ja Rule, and Method Man,” she said.
She feels that music sends out a message about
life in general. One song she explains is Super Man, sung
by Chico Debarge which is from his debut album. This song
talks about the daily struggles facing our teenagers lives
today. Chico Debarge also talks about how he got arrested
and went to jail.
In addition to loving music, Ms. Hamilton also
enjoys dancing. She has danced in many talent shows.
Ms. Hamilton’s mother recommended that she
should join The Black Media Foundation Summer 1999 Journalism Program because she is a good poetry writer and
loves to read.
Ms. Hamilton also loves children. They make her
laugh and she wants to be a good role model for them. Ms.
Hamilton has had experience working with kids in the past
as a baby-sitter and at a day camp.
“Children are fun to be with,” she said.
By Pedro Alfonso
Jovani Lopez, born in Manhattan, dreams of becoming a writer or a photographer. The 14-year-old Ms.
Lopez likes to write a lot and feels that she has the potential
to be a good writer in the future.
During her last year at I.S. 192, she completed many
Communication Arts projects for which she received high
grades. She basically writes about true stories that either
occurred in her life or the lives of her friends and family
member.
She is going into the ninth grade at Herbert H.
Lehman High School, where she plans to join the school
newspaper. Her favorite subject is Communication Arts,
and she dislikes Math.
She has three sisters and one older brother. Her
parents got divorce when she was 3-years-old.
By Okwuchi Anyanwu
Bronx native Kimberly Mays is well prepared for
her future as a software designer. She has been interested
in computers since she was 11-years-old. Since then she
knew that she would be involved in the world of computers
for a long time.
The amount of money that those in this field make
influenced her to choose this profession.
“I am interested in this field because it is very
lucrative,” said Kimberly.
Growing up, she also realized that computers were
going to be the backbone of America. She will be a senior
this fall at Cardinal Spellman High School. Ms. Mays plans
to enter computer training in college and maintain aboveaverage grades. However, this 16-year-old did not wait until
college to start her training. She took matters into her own
hands by tutoring herself in learning the basics of the computer.
The future software designer plans to attend the
University of New York to major in computer science. She
also wants to intern at computer companies to learn even
more about this field. One day she hopes to design software for Microsoft Inc.
By Santiago Alfonso
Nicole Nickelberry, who was born in Nyack, New
York, dreams of becoming a child psychologist.
Ms. Nickelbery wants to be able to help children
with their problems so they do not have to go through the
same things she did by having no one there for them. Ms.
Nickelbery is attending Richard Regreen High School,
which is a school for students to become teachers.
Her favorite subject is Science and Language Arts.
She lives with both of her mother, who is Indian, and her
father, who is Puerto Rican and Asian. She also said that
she gets along with her grandmother. She lives in the
Parkchester section of the Bronx, having moved there when
she was a few months old.
By Kimberly Mays
Fifteen year old Okwuchi Anyanwu, a resident of
the Bronx, is an aspiring advertising executive. This incoming junior at St. Catherine’s High School is fascinated by
the media and is interested in expressing her ideas to people.
She plans to reach out to people who are already in the
advertising business and obtain as much knowledge as
possible about that field from them. However, she wasn’t
always attracted to the advertising business.
Ms. Anyanwu first became interested in the advertising business about a year ago by watching television and seeing how the media influenced society. Conveying ideas to people through the media intrigued her.
She also wants to be a advertising executive because she
likes the salary that they earn. Although she has such a
strong passion about advertising, she used to want to be a
lawyer. However, she decided that law was not right for her
because there was too much research and debate involved.
She plans to obtain her goal by having good connections with people and having them share their experiences with her so that she can learn as much as possible
about the advertising business. But her ultimate goal is to
become the head of her own advertising company.
10
NYCE ‘99
POETRY
The Queen
By Crystal Hamilton
M IN O
RITY RECORD LABELS
Starting a minority record label can
be hard but those who succeed say that the
struggles are worth it.
Kay Gibbs, chief executive officer
of Ill The Noise Productions in Bronx, NY,
said that because the record industry is a
predominately white business, it was hard
on her as an African-American.
“They love us as performers but
they fear us business-wise,” said Gibbs.
Gibbs started her own company
three years ago after having been a singer
for seven years. She has signed five artists
to her label, one R &B group and three solo
artists. It was not hard, she said.
“It’s just motivating yourself to do
it” that takes work, she said.
She also studied business management and performance art.
Most people think because she is
a woman she does know what she is talking
about and other people try to take credit for
her work. However, she tries to stay upbeat
and not get caught up in the negativity, she
said.
Minority record labels that have
made it big, like Bad Boy Entertainment, need
to be aware of their action and the image
they present, she said, because they represent minorities in the industry.
Scott Lee, CEO of record produc-
tion company
Character Productions in Manhattan,
agrees that it was not
hard to start his company but it
takes a lot of effort to make it work. It was
something that he has always had a lot of
passion for and always wanted to do.
Lee, who is African-American,
found that other record label executives did
not believe he could do the job because he
was black. While they appreciate the music
and its potential for sales, but they are afraid
to try to new things.
Lee, who graduated from Harvard
University, has been in the music business
for three years and works with a lot of other
minority companies, such as Motown
Records and Bad Boy Entertainment. Mainstream labels will give his company money
to produce other artists for them. He has
signed seven artists, some whom are R & B
groups Milestone and VA and singer
Tyrese.
Lee has found that minority labels
have their own different style of music and
each want to put their own brand of music
out.
Gibbs’ advice to young people
who aspire to start their own label is to learn
everything they can about the music business.
As important as that knowledge
is, Lee believes it is just as important to
stay motivated. His advice to young people
is to not let anyone put them down.
“If there is a will, there is a way,”
said Lee.
The black queen that I am
A long life of freedom
Taking away my freedom.
My soul can’t be free.
It is a manifestation of priority.
Many things that the white man came and took from me.
They did not rape my soul.
Life long of pain
Only the one thing they did not take,
Back when I was a manifestation of my self
With knowledge of the white man’s words,
Was my love.
They can whip my body.
They can’t hurt my soul
They can hurt me with their lies of how we are savage’s living in an empty
land
Or how many times they rape the ones we love.
They can hurt me with their words
But still,
Like air,
I rise to the highest mountain,
To the lowest valley
But my soul will never rest.
Why?
It’s just a manifestation of my life.
By Crystal Hamilton, AKA Unique
MOVIE REVIEW
General’s
Daughter
By Nicole Nickelberry
Emilio is Studio Engineer who was working on a track for recording
group, Destiny’s Child.
“The General’s Daughter,” directed by Simon West, was an unpredictable drama that kept me on the edge of my
seat.
This film is a whodunit about the
brutally murdered daughter of a general.
The dead girl, played by Elizabeth
Campbell, is seen as perfect in the eyes of
her father, played by James Cromwell, she
is perfect. But behind the scenes she is
promiscuously involved with many men.
Her body is found tied up, raped, and mutilated with no evidence of the killer.
John Travolta is the investigator sent out to put together the missing
pieces of the puzzle. Paired up with his
ex-girlfriend, played by Madeline Stowe,
Travolta goes to the daughters’ house
and finds pornographic tapes showing
her having intercourse with many military
men. As Travolta and Stowe begin to
question them all as possible suspects,
the mystery of her death begins to unfold. Now all they need to know is who
committed the murder. Along the way
they find out a lot of secrets about the
military.
This film was one of the best
movies John Travolta has done. To tell
the truth the previews did not appeal to
me much but I do not regret taking a
chance.
11
NYCE ‘99
By Crystal Hamilton and Helene Gomez
What’s Hot?
&
NIKES
Capris
Butterflies
Silver Jewelry
Teletubbies
Pink
Ricky Martin
Belly shirts
Men without
shirts
Cellular phones
Lexus
Twists
Beepers Are
What’s Not?
Out - Cells
Daisy Dukes
Gold Chains Are Out
Are In
Flowers
Gold
A Hot Afternoon In The Bronx
Barney
By Helene Gomez
Red
On a hot summer day in July on
Menudo
one corner in the Bronx, fans of Pepsi Cola
found the right people to quench their thirst.
Tee shirts
Brian Shannon, Tommy Carney and Joey
FREE
Mitulli were passing out free cans of Pepsi
on the corner of Jerome and 162 Street
Men with shirts One
and the local residents were flocking to
them.
Beepers
The men said they considered
themselves to be bringing “harmony to the
Camry
diet versus cola” drinkers.
Locals were feeling the harmony
and
bringing
boxes and bags to be filled
Shirley temple
with the fee cans of soda.
When people hear free they come
Curls
running. There was even a 5-year-old running across the street from around the block.
Just for a can of soda on a hot day.
1999 NEW YORK CITY EDITION
TEEN SUICIDE
By Santiago Alfonso
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among teenagers. The suicide rate for children
10- to 14-years-old has more than
doubled over the last 15 years,
according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The
suicide rate for young black males,
15-24, has risen by two-thirds in
the last 15 years.
Ninety percent of adolescent suicide victims have at least
one diagnosable, active psychiatric illness at the time of death most often depression, substance
abuse, and conduct disorders.
Over 60 percent of all people who
commit suicide suffer from major
depression.
Ms. Salerno, a counselor
from P.S. 14 in
District 8, said
an important
thing to do
with a teenager who is
considering
suicide is to
show them
how to deal
with problems,
such as the
loss of a loved
one or a family member. She has to
be aware of what is going on with
the students so that she can tell
her superior what she suspects is
troubling a teenager.
Suicide in youth often
occurs after the victim has gotten
into some sort of trouble or has
experienced recent disappointment and rejection, according to
the Foundation.
Ms. Salerno attempts to
help them
get over the
loneliness,
helplessness, and
hopelessness that
may come
with losing
someone.
She talks to
teenagers,
listens to their problems, and tries
to help them build their self-esteem
so that they are not easily influenced into taking drugs or alcohol. Teens who feel good about
themselves, will take care of their
minds and bodies by doing the
right thing, said Ms.
Salerno.
There are
many signs indicating
that teens are about to
commit suicide. Some
possible warning
signs are quietness, or
just not acting like
themselves. This can
suggest that something is wrong with
their personality and
their feelings.
But sometimes you can
not tell that something is wrong.
A 14-year-old girl, who killed herself in the bathroom of Lehman
High School last April, is described as having been a very
strong pupil.
“She did not reach out to
the school,” said Byron Moss,
principle of the Herbert H. Lehman
High School. “Seek help when the
point comes where you can’t help
yourself.
Over 32,000 people in the
United States kill themselves every year and according to 1.4% of
all deaths, suicide is the 9th leading cause of death in the US A
person commits suicide about every 15 minutes in the US and it is
estimated that an attempt is made
once a minute.
NEW ABORTION LAW
FOR PARENTS AND TEENS
By Kimberly Mays
New Jersey’s recent approval of a
bill that would require teenage girls under
18 to notify their parents before having an
abortion has continued discussion on the
controversial topic of abortions for pregnant teens.
Those in favor of parental notification and consent laws claim that these
laws restore the rights of parents over their
children’s upbringing. They also suggest
that since parental permission is required
for many other things, such as receiving an
aspirin at school, consent should be required for a major medical procedure like an
abortion.
Opponents argue that such laws
violate a minor’s right to privacy. They allege that some teens will not seek out assistance, counseling, and health care if they
have to inform their parents.
Under the New Jersey bill, passed
in July, a parent or legal guardian must be
notified 48 hours before the abortion is to
take place. The teenager may still have the
abortion because this law would not require
parental consent. However, a minor can ask
a Superior Court judge to waive the parental notification if she is in an abusive situa-
tion with her legal guardian or notification
is not in her best interests. Doctors can be
fined up to $5,000 if they violate the law.
In the United States, there are at
least thirty states that require teenagers to
notify their parents or get their parents permission before having an abortion, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, which
advocates reproductive choice. In half of
those states, a teenage girl must have her
parent’s consent before having an abortion.
In the rest of those states, she must notify
at least one of her parents.
However, two states and the District of Columbia have laws that allow minors to consent to an abortion without the
involvement of their parents. The remainders of the states, including New York State,
do not have any laws concerning parental
involvement to obtain an abortion.
Councilwoman
Madeline
Provenzano, of the 13th district, believes
that there probably will not be a law like
that in New York State any time soon.
Supporters of parental consent affirm strongly that parental involvement is
beneficial to teenagers. Jeanne Head, the
director of Right to Life, an anti- abortion
organization, stated that the number of adolescent pregnancies is lower because of this
legislation. She does not believe that these
laws infringe on the rights of teens because
teens are not responsible enough to make
significant health care decisions and they should
be supported by a parent
or legal guardian.
Head says that
notifying parents will not
prevent teens from getting
prenatal care but might deter them from having an
abortion. An abortion allows the teens to “relinquish responsibility”
rather than gain it, she
said.
Migham Clark,
an intern at right to life, believes that this
decision affects the teen’s family as well.
These laws do not enhance the rights of
parents but “acknowledge the rights parents already have,” she said.
Opponents of such laws also have
strong arguments. Mrs. Provenzano, believes that laws passed to prohibit minors
from having an abortion without parental
consent are too impersonal because each
person’s family situation is different. She
also says that the number of abortions performed on teens probably wouldn’t change
because of such legislation.
Kris Kim, a spokesperson for
Planned Parenthood, stated that there
should not be laws to legislate communication between parents and teens. Planned
Parenthood encourages teens to include
their parents in their decision. However, she
explains, some teens are in situations that
makes it impossible to involve their parents.
These teens may prefer to go to another
adult such as an aunt or grandparents. Other
teens may be in an abusive relationship with
their parents.
Parental notification or consent is
harmful to teenagers and infringes on their
right to privacy.
Planned Parenthood believes that
teens should make the ultimate decision of
whether or not to have an abortion. When
asked if teens are capable of making important healthcare decisions, she said, “teens
are smarter and thoughtful than politicians
give them credit for.”