Spotlight on Girl Rising/Motivos Art & Writing Contest Winners

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By Anayeli Tapia, 11th grade, Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School, Philadelphia, PA

Care Love Kindness Happiness These are things I’ll never get to know

Education Something I won’t be able to understand

Fun and games Stuff I’ll never get to enjoy

WHAT?!

They are limiting a child who can make a difference, a change in our world. They are taking away their rights as if they aren’t even human. In their master’s eyes, they aren’t even children. But slaves who only deserve one plate of food…if that.

WHAT WILL WE DO?

We can’t just sit here and do nothing about it. Raise awareness so everyone knows about this! Let others know what’s going on in our sick and twisted world. Let these girls know that there is hope for them and they aren’t alone.

Free them! Let them enjoy their own lives! They are kids!! They should be able to go to school and learn, and understand what we understand. Let’s not be blind,

TAKE ACTION!

Independence

By Karyme Font, freshman, The Pennsylvania State University, Abington, PA

Independence has always been used to describe me.

An independent girl. A girl who knows what she wants And works hard to get it.

But independence has a whole new meaning now Then when I first heard it

Independence was doing things by myself And succeeding at it.

But now independence is The dependence of others. Thinking of those that depend on me Before I think about myself.

They tell me this is the struggle of First Gen students. Independence with dependence and expectation.

I don’t know if it gets easier But I must overcome it. It’s what I’ve been taught. As a First Gen, it is my duty.

So many loose ends Frayed And slightly battered. But within the struggle there is Power and Beauty.

Power and Beauty in the discovery of The meaning of independence and strength, Who I am, And the woman I want to be.

Chin up Shoulders back. I’m ready.

Watercolor Dancer. “I feel most free when I dance.” ~Gianna Padilla Painting by Gianna Padilla, freshman, Arcadia University, Glenside, PA

What it took to get here

By Eliot Olaya, 2021 graduate, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

There are labors of love before you Paths to walk People who will talk And doors already held open But it wasn’t always this way

Of paths not taken Of words unspoken And doors unopened Pushed against by many hands And you will change it too one day

To smooth the path you have taken To speak the words not yet spoken To find new doors Closed and not yet open And from behind you They will follow And say “Freedom”

My Mother’s Teachings

By Fiorenza Petrozzi, 11th grade, Lower Merion SD, Lower Merion, PA

She won’t turn down her voice to match the tone of your liking. Her choice of pastime will not be the one you chose, Because she is no longer held hostage by the expectations of her country. Her native land will always be crucial to her identity regardless of her experiences, Although the restrictions that were put upon her will on no account be missed. She solely carved her own path in her country, A country overflowing with assumptions for a Latina woman.

My mother fought for the sake of her freedom, in hopes of improving freedom for later generations. With her teachings, I am aware that, “Those who wish to sing… will always find a song.”

Las enseñanzas de mi madre

No baja la voz para dar el tono de tu gusto. El pasatiempo de su elección no será el tuyo, porque ya no está cautiva de las expectativas de su país. Su tierra natal siempre será crucial para su identidad, más allá de sus experiencias, aunque las restricciones que le impusieron nunca serán olvidadas. Ella sola se labró un camino en su tierra, un país desbordado de prejuicios para una mujer latina.

Mi madre luchó por su libertad, con la esperanza de una libertad mayor para las generaciones siguientes. Con sus enseñanzas, sé que “quienes deseen cantar… siempre hallarán una canción”.

Has Changed Freedom La libertad ha cambiado

By Trent Randle Por Trent Randle

Freedom. Libertad. Depending on where you are and who you are, it can hold many different meanings, such as a good job opportunity or a chance to speak out about the injustice in the world. For some, just being alive in good company is enough. All too often, however, freedom and the chance at obtaining it are being taken away.

At the time of writing this, some of my Motivos friends live in the same state—nearly the same city—as the location of a recent mass shooting. Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and multiple other places have seen lives and freedoms taken. I, being an African American male, historically know about the struggles of the living. What I don’t know is how we can free ourselves from this senseless violence that increased its pace during the pandemic.

Every day is a blessing. In 2020, there were 19,384 gun murders in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center—the highest number of murders since 1968. Nearing the end of 2022, I fear what that number may become. I start all my prayers by praying for my friends, family, and loved ones, those who are here and those who are not. I worry that some of those I care about the most may see their final days sooner than expected. I surely know that I don’t want to see a massive shooting occur near me.

Freedom isn’t what it used to be. There is, in a way, too much freedom; freedom of crime, freedom of hate and hate speech, freedom of downright bias and disrespect towards one another. I, for one, respect the older ideals of freedom: that we can learn together, exist together, and love together. Through being a part of the team that creates Motivos magazine and engaging in the Motivos Media Mentorship Program, I have been exposed to more loving stories and ways to help spread positive awareness about issues worldwide than I ever was in school.

The freedom we have is to choose. To learn. To grow. Not to commit crimes and end the lives of others, but to uplift those around us and be good people. You are free to do what you wish, and since not everyone in the world will see this, it may not shed light enough on these painful topics to stop them. But if nothing else, I want you to know that your Motivos familia cares about freedom and sends love to you all.

Libertad. Freedom. Según dónde estés y quién seas, puede tener muchos significados diferentes. Puede representar una buena oportunidad de empleo o la posibilidad de hablar sobre las injusticias del mundo. Para algunos, solo estar vivos y en buena compañía es suficiente. Con demasiada frecuencia, sin embargo, la libertad y su mera posibilidad están siendo arrebatadas. Al momento de escribir esto, algunos de mis amigos de Motivos viven en el mismo estado (casi en la misma ciudad) donde hace poco se produjo un tiroteo masivo. Maryland, Pensilvania, Nueva York y muchos otros lugares han sido testigos del arrebato de vidas y libertades. Yo, como varón afroamericano, conozco la historia de la lucha de los que viven. Lo que no sé es cómo podemos librarnos de esta violencia sin sentido que se aceleró durante la pandemia. Cada día es una bendición. Según el Pew Research Center, en 2020 hubo 19.384 asesinatos con armas de fuego en los Estados Unidos, la mayor cantidad desde 1968. A mediados de 2022, me preocupa adónde puede llegar ese número. Comienzo todas mis plegarias orando por mis amigos, familiares y seres queridos, los que están aquí y los que no. Me preocupa que las personas que más me importan puedan ver sus últimos días antes de lo esperado. Sé con certeza que no quiero que ocurra un tiroteo masivo cerca de mí. La libertad ya no es lo que solía ser. Hay, en cierto modo, demasiada libertad; libertad de delinquir, libertad de odiar y discursos de odio, libertad de parcialidad absoluta y falta de respeto hacia los demás. Yo, por mi parte, respeto los antiguos ideales de libertad: que podamos aprender juntos, existir juntos y amar juntos. Como parte del equipo que hace la revista Motivos y participando del Programa de Tutorías de Medios de Motivos, me he expuesto a historias de amor y formas de ayudar a difundir una conciencia positiva sobre los problemas del mundo más que nunca en la escuela. La libertad que tenemos es la de elegir. Aprender. Crecer. No para cometer delitos y terminar con la vida de los demás, sino About the Author para aportar a quienes nos rodean y ser buenas personas. Trent Randle is a writer, poet, Eres libre de hacer lo que quieras, social justice advocate and aspiring y dado que no todo el mundo verá motivational speaker. He joined the esto, puede que no eche sobre Motivos editorial team mid 2020. estos dolorosos temas la suficiente Trent started practicing mindfulness luz para detenerlos. Pero al menos and meditation in 2017 and has quiero que sepan que nuestra been dubbed ‘The Mindful Poet’ by familia de Motivos se preocupa his peers. por la libertad y les envía amor a todos ustedes. Photography by Kayla Rosario, junior, Community Academy Charter School, Philadelphia, PA

Freedom By Kylee Padilla, 9th grader, Maritime Academy Charter School; Aaliyah Denofa, 8th grader, Tacony Academy Charter School; and

Jenevie Diaz, 7th grader, Community Academy of Philadelphia Charter School

“Our poem is a three-voice poem, showing the three perspectives of different races and what they go through. This is our perspective of freedom.”

Puerto Rican: I don’t have their hair color. White: Look who’s trying to be black with those braids. Mixed: Heat damage on top of heat damage, the discrimination after braids. All: I have a voice.

Puerto Rican: How can you not handle heat, all Puerto Ricans can handle this type of heat. White: I’m held back because of the past. Mixed: Mixed lives create lies; in the past, there was little of my kind. All: I need to be heard.

Puerto Rican: How are you Puerto Rican if you can’t speak Spanish? White: I can’t play fight without being called “Massa.” Mixed: Yes, I am mixed. Why can’t you understand? All: I WISH WE COULD TAKE EACH OTHER’S PAIN.