I Escaped San Bernardino’s School to Prison Pipeline

Now I'm Working To Dismantle It

As a teenager, I was the poster child for the school to prison pipeline. Yes, I was the smart girl, but I was the smart girl in trouble. I was the kid who was always in the principal’s office. However, because of strong mentors, I somehow managed to back out of the pipeline. And now, some years later, I’m applying what I learned about that process to my community of San Bernardino, where I’m working with friends and other concerned community members to run a nonprofit that dismantles the pipeline …

By La’Nae Norwood | October 19, 2016

Coming of Age Under a Flying Fortress

Being a Teenager in L.A. During World War II Meant Blackouts, Rations, and B-17 Bombers

By Manuel H. Rodriguez | August 11, 2016

That Sunday, as on most Sundays, the family was gathered around the kitchen table listening to the radio. It was too early in the day for drama and comedy programs …

Straight, No Chaser

By Patty Seyburn | July 22, 2016

All praise the juggling club
Their faux-bowling pins and unicycles
The glory of balance
The heptagon of grass they claim

You can sell pharmaceuticals
Or take them, or make them
Collide …

Do Israeli Teens Offer a Solution to Silicon Valley’s Pipeline Problem?

One of Israel’s Coolest After-School Programs Trains High Schoolers—Especially Girls—in Cybersecurity

By Josephine Wolff | July 8, 2016

Ilana Gutman “knew nothing about computers” three years ago when two soldiers visited her freshman high school class in Ashdod, a city in the south of Israel, and encouraged the …

How 10 Year Olds, Not Cops, Spearhead Gang Prevention in South L.A.

The Leader of Los Angeles’ Gang Reduction and Youth Development Tried to Avoid Giving At-Risk Kids a Common Enemy

By Jeff Carr | July 7, 2016

It seems counterintuitive, but it was one of the most important lessons I learned while leading Los Angeles’ Gang Reduction & Youth Development (GRYD) program in South L.A. and other …

Using Art to Help Undocumented Students Become More Visible, On Their Own Terms

A Poet’s Powerful Example Inspired Immigrant Students in South L.A. to Dream Bigger

By Ky-Phong Tran | July 7, 2016

For three years, I was a high school English teacher at 103rd Street and Broadway, the southernmost tip of South Los Angeles, a stone’s throw west of Watts. Many Californians …

youth