Between the dark and the daylight, when the night is begining to lower, comes a pause in the day's occupation, that is known as the children's hour. H. W. Longfellow Evening in Balboa Park in San Diego marks the beginning of a different children's hour- a time when homeless children move off the streets to find a "spot" for [...]
They were nearing the end of practice when Gabriela mouthed the words, “I’ve got a secret!” She was absolutely bursting with pleasure, and Ann knew the walk home would be better than ever. “So what’s the secret?” “You have to promise not to tell.” Ann crossed her heart. “My father is getting a new job and we’re moving to [...]
Casa Cornelia’s Development office is about as far away from a courtroom as you can get, so when Rose suggested I attend an asylum hearing, I was thrilled. My assignment was to sit in the courtroom and take notes. “Don’t show any emotion, no matter what happens,” Rose warned. “If you feel your emotions start to well-up, just look [...]
Kamel* is an Afghanistan native who, opposing the Taliban, has endured significant danger during his life in his home country. He believes the Taliban’s ideology is oppressive and refuses to support their regime. This led to him being persecuted and twice having to seek refuge. During the Taliban’s rule in the nineties, Kamel was targeted and imprisoned. He was [...]
Gabriela* is a Mexican-born woman with two children and a long-standing history of physical and psychological abuse. Growing up, she witnessed domestic violence from her father against her mother and was often even on the receiving end of his abuse. Gabriela left Mexico at the age of 15, fleeing from the abuse and hoping for a better life for [...]
Ismael coordinated the distribution of donated bikes and backpacks to our young clients over the holiday season. I have worked in social services for over 30 years serving in a range of roles from community organizer, direct service provider, counselor, group facilitator, teacher and program administrator. My life journey and purpose in life has always been to [...]
Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month When I think about what it means to be AANHPI, the first thing that comes to mind is representation. Often, I internalize the pressure of being the spokesperson for an entire race or ethnicity, and that can bring a variety of mixed feelings. First, is that of nervousness, anxiety, and intimidation. Questions [...]
When he was five years old, Jonathan’s* father abandoned his family, eventually finding another wife and starting a new family in the United States. Back in El Salvador, his mother struggled to support her three children on her own, but she did everything she could. “My mom made sure we went to school and helped with homework,” Jonathan says. [...]
