Rave’n DaJon Coleman
Philadelphia, Pa.

After the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6, Donald Trump is still the talk of the nation. He didn’t sink or rise. Trump was his usual self onstage: controversial, somewhat serious, and hilarious. When Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly questioned Trump about his past comments describing women as “fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals,” he interrupted her by saying, “Only Rosie O’Donnell.” The crowd loved it.

Going into the debate I believed that Trump was a legitimate candidate. Now I have a bolder statement to make: Trump will win the Republican presidential nomination. Continue reading →

Jeannie Regidor
Miami, Fla.

Cuba’s troubled relationship with the United States has been playing out like a bad movie for a long time. It’s been 55 years since 1960, the year America placed a trade embargo on the island, and 56 years since 1961, the year all diplomatic relations ended. Now the plot of the movie has taken a dramatic turn, with President Obama’s July 1 announcement that the U.S. and Cuba are restoring relations with each other. In the wake of the announcement, the Cuban immigrant community in Miami is torn about whether to celebrate — and with good reason, because there are strong arguments on both sides.

Miami’s Cuban community is made up largely of those who have fled the Castro regime over the decades. The regime left many people in poverty, except the very elite, and imprisoned anyone who opposed it. Continue reading →

Doris Rodriguez
Miami, Fla.

We are in the midst of a fight for civil rights. The abrupt killings of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and other unarmed black men have caused mass outrage. This summer, a massacre at a historic black church in Charleston made it clear that there is still much progress to be made. A Confederate flag flying near South Carolina’s capitol also highlighted that despite many advancements, symbols of racism have become ingrained in our everyday lives.

In July, protesters forced South Carolina to remove the flag. But many other streets, libraries, and even our currency, undeservedly honor historical figures that implemented racist policies. If we want to progress as a nation, we shouldn’t stop at removing the Confederate flag — we should reconsider the names of our schools. Continue reading →

Christina Gaspar
Oceanside, Calif.

Donald Trump started his surprisingly successful presidential campaign by pointing a finger at Mexico. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” he said. “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime. They’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people,” Trump argues that building a wall, paid by Mexico, would stop the influx of immigrants.

Mexican immigrants moved in large numbers toward the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. Of course, Mexican immigrants still continue to migrate, but now in smaller numbers. In the past few years most immigrants crossing the U.S. border with Mexico have been from other Central American countries. Continue reading →