Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
Let's Make America Better!
I am a single mother with a five-month-old son. I recently was asked to leave a shelter we were staying at because it (the program) didn't work with my work schedule. Now I'm forced to sleep in a car with my son. During this time, I've noticed how no one cares about you truly nor will bend over backwards for you unless you're a relative, blood, or have known for a while. There is no more hospitality in America! I'm a hard worker and would lose sleep to do whatever it takes, but no matter what happens, I have no one that has my back but myself. I have so-called friends and once knowing my situation, knowing I'm with child now, I still can't get a helping hand. I just want to make a better life for my son. All I know is when I do become successful and I see a girl in the same situation as me, I'm going to make sure I give them a safe place and support so they can get back on their feet and be the person they're meant to be! Living in America is so sad now and I hate to say I'm American. Babies are on the street in your backyard, yet what are we doing about it? Oh, but quick to complain to change a law because someone disrespected you. America is so messed up and I'm ashamed of it.
By LaRaina Lewis8 years ago in The Swamp
The Problem With Social Media and Politics
We live in a new modern world where some grade schools offer coding classes and social media is checked right after waking up in the morning. Technology has grown so fast in the past decade that it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with all the change. With anything new, there are bound to be negative impacts on society. While social media is an amazing tool used for connections and interactions, it can also be a place where people can spread hatred while being anonymous.
By Ashlyn Harper8 years ago in The Swamp
Trump's Faux Pas
As Trump's Presidency has unfolded, I watched and continue to watch and read about the distress the divide his Presidency has deepened in America. Or as some say, 'Murica.' I have also read as quite a few of his voters lamented, during news interviews, about their choice to vote for him. Why would they? Just because of his promises about improving healthcare, his promises of beating job losses abroad, and they all became broken promises as their hometowns continue to suffer the tariff wars. Never mind that so many white American women have become too comfortable in smacking innocent teenage black boys at public swimming pools or calling the police when a black family is innocently barbecuing. For me, President Trump is like every kid who bullied me as a kid, who taunted me with racist slurs, the men who sexually harassed me later, and even still do today, and who feel a sense of entitlement that turns ugly at my rejection; they are all rolled up into one guy who has been voted into the President's office. Fortunately, the #MeToo movement has come a long way in such a short time. Ebony Magazine did an interview with Tarana Burke, who founded #MeToo for her movement in 2007 to reach sexual assault survivors in underprivileged communities. Since Alyssa Milano has brought a light to the catchphrase, now it's EVERYWHERE! All are survivors of sexual harassment and abuse. Otherwise, I never even would have heard of it, or its roots! Right on, to both women! Sadly, most people forgot who Donald Trump is.
By Lady Sunday8 years ago in The Swamp
When Coffee Was a Dime
The world when coffee was a dime seems so distant now. The turbulence of the times mirrors much of the events that occurred almost like it was 86 years ago. Even though much has changed, much remains reminiscent of the times when coffee was a just a dime. In the 1930s, the world was filled with so much despair, woe, and misery. Sadly though, history always has found a way to repeat events that have played out before. And today the times are not that much different for millions when all you needed was a dime for that cup of coffee.
By Dr. Williams8 years ago in The Swamp
Trump and The LGBT Lie
If there's one thing that Trump can be counted on for, it’s lying and not keeping his word. Has this man kept his word on anything that he promised during the 2016 Presidential campaign? Mexico isn’t paying for the wall, the trade war that he initiated has hurt the very people he swore to protect, and he has the most anti-LGBT administration in more than 30 years. Remember that moment during the Republican National Convention when he swore that he would be a strong advocate for the gays? According to former press secretary, Sean Spicer, it was lip service to make sure he was handed the nomination.
By Edward Anderson8 years ago in The Swamp
America, I'm Looking for You
This is an open letter to America. I am looking for you, we all are. As a child I admired America and I was proud to be American. Over the last few years that feeling has greatly diminished and I am left with the feeling of sadness and loss. I am 26 years old and have lived here my entire life. As a child I watched the world around me with a light in my eye. I had role models who had high moral standards, Presidents who had common sense, and a sense of safety that I feel I will never feel again in my own country. I am not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way America forgot who she is. She forgot what she stands for and what she stands against. I, at 26 years old, am watching my great country fall apart. Everyday there are stories of senseless acts of violence being committed in our country against one another because of the color of someone’s skin, their religion, and their sexuality, all things that we are either born with. We cannot continue to hurt each other. We have enemies in too many other countries for us to turn on one another. This new “normal” in America: It is “normal” to be afraid to go to public places because you don’t know who will yell disgusting language at you or potentially harm you. We are afraid to send our children to school for fear that a gunman may take their lives. We are afraid to be our true selves for fear of being outcast. When did this happen? When did we forget what America stands for? When did we forget how to be DECENT human beings? That Golden Rule we were all taught as CHILDREN has been forgotten. Instead of people taking accountability for their actions we now allow people to make excuse, we EXCUSE the behavior because someone has had a hard life, or because they can afford to pay off whoever makes the consequences. And what is worse is that instead of us holding the PERSON accountable, we look at their race, their religion, their political association, or where they came from and we judge them based on that. We blame their behavior on those things instead of the many other things that really contributed to their behavior. Sounds like the news, right? But unlike the news, politicians and celebrities, I understand that this is ALL our faults. What everyone fails to see is that this isn’t a Democrat vs. Republican issue, or a Black vs. White issue, this is a HUMAN issue. We all share one thing in common: WE ARE HUMAN. We all hurt, bleed, cry, get angry, say horrible things, and lash out but we have forgotten that we are only HUMAN. I turn on the news daily and it’s always the same rhetoric. No one is trying to solve the issue. Our president is not the issue—we all are. We can only control the way that we react and nothing else. This constant eye-for-an-eye behavior must stop. Someone must take a stand and say, "NO MORE." We will no longer behave in this ridiculous manner. We must stop pointing the finger and instead hold our hand out in hopes that the other side will reach out too. This is not the best that America has to offer and it’s not the worst, yet. If WE, and I mean everyone in America, does not put a stop to the intolerance, violence, and crude language that is being used to hurt one another, then, America: I am afraid we have lost you forever.
By Dominique Hansley8 years ago in The Swamp
The Nuclear Waste Problem
At our current level of technology, this planet doesn’t have a solid means of disposing of their nuclear waste. In the United States, this is a huge problem because we have primitive means of disposing of nuclear waste. Power plants use spent fuel pools and have to house nuclear waste until it is cool enough to be transferred to a more permanent storage facility. Another method for the disposal of nuclear waste is reprocessing or breaking down components such as plutonium. Scientists may see nuclear fuel sources as cleaner than fossil fuels but average people see this sort of energy use as dangerous.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in The Swamp
Why Are Companies Getting Rid of Plastic Straws? The Answer Shocked Me
If you’re anything like me, from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed you’re sipping on coffee, tea, or red wine. Try as I might, no amount of Crest Whitestrips can keep up with my drinking habits, so I often turn to straws to prevent my teeth from getting stained. However, thanks to non-profits like Plastic Oceans and Lonely Whale, straws might become much harder to find. Why? Well, apparently many of the straws we use and toss every single day end up polluting our seas. According to Plastic Oceans’s website, 8 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year—and this number is growing.
By Lily Hoffman8 years ago in The Swamp
