Where I'm From

I am from the 510

The city f the Raiders

Where everybody goes dumb !

I am from Oakland,

the GHETTO full of Gangbangers

I am from Oakpark,

2600 Murder Dubbs,

Where many people have fun

and get along in the apartment.

I am from a family of 5,

Where there is many Laughters

Love, and DELICIOUS TRADITIONAL CAMBODIAN FOODS

I am from a family of Cambodians

who have overcome the Khmer Rouge

to the United States... and made me

what I am today... an intelligen, brave, fearless, and

Brilliant teenager ! :)

Liberation from Violence

Our school can gain liberation from these forms of oppression by making a conflict group with all mixed grades. Another way we can reach liberation is by getting each people in the United States to try and make people in the U.S. volunteer at places that they would like to help out at. One Way we can make them volunteer is have their schools try their best to ask the students and parents to have their kids volunteer so that their kids volunteer. So that they could get off the streets for good. One last form we can liberate ourselves is, as a resident in Oakland we should all come together and talk about the violence in Oakland.

Expo Oppression Journal

    Prescriptions that are commonly heard are, “Ima beat that him so hard that the he wouldn’t be able to catch his breathe”. Another prescription is , “Oakland is a very violent place, don’t live there you might get beat up, robbed, or killed”. But actually Oakland is not that violent, it’s just the ghetto, some part of Oakland that is violent. Everybody there are all humans, we’re not animals we’re just like you, we won’t bite. It just depends if you did something wrong, if you’re in the wrong place or if you’re wearing the wrong color. The system of violence is oppressive because people get hurt in any kinds of forms as I had said earlier. Violence restricts people’s lives because they might have 6 more years, a day, 6 weeks or hours to live because they might be caught up in violence.

College For All

“Jeff, when I past away, I want you to take care your grandma, aunts, uncles, mom & dad. I want you to have a good education and be something wealthy. I trust you, you’ll be something successful in the future, I lo...”, my grandfather said to me as he was struggling through death. Those were the last things he had said to me, he didn’t even get to finish the whole sentences. Since that night, I’ve been persevering to get a very good education, to fulfill everything my grandfather had told me. When he was alive, he always ells me the struggles about life, Oakland, but he mostly tells me things about education. I remembered one day when I was in the car with my dad, when taking me to school. He told me that when he was at Cambodia, he was good at being a doctor, but when he came down here in California, he never had the possibility to be a doctor because he had to finish college here too. But he didn’t have the time to because he needed money real quick for food, for himself, his mom, and his 2 brother.         

I love my family, my families are one of a kind. They’re caring, trustworthy, humorous, courteous,& just lovable. My families will no matter what, help you in any positions you’re in, it doesn’t to them who you are as long as you’re surviving or living in this world knowing that someone here cares about you. One time, we saw 2 homeless people on the streets with a sign for money and my uncle,dad,grandma,gave them $10 each, so it was $30 for each of the homeless peoples. My family all wants me to go to college, not a normal community college, a University college. My family are very caring for me and every other people, except for them ignorant ones.  Some opportunities that have been available for me in school are the Student Site Leadership Team(SSLT) and Peer Health Education(PHE). Student Site Leadership Team helps me to be a Leader, help other people in the communities that are in needs, and the students that need help at our school. Peer Health Education is helping me to get ready for High-School and College, so that I can be successful in the future.  One major issue confronting my family is the gang violence that was happening in my family, from my dad’s side. The gang violence was increasing even more, the gang they we’re in was a Crip gang, their gang was none as the Asian Street Walker, ASW. I never wanted my family to end life like this and I also had to keep my family safe, to live life with no situations that would make their lives miserable. So, as soon as I heard about the gang I immediately did what I was told to by my grandfather. I went up to them and I said that if they would join or make any gang at all, just get the F*** out of my life, because I don’t have any family member like you guys. So, I left and then they quickly was like okay that’s it the gang is over, but some of them we’re still in there and I don’t never seen them since that. I’ve changed from that day, I begin to get more serious about life and always making sure my families are very safe and is not doing anything wrong, AT ALL !     

The reason why I had decided to do what I had done was because of my grandfather, he’s the reason for this family, so I just wanted to take the place where he had stopped at and continue it. My grandfather just want the best in us, and just want us to live free and enjoy the happiness that you have for this time until you die. College right now is very important, I want to get a very education, not just because of my grandfather had said I also want to take the spot where my grandfather had stop, and only 2-3 people in my family went to college. So, I want to be the first to finish my education at a University college.       

College means a successful future, life, and a healthy family to me because if I get the opportunity to got to college I could be working in a job that I could earn a very huge profit and be able to feed my family. It will be the best of me and my family, and I know if my grandfather was still alive today, he’ll be very proud of me of what I’ve done.

Liberty is Mine ! By; Jeffrey Koeng

A fist in the air was seen

rising like the sun

the shackles are broken

so I am freed

I am alive and I believe

I believe there are words like freedom

sweet and wonderful to say

on my heartstrings freedom sing

all day

No more bars and no more darkness

full of joy and happiness

no one to control me

I am finally emancipated

A fist in the air was always seen

rising like the sun

beaming down on me

I am now independent

I believe in my own liberty

and that’s what I will receive !

 

I do believe !