Dear Sam,
Is it okay if I call you Sam? I hope so. I took the initiative to do so because we are now both members of one of the most closely-knit communities in the world, that of being a parent of a child with Down syndrome.
We face a lot together, us parents of children with Down syndrome. We strive to make the world more accepting of and inclusive toward our kids and the tribe they belong to. Towards this end, we share resources, we empathize with one another, we nurture each other and we guide.
When you left Armenia with your newborn son Leo, headed for the more supportive and disability-welcome pastures of your native New Zealand, you sought to raise $60,000. You wanted to be able to stay at home with him part-time. With your story going viral, you have since raised...
Lifestyle
Dear Governor Nathan Deal,
I know, I know. You're under the Gold Dome wheelin' and dealin' (pun intended) over some of our most vulnerable citizens including the elderly, the sick, and the undereducated. You're busy doing very important work! I just wanted to drop you a line about some things that, as a life-long citizen of Georgia, bothers me. I found it ironic that you spent the weekend lining your belly with pork at the annual "wild hog supper" just a day before beginning conversations about how laws and bloated bills will impact the wellbeing of our state. I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere but for the sake of time, I'll narrow the focus of this letter so you can get back to work.
Being that 2014 is an election year for you, sound bites and news clips of promises for...
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Dear Secretary Duncan:
The Civil Rights Project commends the U.S. Department of Education for recent changes to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) and for the public release of the 2009-10 school year data. In particular, CRP applauds the expansion of the data collected on school discipline to include referrals to law enforcement and school-based arrests, and state-operated juvenile detention facilities in the CRDC survey. The particular attention to disparities in school discipline, given by both Secretary Duncan and Assistant Secretary Ali in their public statements, illustrates large inequities in educational opportunities and points toward a great deal of work that needs to be accomplished by school districts and by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights.
The...
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Dear Mr. Arne Duncan,
To my displeasure I was told that my "EFC rate" was too high to receive enough federal funds to pay for college. My financial aid officer told me that I could apply for the Parent PLUS loan to pay for my remaining costs. I paced over to the computer located in our financial aid office to apply for the loan and less than 3=three minutes after, I read the words, "We regret to inform you". I knew there would be no help for me. I left very angry to my apartment located on campus and called a mentor from my hometown. He said, "Try using your grandmother as a parent to secure the loan since her income is significantly less than your mother's." I said "Yes, sir."
This time, I walked to financial aid with a smile on my face. I walked with all the information that I...
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Dear World Leaders,
Cc: Everyone else
There are moments in history that become turning points. In our view, 2015 will be such a moment. It is the most important year for global decision-making since the start of the new millennium.
We believe it's just possible that we could end 2015 with a new global compact -- an agreed pathway to a better, safer future for people and planet that will inspire all the citizens of the world. We can choose the path of sustainable development. Or we might not -- and regret it for generations to come. Which side of history will you be on?
There are millions of voices you can't afford to ignore -- the voices of the people you represent. They are voices of all ages from every corner of the planet - the voice of a young girl currently deprived an...
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You don't know me, and for your sake, you'd best hope and pray that you never have the misfortune to meet me.
How do I know who you are? Because the people at Animal Control gave me Cocoa's intake sheet. You know, the one you filled out. The one that said Cocoa was 12 years old and you'd had her all those years. The one that said you were moving to a pet-free apartment and couldn't take your faithful companion of 12 years. You know, the one that you said was a "sweet old girl -- a wonderful companion." The one that said you had limited funds.
Here's the thing. I'm deciding not to print your name here but you know who you are. I could call you a number of other names, none of which you'd like very much. When I saw Cocoa's picture on the Animal Control website -- when I saw that grey...
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Dear Care Provider,
I am not a number on a chart, a line copied from your medical textbook, nor a statistic that always fits into carefully written criteria. I am a human being with emotions, dreams, goals and a life outside of your small exam room. I am so much more than that diagnosis code you entered into your medical files. When you see me for those brief moments once a month, you seem to make such vast assumptions about my existence. You assert your opinion on my emotional ability to deal with my illness firmly, as if your perspective is the only possible truth. You ask me how I believe I am coping with my situation, to which I state my conviction, but you do not hear me. You have already written your opinion in my record and have already made your judgment even though my belief...
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Dear Pregnancy Body Pillow,
We had a rocky start. You were a hand-me-down, a second-class-citizen, cast aside by a good friend with a newborn. She was eager to return to belly-sleeping, so you got the swift boot. I was a skeptic, set in my pre-pregnancy sleep ways, but I had heard promising claims. I experimented with you in the glow of my first pre-natal weeks, before I truly needed you, and during our inaugural evening together I had the highest hopes. Unfortunately, we wound up wrestling until the wee morning hours when I kicked you out of bed, and there you remained, coiled on the floor gathering dust until I reached the beginning of my third trimester.
It was then I got word about the potential dangers of back-sleeping (turns out the vena cava is not a wine bar), and my belly...
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Dear Sisters; Dear Brothers,
Your reasons to cross the lands and seas to come to us may be justified for security reasons, economical reasons or simply familial reasons.
I understand.
I understand that you need the blanket of security that your home land cannot offer you at this moment.
I understand that you are hoping to make a more decent life for yourself and your family, albeit economically or educationally.
I understand that you want to be reunited with your families far from you.
I understand, because if I were in your shoes, I would want that too.
Immigrants in nowadays are sadly labeled by many derogative words. I am sorry that the people and some media have been harsh on you.
If it were up to me, nothing would prevent you from being a part of this new...
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Dear Incoming College Freshmen:
I know that I'm not the first one to tell you that you are embarking on one of the most exciting periods of your young lives. I know you're being bombarded with advice from everyone -- parents, teachers, older siblings, aunts, uncles, friends, etc. At times, it can be very overwhelming but bear with me as I throw some more wisdom onto the pile.
Moving into the dorm is both exciting and terrifying. On one hand, you're gaining the freedom and independence that you (probably) never had at mom and dad's house. On the other hand, everyone else in that dorm is gaining this same freedom for the first time. There will be roommate drama. There will be the crazy roommate that makes you want to tear your hair out. Learn to take it all in stride.
Once you've...
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