Category: New York City

Make More Noise for Yourself

Inequality and racism affect mental health because they create additional challenges for people in poor communities and communities of color. Many people have to live with being unemployed and being shot at or arrested by the police. I have had to struggle with these things, and it broke me down mentally countless times. I have fought to overcome these obstacles, but it has been hard, and not everyone has the resources to fight back.

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Bank Robbery

I was on my way to the bank around 9:30 a.m. The traffic on the road caused me to arrive later than I planned. As I entered the bank and looked around, I realized that I would have to stand in line for the entire day. There were only two clerks on duty and a long line of customers. After I stood there for about an hour, my feet started to hurt. A male customer, who was third in line, was on his phone, texting and taking notice of his surroundings. It was his time to approach the clerk.

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Rotisserie Chicken

Gregory came to the United States in 1979. Having a difficult and deprived childhood in El Salvador made him realize that he wanted a better life. At the age of 17, he arrived in New York with his best friend, Marco. Nothing was easy for them. They found many barriers, including finding shelter and learning a totally new language, but their hopes of a better life and opportunities never stopped them from overcoming the challenges they encountered.

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Sincerely, from the Future

Dear Past Self,

Let me tell you about the excitement I felt when I looked down at the extravagant city lights from an airplane window on the day I arrived in New York. I was all by myself and felt relieved after the nerve-racking immigration inspection in Minneapolis and catching my connecting flight to LaGuardia. I broke into a smile once I saw that my husband had come to pick me up. I could hardly speak English at that time, so I have no idea how I got through everything.

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