Editor’s Note: Today, Fresno City Council will be voting to decide the fate of the proposed Bus Rapid Transit project. If the City Council votes down the project they will send back $50 million in state and federal funds granted for the new system. Community members and advocates have joined together to show support for the project and it’s potential to bring better transportation access to many throughout the city. Fresno’s District 7 City Council Member Clint Olivier is currently opposed to the project. With one of the main BRT corridors planned to go through District 7, Letisha White wrote to her City Council Member to encourage his support for BRT, others in her district and youth throughout the city.
For more information: Fresno’s Bus Rapid Transit project
[/box_light]Dear Council Member Olivier,
My name is Letisha Diane White and I live in District 7. It is crucial for me and many people in my community that you vote Yes for the Bus Rapid Transit System. I am 18 years old and I attend Fresno City College. I rely on the bus to get me to school and work in North Fresno. The bus system that we have now is not very dependable.
To start off, I have to leave my home two hours before my appointments just to make sure I make it on time. I take school and work very seriously and it is important that I am there on time. If I am tardy three times that can result in me losing that class, which could hinder my educational progress.
Currently, I lose time I could use on homework, better sleep and getting ready for my day because the FAX system takes so long. Because a bus ride takes so much longer than a car would, I can’t afford for the bus to be chronically late and undependable. With buses arriving every fifteen minutes BRT is guaranteed to get us where we need to go on time. Although you might not see the value in the BRT system, it has the potential to help many in our community.
A huge number of Fresno bus riders are youth. Unfortunately, many young people only have the bus system to rely on for transportation. Many adolescents don’t have the steady income to afford a car or even gas during these times, so we are appreciative of the buses. We understand the problem is not with the bus drivers but with the bus system. We are a generation who are trying to make something of our lives. We are currently on our way, so we attend city colleges and work part-time jobs with minimum wages. We need a bus system that supports us in striving to achieve our goals and contribute to making Fresno better. We are the community. We would like to see a change in the system. Council Member Olivier, I live in your district. I am aware of the problems in our community and what we can do to make it better. Please do not pass on this opportunity to help the community because the new bus system BRT will do just that.
Sincerely,
Letisha Diane White
Fresno, CA 93727
In 2006, over 25 youth began participating in weekly after-school writing workshops where they congregated in the hallway of a two-story building in West Fresno and learned the essentials of creating media and telling their stories. The group evolved over the next five years and is now proudly recognized as The kNOw Youth Media.
Through our program, we create opportunities for our youth participants, who in turn create long-term positive change in their communities. Our approach weaves youth development and youth media innovation to produce our biannual youth publication, multimedia projects, and community forums.
The kNOw began as a project of New America Media, which was the country’s first and largest national collaboration and advocate of 2000 ethnic news organizations. In 2018 The kNOw became a project of Youth Leadership Institute.
