[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 11 (Friday, January 20, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S359-S360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, since 2010, I have sponsored a 
State of the Union essay contest for Vermont students. The contest, now 
in its 7th year, is an opportunity for Vermont's high school students 
to articulate what issues they would prioritize if they were President 
of the United States. A panel of Vermont teachers reviewed all of the 
essays submitted and selected the top 20.
  I would like to congratulate each and every finalist and to 
specifically acknowledge Quinn Nelson Mayo as this year's winner of the 
contest. I would also like to recognize Musa Mayange for placing second 
and A.J. DeFelice for placing third. I ask to have printed in the 
Record the winning essays.
  The material follows:


        quinn nelson mayo, st. johnsbury academy junior (winner)

       The United States was founded on several core values; the 
     most important, as most of us agree, is freedom. This shared 
     belief has been the foundation of our country for over 200 
     years. And for centuries, media has been a major outlet for 
     people to exercise this freedom because it allows them to 
     share their opinions with the masses. The idea of free speech 
     took on a different meaning with the development of the 
     internet in the late 80s. Since then, this liberty has grown 
     exponentially. Now people have the ability to share their 
     thoughts with a much larger audience. It is possible to do 
     this anonymously and without fear of consequence. The 
     internet is an incredible asset which has helped with 
     globalization and the spread of information. However, this 
     form of media does have its drawbacks. The leading issue is 
     that it enables the spread of false information. So, while 
     the internet embodies our nation's core value of freedom, it 
     can also be detrimental to another vital aspect of our 
     society: educated and well informed citizens.
       Regardless of one's political views, we can all agree that 
     2016 has been a tumultuous year for politics, here in the 
     United States and across the globe. The 2016 presidential 
     campaign was a dramatic affair, and just the opening act to 
     one of the most high-stakes elections in our country's 
     history. The actions and rhetoric of the president-elect have 
     inspired a great political shift, as well as a burgeoning 
     sense of xenophobia and hatred throughout the country. During 
     times such as these, it is important to focus on what we can 
     do to create a better future. Much of the hate directed 
     towards certain groups of people is due to ignorance and can 
     be traced back to stereotypes perpetrated by unreliable media 
     sources. Forcing media sites to drastically increase their 
     censorship would rightfully anger their users, on the grounds 
     that it restricts their constitutional right to free speech. 
     Therefore, the most plausible and effective solution to the 
     problem of misinformation is to educate people.
       As of this year, 78% of the United States population has a 
     social media profile (Statista). Facebook and Twitter have 
     billions of users across the world. It is imperative that we 
     use such sites with care. The recent controversies over fake 
     news have made the influence of the media on politics 
     increasingly apparent. The rumor now known as ``Pizzagate'' 
     is a prime example of a fake news story with tremendous 
     influence. Millions of people believed that Hillary Clinton 
     was involved in a child-prostitution ring run out of a pizza 
     parlor. This is because, for a vast number of people, social 
     media and biased news sources are their only ways of 
     acquiring information. In fact, it is estimated that 62% of 
     American adults use social media at least occasionally as a 
     news source (Pew Research Center). However, many blindly make 
     the assumption that it is accurate. When hundreds of 
     thousands of people are susceptible to hate-driven fake news, 
     it can have a huge impact on our democracy.
       This is why I propose the incorporation of media literacy 
     as a core subject in all public schools. Public schools 
     educate the majority of our nation's children. Which is why, 
     by teaching America's youth how to approach sources 
     impartially and critically, we can fix this problem of 
     misinformation. Integrating media literacy as a required 
     course at elementary and high-school levels is an investment 
     in our future generations.


        musa mayange, winooski high school senior (second place)

       Twelve years and still no change. After fleeing from a 
     civil war in Somalia in 1992, my parents took refuge at a 
     refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya. After 12 years of struggle, in 
     2004 we flew from the National Airport of Kenya to J.F.K. 
     International Airport in New York thinking our lives were 
     saved. Finally here, the land of the free and the home of the 
     brave. One of the only places on earth where you can taste 
     opportunity and smell a second chance. At the age of 17, I 
     can see it now. America's resistance to change.
       Racism exists in America. Surveys reveal that whites apply 
     stereotypical thinking about blacks, considering them lazy 
     and unintelligent. What are we going to do about these 
     attitudes towards persons of color?
       The American National Election Studies asked voters to rank 
     blacks and whites from hardworking to lazy, from intelligent 
     to unintelligent. In 2012, 62 percent of whites gave blacks a 
     lower score in at least one area. In 2008, 45 percent of 
     whites expressed negative feelings about black stereotypes. 
     (Milbank, Washington Post)
       For a while, we thought that the issue of racism was over 
     and that our nation was going to move forward and ``leave the 
     past in the past.'' It almost had me fooled because we live 
     in Vermont and we sometimes can be isolated from world 
     issues. But racism is still here. When everyone thought that 
     it was no longer ``relevant,'' it's still alive.
       As a young African-American immigrant, how can I wrap my 
     head around this? As Vermonters how can we annihilate racism 
     and get our community to be accepting of all races, cultures, 
     and ethnic backgrounds?
       Ta-Nehisi Coates addresses the disadvantages of living with 
     black skin in Between the World And Me. Coates says ``. . . 
     today, when 8% of the world's prisoners are black men, our 
     race has been refinanced to the Dream of being white. Black 
     life is cheap, but in America, black bodies are a natural 
     resource of incomparable value.'' Black people are born with 
     a disadvantage. We are more likely to go jail than white 
     people. The Center for American Progress says, ``In the 
     United States, black people account for 60 percent of those 
     imprisoned. The prison population grew by 700 percent from 
     1970 to 2005, a rate that is outpacing crime and population 
     rates.
       Black people make up 17% of the United States population 
     yet more of us are in jail. A black man is twice as likely to 
     go to jail than a white man, even if they did the same crime.
       Racism was born when humans identified skin color as a 
     positive or negative factor. If each of us could accept that 
     we are all humans, we come from different places, and have 
     different interests, we could accept racial differences, but 
     not let them divide us. We will never move forward if we 
     don't work together side by side and knock down obstacles.


        aj defelice, hartford high school freshman (third place)

       The United States is one of the greatest countries on 
     Earth, prized for its natural beauty, economic opportunities, 
     and democratic principles. However, many challenges face our 
     nation. Among the most pressing issues are climate change, 
     immigration, and income inequality.
       Perhaps the most daunting problem we face is climate 
     change, and the crucial role our country plays in it. 
     Although President Obama recently signed the Paris Agreement 
     to limit greenhouse gas emissions, much must still be done to 
     combat this issue. We can begin by putting unemployed or low-
     income Americans to work--manufacturing, transporting, and 
     installing renewable energy products--such as solar panels, 
     wind turbines, and more. This would produce a similar effect 
     as the New Deal put into place by President Franklin D. 
     Roosevelt to combat the negative effects of the Great 
     Depression. Additionally, a carbon tax should be established 
     nationally, to lower emissions, and encourage the usage of 
     renewable energy. A carbon tax would also allow for tax 
     reductions in other areas, and combined with employing 
     Americans to transition to widespread renewable energy, would 
     create economic growth, while simultaneously reducing our 
     carbon footprint.
       Another controversial issue which troubles our nation is 
     immigration. The United States is a country built on the 
     backs of immigrants, and to deny a path to citizenship to 
     millions who long only for a higher quality of life is 
     unpatriotic. We must stop dehumanizing these people and see 
     them only for who they are--people. Immigrants strengthen our 
     economy, whether it be as producers, consumers, or 
     developers. To deny them access to citizenship in our nation 
     would be depriving ourselves of economic growth and cultural 
     diversity. Economic and cultural change that would only 
     strengthen American society.
       Income inequality is another issue which plagues our nation 
     today. According to countless years of research, income 
     inequality has a direct correlation on social and health 
     issues. A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin 
     found that people who reside in more financially unequal 
     communities are more likely to die before the age of 75. As 
     national income inequality decreases, so do social and health 
     problems. This decline can be seen in Scandinavian countries, 
     where having a more equal gross domestic product per capita 
     results in a higher quality of life. To make this possible 
     for the United States, corporations must be regulated and 
     held accountable by lawmakers to be sure that the American 
     people are receiving the representation they deserve. As 
     citizens, we must be responsible in electing officials who 
     will place the needs of the greater population

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     above the interests of wealthy corporate executives.
       Our nation is at a turning point in its history, and the 
     choices we make today will have lasting effects on future 
     generations.
       The United States of America will remain a strong, 
     respected, and prosperous nation if we are able to look past 
     our disagreements and focus on making progress through 
     compromise. We must act wisely, and keep our eyes on what is 
     most important--the liberty we treasure as our nation's 
     crowning promise.

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