Ms. Flores established the Texas Freedom Network Student Chapter at UTB. She has organized several events to bring awareness for the need of comprehensive sex education. She is a member of the School Health Advisory Council.
In an article published in The Collegian, written by Jasmin Euceda, Ms. Flores speaks honestly about her situation: "Well, at 18 I became pregnant. At 19, I had my daughter, Frida. As a single parent, it's been extremely hard with school and everything. I'm sleep deprived. My daughter is 2 and in the two years, I've only slept 5 hours a night. That's why I look so tired. . . . . . . . besides that, the other struggle is the stereotype people place on young mothers--that they are not going to do anything, just live off welfare programs. I'm not that stereotype. I'm in college to get my education, improve my life and my daughter's life. That's my biggest challenge."
Good for her, not just for continuing her education despite the obstacles involved in raising a child, but also for getting involved in causes to help others.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great Brownsville story!
Looked at another way, one wonders whatever became of this child's father? Is he in county jail for the next 20 years for dealing drugs? Is he working as a waiter in Mexico? And since when is it okay to have a child out of wedlock? You can't gloss over all the mistakes this woman made and simply center on her struggle to succeed. Sadly, her journey is the journey of too many Valley girls who have hurry-up sex and birth a child with no responsible father. Anyone can undress and do the Hully-Gully for fun and pleasure. That takes no brains. But deciding to do things the proper way takes a bit more effort. No, you can't just write this story up to be some "Woe is me" tale. A certain sadness falls on a child when he or she grows to the age when they start asking questions. What to say? "Oh, sweetheart, it was just a one-night stand at The Lonely Angel Motel on Central Boulevard that night of that Charro Days, when the stars were shining and the moon was sooooooooh big." Mexican girls need to find a bit of pride, is what I say. The cheap side of the street wears no glory...
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What about all those girls who didn't get knocked up? Aren't they the ones who really deserve credit? You don't have to jump off a cliff to know that hitting the bottom hurts.
ReplyDeleteBravo for April Flores. She needs to talk to Gov. Perry who seems willing to cutoff women's health programs for political reasons. Women's health issues are vital and should be funded. How can we accept that Medicare pays for Viagra, but we (Texas) is willing to suspend women't health programs. This is a personal issue, not a political issue! We need to cut of tax breaks to religious groups who take partisan positions in politics, and promote individual freedoms......this doesn't meant paying for abortions...it means giving women options.
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