Savanna's Voice

By Savanna White In her film 13th, Ava DuVernay paints an image of racism and slavery that still exist in America today.  Even if the constitution prohibits it, the 13th emphasizes the extent of the pain that slavery can inflict. The 13th amendment to the American constitution, which made slavery a criminal offense, left gaps that DuVernay analyzes. She uses various examples from everyday life to illustrate how racism has affected people's thoughts. DuVernay speaks with a number of well-known people who have expressed their opinions on the subject. The film is built around these interviews. At the conclusion of the film, DuVernay raises certain issues, such as whether slavery was actually abolished in America.  This movie brought up emotions about incarceration in the US that I didn't know I had. I felt angry and sad at how our country has handled this situation. The film brought up new emotions about racism and the fact that we are still dealing with it today. I am saddened b...

  By Savanna White In America, politics has been dominated by the two major party system for quite some time. It has been Democrats vs Republicans since the 1850s. Usually, when people run for a political position they have a party they are affiliated with. When candidates run within a specific party people hope it will open doors for that party to win more seats within the legislature. Within each political party, there is a broad view of certain issues.  Personally, I do not agree with the 2 party system. The system of 'broad' views that one person must choose to be a part of does not sit right with me. With each issue, I have a different view. My opinions on issues do not stay within one party's views. For example, I am pro-choice which is usually seen as a democratic or liberal view, but when it comes to gun rights I feel that as seen within the constitution it is our right as Americans to own firearms for our own protection.  The 2 party system with the original purp...

By Savanna White Sometimes, even things that worked so well before need some sort of change to keep up with the change within our country. The legislative, executive, and judicial branches were established by the Constitution. That choice was significant because it established the concept of checks and balances and gave each branch a particular job and authority. As the term implies, the purpose of checks and balances was to ensure that no one branch would be able to exercise excessive control, and this was established as a separation of powers. Laws are created by the legislative branch, but the President, who is part of the executive branch, has the power to veto them and the judicial branch has the authority to declare the laws passed by the legislative branch to be unlawful if needed.  The legislative branch has the authority to confirm presidential appointments, manage the budget, and impeach the president. The day-to-day administration and enforcement of Federal legislation i...

                        By: Savanna White School shootings are something that has been seen too often in this country. This issue is something that many are desperately trying to solve. Since the Parkland shooting that happened on February 18, 2018, that took the lives of 17 teachers and students, Florida has passed  The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. This act has implemented higher security by requiring more law enforcement presence at schools, higher surveillance, and response preparation. With school shootings becoming more and more of an issue it is amazing to see communities coming together to help solve this problem.    In Taylor county, the school board voted in favor of the new school resource deputy agreement with a 5-0 vote. This agreement will pay Taylor County Sheriff's Office $464,571 this coming school year to contribute 6 deputies to provide securit...