By Omolara Falebita, age 11
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and where you’re from?
I was born and raised in Flatbush, Brooklyn. I am an eighth grader at the Institute for Collaborative Education. Outside of school, I skate for the Gotham Girls Junior Roller Derby, sing in the Young People’s Chorus of NYC, and I am a Junior Scholar at the Schomburg Center.
How did you find out about IndyKids?
My mom was an IndyKids fan since I was a very little kid, and she couldn’t wait for me to be old enough to join IndyKids! My mom always got the newspaper sent to our house, and she was really excited for me to be able to write for the newspaper when I was old enough.
What makes you so passionate about being a journalist?
I am passionate about social justice issues, and it has been very important to me to be able to make other young people aware of these issues that are going on in the United States.
What are your dreams? What do you want to become when you grow up?
My hopes and dreams for the future involve helping others. I am interested in becoming a human rights lawyer and a pediatric surgeon.
Have you learned anything by being an IndyKids reporter? If so, how has it impacted you?
I have learned how to research and write well for the various topics I’ve been assigned. Even more importantly, I learned how to interview people and connect with them and the stories that they share with me.
What articles have you written, and what are some topics you want to write about?
Articles that I have written include an anti-street harassment demonstration in New York City and dropping the “I-word” when reporting on undocumented immigrants. I am very interested in the Black Lives Matter movement, the prison-industrial complex and writing about when people are treated unfairly.
Who is your favorite author, and what books have they published?
My favorite author would be Angie Thomas. She wrote The Hate U Give. It’s about Black Lives Matter, and I read it four times because it was really empowering. She told a fictional story, but it happened to so many people. That has to be my favorite book.
What is your favorite food?
My favorite food is oxtail, especially from the Dominican restaurant near my house.
What is your favorite article that you have written so far?
My favorite article that I have written so far would be dropping the “I-word,” because it is so powerful and relevant to today. The article was about the use of the word “illegal” as a way to refer to immigrants in the United States. The president refers to immigrants as illegal, but no human is illegal, and it is very dehumanizing to use this word toward these people.
