I've lived in Louisiana for the majority of my adult life (it'll be seven years this June). I didn't have the honor of growing up in a state full of so much life and culture. However, as a young adult, I've seen the messy parts of Louisiana; the budget cuts, the poor education system, and the incredibly high crime rates, along with the prison system in need of desperate reform.

All the while, I still love Louisiana and call it home. But just as every relationship has its problems, this one is no different. Louisiana, we need to talk.

Dear Louisiana,

Oh the state I love to call "home"...I love you more than I could ever say. You've given me a home in two cities: New Orleans and Lafayette. I could go on and on about you. Although I love you dearly, we've got a few problems. I can't seem to ignore them anymore. You've inspired me and motivated me to become a social worker, so that I can fight to end your problems. Truly, I hope you work me out of a job someday.

Let's start with education- something very dear to my heart. First of all, education is not a priority, and the statistics show it. The fact that education was one of the first budget cuts to be made during the recent financial crisis shakes me to my core. Aside from the detrimental effects of the T.O.P.S. cuts, we need to take a moment to take note of where some of our children learn. On April 14, 2017, the Advertiser, a newspaper located in the town of Lafayette, LA, published an online article of "10 Shocking Photos of Where Lafayette Kids Go to School". I was shocked to see that in the United States, we force our children to go to school in unsafe, unstable, and unsanitary "schools". Most of the "temporary" buildings that are pictured in the article have been around for more years than they were ever designed to last. According to the article, children "endure an interrupted learning environment anytime the rain pours; where students are exposed to the elements just trying to get from class to class, or class to bathroom; and where children cram into buildings that aren’t secure enough when weather warnings arise." We need to rid our schools of these "temporary" buildings and provide our children with a safe environment for learning.

If you think the education system in Louisiana isn't all that bad because you went to a "good" school in Louisiana, take a look again. A study showed that Louisiana's education system was nationally ranked number 49. It's easy to be selfish and think of just yourself, but a poor education system affects everyone. It is linked to poverty, which causes the state billions of dollars in government assistance programs, as well as crime, which also claims the lives of hundreds of citizens and police officers annually.

Next, our prisons. Oh, how we talk about crime and prison reform, yet we do nothing. We continue to imprison our poor and make it nearly impossible for them to pay to get out of prison, all the while costing our cities millions of dollars. According to an article written on nola.com, "In the past two decades, Louisiana's prison population has doubled, costing taxpayers billions while New Orleans continues to lead the nation in homicides." Crime rates are high, but our long, harsh, and inhumane sentences are mainly to blame for the ranking of the world's prison capital. We incarcerate people and house them in for-profit prisons. It saddens me that the state chooses to imprison non-violent offenders for long periods of time instead of using that money to put towards hospitals, schools, wellness programs (such as domestic violence and sexual assault).

The Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, along with every rape crisis center throughout the state receive $0 from the Louisiana state budget. These organizations create so much awareness and are vital to so many survivors of sexual assault, yet are ignored by the government who should be supporting them most. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men will be sexually assaulted while in college. Our students are being violated in a place where they should feel safest. As a young college woman, I want more sexual assault awareness on my campus. Making students aware of what sexual assault is and what to do when/if it happens to you or a friend, classmate, family member, etc. should be one of the state's and its colleges' top priorities.

Education, crime, and prison reform: here's where they all connect. If we put more energy, time, and resources into educating our children, our crime rate would decrease immensely. If we decrease our crime rate, the prisons would not be as crowded (bringing about some kind of reform). But just because we reduce crime rate and imprison fewer people doesn't mean that is the only type of prison reform we should invest in.

"Prisoners" are merely human beings who made a mistake. They are in prison to serve their time. We cannot use prisoners for profit, we cannot mistreat them because they are chained behind metal bars, we cannot starve them or work them beyond their limits. We need to remember the human rights we are all guaranteed and work hard to implement that into our prison system.

Louisiana, we can make a change. We can vote in politicians that will take charge of these concerns. We can start non-profit organizations to inspire change and share our voices. We can use our right to protest and stand on the steps of the Capitol Building demanding a change. There is so much we can do to better our state. If you think your voice doesn't matter, you have never been more wrong.

Sincerely,

a concerned resident ready for change.