Represent Magazine

• Being Creative, Getting Paid

  by Anonymous

  Names and identifying details have been changed. One of my earliest memories, from when I was 3: I dunked my hands into the paint can and watched them disappear into the blue liquid. My sister Stephanie and cousin Axel were covering each other and the floor with blue handprints and footprints, giggling loudly, and I joined in, slapping blue onto everything around me.

• I Can Make Friends

  by Anonymous

  Names have been changed.  The high school cafeteria bustled with chattering students as I anxiously looked around for Amy. I spotted her and felt relief, but a second later dread poured over me like lava. Amy was surrounded by kids I didn’t know.

• Ready for Independence

  by J.C.

  Names have been changed. When I lived in a group home, kids were always moving in and out; staff changed a lot; and violent, erratic girls messed with me. Now I live in a cozy apartment in the Bronx. A few months ago, when I first arrived here, I was running late to a program I’m in.

• She’s Not Like Other Moms

  by Anonymous

  Names have been changed. My mom, Diamond, was never like other moms. Other moms wore skinny jeans and cardigans in the elementary school pick up area, but Diamond looked like she came from the future, with red hair and butterfly tattoos. 

• Twice a Refugee

  by Anonymous

  My journey from West Africa to the U.S. took me away from everything I knew, but brought me closer to what I wanted to be: free. I arrived in May 2024, and it seemed at first that I could build a new life in New York City.

• Inner Space

  by Rylynn Walters

  Names have been changed. About a year ago, I moved in with my foster parents, Michael and Diane, after two years in the foster care system. I felt anxious around them; our conversations were polite, not real or natural. There wasn’t much food in their fridge, and I had to buy my own soap, shampoo, charging block, coat, socks, and school supplies.