By Jasmine Knight and Asia Adkins

I

t’s always a great privilege to have a politician come to schools. Students can get the feel of what is really going on in our community and economy, hearing it from those who work on it everyday. Councilman Tony Young came to Lincoln High School on Monday May 9, 2011 and he spoke to Ms. Jackson’s sophomore and junior English classes. He discussed his childhood, how he got started with politics, and issues that are going on within our community.

Before becoming a councilman, Young was a History teacher at two of our community schools, Morse High School and O’Farrell Community School. At Howard University, he majored in Sociology and Economics, going on a baseball scholarship. At the young age of 24, Young was already into to politics because he had a passion for it.

“It was a privilege having Tony Young come speak to my English classes, I have known Young since O’Farrell days and we are very close friends. It is great to see an African American coming back to serve our community,” stated Jackson, Center for the Arts English teacher.

Young wants to help teens stay off the streets, so during the summer he is helping them get jobs. The city is $2 million in debt, but Young found money to help fund teen summer jobs.

“I want the streets to be cleared and more students working during the summer to stay busy,” stated Young.

If any teens want a summer job, you can contact Roosevelt Williams III at (619) 236-7010.

“You can do anything you want, just like the people who have power,” said Young.