During the

During the Progressive Era, poor working conditions and labor rights were major issues. Workers, including children, faced dangers and low wages. Women lacked voting rights, while racial discrimination, especially through Jim Crow laws, limited opportunities for African Americans. Economic inequality created a divide between the wealthy and the poor, restricting the American dream for many. To address these challenges, the narrator sought support from community labor movements and aligned with suffrage and racial equality groups.T he narrator's identity was shaped by discrimination and the struggle for civil rights. They reflect on the progress since then, noting improvements in working conditions, voting rights for women, and the end of segregation, highlighting a more equal society today.  working conditions, voting rights for women, and the end of segregation, highlighting a more equal society today.

Hello, my name is Genesis Foster. I am 16 years old and I am African American. I originally come from England, and I am getting ready to move to America. Sadly, I lost both of my parents in a fire while they were at work, so now I have to take care of myself. Because of this, I decided to go live with my older sister, Gia. We haven’t seen each other in five years, and I am really excited to be together again.

Gia has kindly offered me a place to stay, which means I won’t feel alone anymore. This new part of my life is a big chance for me to grow and change. I can’t wait to see what opportunities America has for me and to start fresh in a new country.

As I get ready to move, I feel a mix of hope and determination. I am ready to face any challenges that come my way and to grab the chances that await me in America. With Gia by my side, I look forward to building a happy future and making a good life for myself.

It takes seven days to travel from Europe to America. When I boarded the boat, I noticed it was split into two parts: the upper class and us, the poor. The boat was crowded, and there wasn’t much food. Those seven days felt endless, and I hardly slept because the boat was constantly rocking.

    I often felt sick and worried I might throw up. Remembering why I was on the boat helped me. After years apart, I was finally going to see Gia!  I thought about all the new opportunities in America and how excited I was to try new foods.

    At last, I saw the Statue of Liberty! That meant we had arrived in New York! I followed everyone into a new area and watched what was happening. A man was checking people, but I didn't understand why. When it was my turn, he checked under my eyelids to see if I was sick i'm guessing. He let me pass, and I walked into the inspection building at Ellis Island, ready for my new adventure.

I walked into a busy building filled with people. It was extremely crowded and noisy. I found a place to sit and looked around. I saw a woman talking to a man. He was asking her questions about why she came to America, but I couldn’t really hear what she was saying. After she answered, they gave her a card, but I didn’t know what it was for.

While I waited in line, I practiced what I would say if they asked me questions. I wanted to make sure I didn’t mess up and get sent back home. I was second in line and tried to listen to the man in front of me.

He answered a few questions, but then the man shook his head. He told the man he couldn’t pass because his answers didn’t match what was on the ship’s list. My heart started to race. What if they sent me back too? I began to sweat and felt really nervous.

It was finally my turn to answer questions. I took a deep breath, smiled, and walked up to the man. He asked my age, my name, and where I was coming from. I told the truth because I was scared they might send me back. He asked if I was healthy and if I had any disabilities.

He had a lot of questions, and I didn’t know why. Then he asked where I was going. I told him my sister Gia was coming to get me and that I would stay with her. His last question was how much money I had. I said I only had $3.50. He told me I needed to find a job quickly to live in America, and I  kept that in mind.

He wished me good luck and said I could go. I left Ellis Island to find my sister, who was waiting for me to start my new life. It was hard to look for her because there were so many people. Then, I felt a tap on my shoulder and finally saw her! My sister was finally back in my life after 5 years.

I found Gia, and she told me about life in America, which made me feel sad. She struggles every day and really needs my help. We will live in her small, old one-room apartment. She works all day in a factory spinning thread and weaving cloth.

Even though she works hard, Gia doesn’t make much money. The more she talked, the more worried I became. She said she isn’t treated the same as white women. At her job, Black and white workers have to work in different areas. She warned me that we would face unfair treatment everywhere.

Now that I’m living with her, we have to be smart with our food and money. I need to find a job, so I decided to apply at her factory since I know how to weave and spin thread. We walked to her workplace, and I talked to Mr. James, the boss. He told me I was lucky because he had just fired someone, and I might get the job. He gave me some tests to check my skills and then said I could start tomorrow at 6:30 AM.

We walked home, and I asked Gia what we were having for dinner. She said she needed to buy more food since there were two of us now. I offered to go with her, but she said it was better if she went alone because shopping was harder for us as Black people. She left and came back two hours later. When I asked why it took so long, she explained there was a strike. I didn’t know what a strike was, so she told me it was when people protested about their pay, especially women. She said I would learn more about it tomorrow.

Gia told me to get some rest because I had to work for 8 hours the next day. I woke up at 6 AM to get ready and hurried out since it was a 15-minute walk to the factory. When I got there, I finally saw what Gia meant about the strike—hundreds of people were yelling and protesting.

I was curious about why they weren’t working, so I tapped a young white woman to ask, but she looked at me like I was dirty and walked away. Just then, I felt someone pull my arm. It was a Black woman and I learned her name was Ashley.

Ashley told me I couldn’t talk to white people because they didn’t like us. I asked if she had a job, and we found out we both worked at the same factory. As we walked there, she explained the rules: we couldn’t talk to anyone, especially not white people, or we could get fired right away. I had to be careful while making clothes because they couldn’t take money from our paychecks, and we didn’t get paid much.

Ashley said the most I would ever earn was $5, and I was shocked! I asked if everyone got paid the same, but she said no; white people made a lot more money than Black people. We couldn’t even sit in the same area as them. She told me to stay quiet, watch, and keep my head down.

After work, I was really tired and wished I hadn’t taken the job. I went home and complained to my sister. She told me to hang in there because I was lucky to get a job so fast. So, I decided to look for a different job that I would like more.

As I spend more time in America, I notice how the Jim Crow laws affect everyone. There are signs everywhere that say Black people are not equal to white people. These laws force us to be separated. We can’t share the same spaces or even drink from the same water fountains. Signs that say "Whites Only" and "Colored Only" remind us of this unfair treatment.

Life is very sad because almost everything is separated. Restaurants are different for Black people, and we have to sit in the back of the bus. Even prisons are divided by race. People of color and women are not treated fairly, and we are not allowed to vote, which is not right at all.

It feels like our voices don’t matter, as if we are not part of this country. I found out that Black men have to take hard tests just to vote. These tests are timed and much harder than the tests for white people. At work, I have to use a separate bathroom, which shows how I am treated differently. I am starting to regret coming to America because I am not living the American dream at all.