Culver City Observer -

Hi, my name Annelise Reilman speaking. I am 12 years old. I live in Culver City and am in the 7th grade at Culver City Middle School.

"We're going to keep going in this fight, we're going to persist," said United States Senator Elizabeth Warren. Warren, currently represents Massachusetts in the United States Senate and is one of many candidates running to be the democratic candidate for president in the 2020 election. I had the opportunity to go to her first rally in L.A. and cover it as a kid reporter with the wonderful non-profit, KidScoop Media. This is a program where kids can experience events through the eyes of a reporter, asking questions to the public or the person hosting the event as a member of the press. This event was open to the public, free of charge, at the Alex Theater in Glendale. It was also first come first serve, besides the press who got early admission to set up.

When I arrived, I got my first experience of Senator Warren's support in Southern California, demonstrated by the line of people going around the block waiting to get in before the event. I personally think that Elizabeth Warren is very kind and inclusive, for it was very clear to her that there would be people that would not be able to get in to the rally. So, before she made an appearance on stage, she went outside and met the public. It was very thoughtful to make sure that everyone who put in the effort to go to the event got what they came for, even if it was a shorter version. Then, when the event was over, she personally met with all of the disable people who couldn't go up onstage to meet her. She is very kind in making sure that everyone was included.

Senator Warren said that some families "can't make $400 for an emergency" and I think that is a sign that we need to improve our system so that everyone can be covered in the event of emergency. One of her main points is providing affordable childcare for middle-class families. Warren says that if the richest 10% of our country pay a little bit more, we could raise millions, even billions, of dollars to provide universal childcare. She also mentions that student loans have been crushing working families for years. "The time for student loan debt forgiveness has come," stated Warren. I love how she not only focuses on the larger people and factories of our country but, also the people like you and me who are not as politically involved.

Elizabeth Warren is a very amazing person because of her life story. She started her life just on the brink of poverty in Oklahoma. But she ended up being a professor and a United States Senator. She has 3 brothers, and are they all Democrats? No. She had to be accepting and tolerant to help her family not split in two. In middle school her dad had a heart attack. He almost died. But when he came back, he could do no work. During those difficult times, she learned big words like mortgage and bankruptcy. Her family was losing money. Then, her mom got a minimum wage job that saved her house and her family. "Now a minimum wage job can't keep a momma and a baby out of poverty and that's not right," said Warren. "That's why I'm in this fight." I brought home a poster from the rally. It says "Dream Big, Fight Hard" in huge letters. This is a reminder to the people to dream and fight for what they want.

The presidential election is on November 3, 2020. Today, there are 184 democratic candidates that have announced plans to run for President of the United States. (https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_candidates,_2020#Declared_presidential_candidates), including Elizabeth Warren. "I want an America where every child has a chance to build a future." I think Senator Warren would be a great leader because she not only thinks about the big companies or the rich, she thinks about people like you and me. You and me who lead normal lives, who have kids who matter to us. She thinks our kids matter to. This is Annelise Reilman from KidScoop Media signing off.

For more info on KidScoop Media you can go to https://www.kidscoopmedia.org/