DSS is not doing what is needed to get children what they need when they place us with people. Some are bad and some are good. I've been in DS for seven months now, and I would like to see a DSS clean up. There needs to be more foster homes available. What we go through being in DSS is sometimes worse than in our original homes. We have no say in what happens with us. I'm fourteen, and I was taken because my mom went to jail for pdc and they told me I would be out in two days, which turned into 7 months. I would like to get someone to look at things from the children's eyes. Please listen to what we have to say.

Elected officials have no business supporting symbols of hate.

It's time for change in Charleston. Black and white must come together to rid our city of symbols of white supremacy and segregation. Street names should be bestowed on individuals deserving of honor. Americans of all colors can agree that John C Calhoun does not deserve such an honor in our city, especially after the tragic events at Emanuel AME Church which has to endure the indignity of having as its address the name of such a man like John C Calhoun. Charleston's children growing up in this city deserve better individuals to honor than Calhoun, and Rev Clementa Pinckney is one such name.

"GOODWILL is the monarch of this house. Men, unacquainted, enter, shake hands, exchange greetings, and depart friends. Cordiality exists among all who abide within." That quote is from an Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., poem, "House of Alpha." South Carolina State Senator Clementa Pinckney was also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. This petition is in honor of him and the other eight souls lost due to racism, so that we can heal America's racial divide that has left us all so unacquainted.

Christopher Columbus ordered his men to rape and murder our Native women and children! He ordered his people to kill the Native children for dog food. He and his people brought disease such as smallpox to the Natives and nearly wiped out a whole race. Is this OK? Is this a man that should be honored by having a holiday? Even having schools closed for this day? It's a shame and it's a disgrace! It can't be said it's because "he" (Columbus) discovered America because the NATIVE AMERICANS were already here long, long before he set sail. So therefore I am asking for Columbus Day to be abolished. What people would want to celebrate a day in honor of such a mean man? Really think about that!

Changing the State flag which is reminiscent of the Confederate flag. Many people in our diverse State are deeply troubled by this daily reminder of a racially fractured past.

It's time to no longer let our past define us.

As a native of Atlanta, Georgia and a 'Grady baby,' I know the fights that have taken place in the state about the Confederate flag. Having a flag for the State that is the very first national flag of the Confederacy spews hate 24 hours a day. It must be retired in a museum and a new flag created WITHOUT ANY reference to the Confederacy.

It is a disgrace that the State memorializes a man who was a traitor, defender of slavery, and responsible for the deaths of 750,000 Americans. Traitor Jefferson Davis was an enemy of the United States who rejected a fundamental American value: "All men are created equal." Why would we honor someone like this? Our monuments should celebrate those who helped advance the ideals of the Declaration of Independence — not traitors who fought against them. Alabama needs to finally embrace its Civil Rights heritage and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is not only one of the greatest Americans of all-time, but he was an Alabama resident for a number of years and much of his activism took place in Alabama. The Facts About Traitor Jefferson Davis -He was charged with treason and stripped of his U.S. citizenship. -He lead a war to keep 4 million African Americans in slavery that resulted in the deaths of 750,000 Americans. -He was an unrepentant slave owner and racist. After the Civil War he railed against “negro rule.”

The Maryland state song is as bad as the Confederate flag. It calls Abraham Lincoln a tyrant, cheers for the thugs in Baltimore who attacked and killed American soldiers on their way to defend Washington, D.C., and urges Maryland to join Virginia in the Confederate States of America. It is a symbol of treason and support for slavery. It should be eliminated and a contest held to select a new Maryland state song.

This emblem has divided us for far too long. It belongs in the dustbin of history. Mississippians must unite for the betterment of our economy, our schools, our international reputation, and our material and social progress. We should remove the emblem, which was long ago co-opted by the KKK, from official state-issued license tags.

The Confederate flag perpetuates values of and pride in white supremacy and racism. We believe that every person should be able to visit the park without seeing blatant signs of hate.