A look at a foster child who had an unlikely achievement twenty-five years ago, after the jump ….
But first: Top Comments appears nightly, as a round-up of the best comments on Daily Kos. Surely ... you come across comments daily that are perceptive, apropos and .. well, perhaps even humorous. But they are more meaningful if they're well-known ... which is where you come in (especially in diaries/stories receiving little attention).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send your nominations to TopComments at gmail dot com by 9:30 PM Eastern Time nightly, or by our KosMail message board. Please indicate (a) why you liked the comment, and (b) your Dkos user name (to properly credit you) as well as a link to the comment itself.
Charlotte Ayanna has an acting career today, which was something one might expect of someone who came from a stable, perhaps even prosperous family. Yet she spent many years in foster care — and it was nearly twenty-five years ago when I first learned of her … as she was crowned Miss Teen USA of 1993 (and representing neighboring Vermont, she received even more publicity in my area).
She was born Charlotte Lopez in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1976, to a mother who suffered from mental illness … so much that one year later she moved her family to Vermont, convinced that “the demons” would not follow her to such a cold-weather place.
The family struggled, needless to say, and when Charlotte was age three, her mother Emma was deemed unfit and Charlotte (plus her two siblings) were placed in foster homes. In those days, there was a reluctance to sever bonds between children and their birth parents, so she and her siblings were moved from home to home while the authorities attempted reconciliation … to no avail.
At age fourteen, she was sent to a group home … run by a woman who showed her more care than she had before. She participated in sports, found a part-time job, then went to a new foster couple living near Rutland, Vermont … and at age 17 decided to enter the Miss Teen USA pageant.
She had to raise nearly $600 to enter and upon arriving said, “Some of the girls were really stiff and worried about winning … and I was there just to have a good time”. She described her foster care experience during her time to address the judges, saying that if she won: she’d seek to change the system she grew up in.
1993 Miss Teen USAWhen I read about her victory back then, one factoid stood out: she won the pageant wearing a dress that cost …. thirty-seven dollars. I can only imagine what many parents (who certainly shelled-out much, much more for their daughters) must have thought when they read that.
Not long afterwards, she told her caseworker that she wanted to be adopted .. and the last foster parent couple did so, to her delight. With her pageant scholarship money she attended the University of California — Irvine.
In 1996 she released this book about her experience (Lost in the System) and later became an ambassador for foster children, giving addresses across the nation (even appearing on-stage with attorney general Janet Reno). One book quote:
“Kids give up in the foster system. It rewards them with attention for bad behavior, but for good behavior: it rewards them with exactly zippo”.
Book published in 1996In beginning an acting career, she made a decision about her name: learning that her last name Lopez came from her maternal grandfather (whom she believed abandoned her mother) she chose the last name Ayanna — which has been attributed to the Cherokee language (meaning “blessed”) although this may/may not be accurate. Either way, she believes that she has indeed been blessed.
She has not become an acting star, yet has made her mark. She had appearances in the television shows Weird Science and Entourage, then (after seeing her photo) another Puerto Rico native (Ricky Martin) cast her in his 1999 video She’s All I Ever Had. In more recent years, she has had film roles in Training Day (with Ethan Hawke) and Love the Hard Way (with Adrien Brody). And at age 41, we may not have heard the last from Charlotte Ayanna just yet.
Charlotte Ayanna in recent timesNow, on to Top Comments:
From noweasels:
In the front-page story about a Trumpster aide complaining about family-based immigration— and then be subjected to some genealogy of his own — MTmofo sets up the pitch ... and then whereistony hits it out of the park.Also from noweasels:
In the front-page diary about the Trumpster’s latest remarks— JoanMar’s has an eloquent remark.And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the front-page story about the troubles that former Rep. Pete Hoekstra is having in his ancestral Holland, now that he has been made ambassador to the Netherlands (and being confronted with several right-wing assertions he made back in the US) — Ice Blue gives some background as to the reasons why some emigrated to Michigan in the past.And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
1) Unfortunately, it looks like the beginning of th … by Captain Frogbert +246 2) And there was virtually no reason why this heari … by pollwatcher +206 3) Grassley ought to be ashamed of himself, and the … by elwior +172 4) it creates a timeline of what was done, why it w … by jfromga +137 5) I remember hearing that there was a split in the … by randym77 +136 6) Yup. The R’s “selective release” of small portio … by Moreplease +126 7) I'm so glad she stepped up and released it. I am … by LaPinturaBella +122 8) I assure you that all the Iowans I know are. by Wee Mama +123 9) I believe the Republicans would have to refer he … by blue aardvark +118 10) Her boss is the one who should be going to jail. … by LaPinturaBella +116 11) Yes, there is a severe penalty. It is called re- … by jasan +114 11) Since the material was not classified, she did n … by MadRuth +114 13) I think everyone is missing an important point. … by liberaldad2 +108 14) Millions of dollars from Russian-Americans with … by blue aardvark +103 15) It is not the superintendent, nor the cop who’s … by FishOutofWater +101 15) That tweet needs to be read in Gollum’s voice… by LeftCoastTom +101 17) Interesting question. Personally, I’d like to se … by AuntArtyk +100 18) And, it looks like there is corruption in the FB … by roonie +99 18) YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He won't be … by LaPinturaBella +99 20) I watched almost every minute of the watergate h … by ctkeith +98 21) What are they gonna do to her? … by TROU +97 22) One problem with “the secret” is that it implies … by Wee Mama +94 23) The Times has had it in for the Clintons, and Hi … by anon004 +93 24) I've witnessed many conservatives say a variant … by BrowniesAreGood +91 25) Grassley is up to his eyeballs in Russian pig sh … by jayden +88 26) Not sure. Hopefully, someone here will know. … by Leslie Salzillo +87 26) I really have to hand it to Senator Feinstein. T … by maureenzweig +87 28) I hear Kushner is pivoting to prison reform. I’m … by Rikon Snow +85 29) This is obstruction of justice by every Republic … by rabblex +84 30) They’re on it already. From The Advocate link: … by Observerinvancouver +83