The author first learned about cultural diversity and racial justice in Mr. Sanderson's middle school English class. They read a book called "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros and learned about a different culture, but also about a community with striking similarities to their own. The main character in the novel, Esperanza, a 13-year-old Chicana, grows up in an impoverished neighborhood in Chicago. Mexican American culture and themes of social class and gender are interwoven through the novel's vignettes. The author could relate to living in a poor area with a short supply of opportunity. And, like Esperanza, she realized how important it was to remember her roots and to give back to the community from which she came. Last year, the St. Helens school board decided to ban "The House on Mango Street" from the middle-school curriculum. The district's "reconsideration committee" claimed that the book contained "content too mature for this age group" and expressed "concerns for the social issues presented." In this article, the author describes how she organized her former classmates to get the ruling overturned.