Chrissa is an Upstander
Bullying and being judged are part of the same serious issue. Just to be clear, those of us at Girl AGain are totally against bullying. Anyone can be bullied or judged. It doesn’t matter who judges or bullies you. But seriously, as human beings, a lot of people have a lot of differences which should be appreciated, especially if you ask me, people with autism and developmental disabilities.
People with autism often don’t like big crowds of people or loud noises. But that’s OK because everyone has their interests and differences and some of them liked to be shared and some don’t like to be shared.
An American Girl of The Year introduced in 2005 was bullied and her name was Chrissa. She and her family moved from Iowa to Minnesota. At school, Chrissa sat at a table with 3 mean girls known as the Queen Mean Bees named Tara, Jayden, and Sonali. Tara was the meanest out of all the Queen Mean Bees. But then one day Sonali decided to quit and become friends with Chrissa and Gwen a homeless girl. Gwen wore scarves around her hair, but the Queen Mean Bees made fun of her scarves. The 3 girls got together to make head scarves to support Gwen.
When the girls came back to the school girls locker room, Chrissa, Gwen, and Sonali noticed a sign that said: Chrissa the loser llama girl . (Chrissa had a pet llama.) Chrissa also was part of the swim team. Tara was also part of the swim team and she teased Chrissa. For Chrissa’s 4th grade project, she told her teacher; Mr. Beck that she wanted to do their project on school bullying. On the day of their presentation of Chrissa’s class school project, everyone made words to show that they’ll stand up to bullying which were the following:
- Courage
- Accept
- Forgive
- Strength
- Kind
- No Envy
Do you stand up for someone who is being bullied or left out? That is called an Upstander.
Read Chrissa’s story, and find this and her items at Girl AGain. 
Addy Walker – from slavery to freedom
While the Civil War rages on, Addy Walker dreams of freedom. When Addy and her Momma escape to Philadelphia, she found that she was still an outsider. Addy was judged not only by the color of her skin but also by her clothes and family income.
Being judged or bullied is bad for your health because it’s not right to judge people by the color of their skin, by their clothes, or their behavior. Girl AGain supports young women with autism with their own unique qualities.
*****
Isabelle P. is a student at Westchester Community College and participant in College Steps where she studies writing, poetry, art, acting, and fashion. She is a trainee at Girl AGain with Yes She Can’s job skills development program. Izzie is a “curly girl” and has autism spectrum disorder.
*****
Learn how to stand up for yourself and other with this great book: 
Girl AGain opened in February 2014 to rave reviews from American Girl doll fans, their moms and especially their grandmas. You’ll find authentic gently used AG dolls, clothing, furniture, accessories and books that have been cleaned and prepared for sale at good prices in an easy-access store.