Words: Do you have beggars in the US?

*man begging for money passes us on subway* 
R, my British friend: Do you have that in the US?
Me: What?
R: People begging?
Me: Ummm, yeahhh..... I mean in all the cities.
R: *stares at me with horror and disbelief*
Me: Actually, now that I think about it, I guess I didn't really see anyone begging when I was in London, hmm. Yeah we have them on the streets, on the trains, ya know, like here...
R:  *increases horror and disbelief*  Wow, I can imagine it's hard to see them and not be able to help. Like here it's especially so sad when you see the elderly or sick people... there's this one woman always shaking.....
Me: Yeah, we have lots of old and shaking people begging, especially since they probably can't afford health insurance so they can't buy medicine. It's the worst when you see them outside in the snow.
R: *stunned silence of horror and disbelief*  It makes me really glad to live in a country with a good welfare system.

Printed: Lead in Detroit

Ok, I got an email in my inbox today with the subject "Lead-Exposure Problems Spotlighted in Detroit."  According to the article, "a new study draws attention to the large numbers of Detroit children who have been exposed to lead and establishes a link between blood-lead levels and lower academic perfor­mance.'  - Article

I swear I head about lead poisoning in Detroit years ago!! Why is it just being 'spotlighted' now?  Where's the info about what has been done to get rid of the lead?  Why is it 2012 and this is still happening?

Printed: The Reading Gap

"A 2001 study by Susan Neuman and Donna Celano found that the ratio of books to children in middle-income neighborhoods is 13 books to one child, while in low-income neighborhoods the ratio is one book to 300 children".

This is insane!  Maybe those free books in Cheerios boxes lately really are doing more good than I thought... the whole article about a teacher's "Home Library Project" is worth the read.  I especially like the part about how families started adding in their own books, too, and asking their students to read during 'family time.'  :-) 

Printed: Vacant Houses

More homes are sitting empty as lenders take them over through foreclosure and try to resell them, especially in depressed South Side neighborhoods with a lot of subprime lending activity.
"They're not getting snatched up by investors," says Michael van Zalingen... Bank-owned properties "are just going to keep stacking up."

Englewood has a 16.1% vacancy rate, the highest in the city, and North Lawndale's vacancy rate is 11.8%, according to Neighborhood Housing Services data. - Source 

The walk from the bus stop to my school - many vacant houses are out of view.

If I had a lot of money, I'd buy a bunch of cheap vacant houses in North Lawndale and turn them into cozy community centers, art and theater schools, and preschools.  There are certainly enough qualified unemployed people in the communities to hire.

Moment: Canvassing NLD

One of the best days ever today - driving (and getting lost) around North Lawndale with Molly to pass out flyers to the North Lawndale Service Day:

- an elementary student whose school CY painted last week was so happy to see us
- an older woman at a restaurant told us all about how she had CY at her school growing up
- we accidentally found a nonprofit, LAMP, that works with children who are impacted by incarceration, and discovered that we know some of the same students :-)
- the whole atmosphere of the community seemed different to me than usual; since we were seeking out other organizations in the area, it was like we stumbled upon this whole world of active do-gooders that we never knew existed.

Note to self - wherever I work, try to find this invisible network as early as possible, then use each other to collaborate and refer.  "Who else is on the beach?"

Rambling: Homeless

The homeless people in the city have been breaking my heart more than usual lately. Every time I just think about how that could be my kids' future, after years of poverty, dysfunctional school systems, possible neglect or trauma at home, no substantial health, sex, or technology education, a lack of career counseling, and generally feeling that society does not respect or want them.

Most memorable was the man on the train recently who was not asking for money, but asking for people to take and read his resume.

Moment: Man at Subway

The train stops and, just for a moment, I am sitting parallel to him

Me in the train, sheltered by the steel walls,

him in the station, vulnerable and in the midst.

He is playing an instrument,

vigorously, desperately,

and suddenly, I see from his perspective.

People rush by, averting their eyes, head down, briefcases clutched.

We’ve seen this before.  It is familiar. Ignore the needy so you’re not responsible.

But today I’m with him on the receiving end.   

Trains come, trains go.

People come, people go.

It is colors and noise and movement and somehow he seems so separate.  Fixed.  Not a part of the ‘real world.’  Things happen around him, not with him.

His necessity is their inconvenience.

He gives his talent freely to an unwilling audience, a resisting audience.

Yet he stays, plays, waits.

The doors close and the train speeds away, bringing me closer to my important appointment or meeting or deadline.

And I can forget about him.  We can all forget about him and hide behind deadlines and luxury and noise. 

And not just him, but all of them

The man who beats his cup for change next to the grocery store 

The boys who play buckets like drums in the subway tunnel 

The man with the long hair who wanders the same block downtown over and over again  

The woman who sits under the awning covered in blankets

The war veteran with the cardboard sign

The man who tries to make conversation with everyone in sight

The unemployed man who walks the trains not to ask for money, but to pass out his resume

The boys who stand on the corner during the day because school has failed them

The senior citizens who stay in their homes all day because they don’t have the bus fare

The eager students who don’t know that 60% of their classmates will not graduate

The refugees who spend their lives waiting for something better than stick tents

The teens who leave their families and think it is better for them across the border

The children whose parents have been killed or lost

The villagers who see more deaths than births since disease has taken over

The victims of the latest natural disaster

The urban slave workers who have made my shirt  

That is what character is, life is.  Deciding what you notice.