We Can Speak for Ourselves

The Picture the Homeless Oral History Project

Don’t Talk About Us: Talk With Us!

We Can Speak for Ourselves shares the ways in which Picture the Homeless (PTH) supported homeless folks to “have the mic” and to speak for themselves.

The skill-share offers examples of how everything from the office vibe to interviews with mainstream media, being in meetings with movement organizations and government officials supporting visible homeless leadership.

How we did our work at Picture the Homeless was rooted in our mission statement. The following reflections from the projects oral history interviews reveal the power of making sure homeless folks are respected and acknowledged and supported in all ways necessary to teach, learn, organize, and lead.

Creating a culture of many leaders:

• Respects the knowledge of homeless folks

• Everyone is a learner and a teacher

• Welcomes folks to share knowledge and support

• Disrupts negative stereotypes and changes how homeless folks are “pictured”

How did we do this?

• Listening to what people say

• Finding the common threads across conversations

• Being accountable to one another

• Knowing the difference between speaking for yourself and speaking for an organization

• Developing a collective analysis

• Identifying systemic solutions to homelessness

• Training and supporting members to take action

• Homeless folks representing PTH

• Organizing creative direct actions

• Taking retaliation and harm into consideration as well as the safety offered by publicly being part of an organization.

What was accomplished by having the mic?

• We changed negative stereotypes

• Built solidarity among members and the social justice movement around common issues

• Seeded the social justice movement with skilled leaders

• Moved innovative ideas and fought for policy change that was shaped by homeless New Yorkers.

It Starts With Dignity and Respect

Anthony Williams (January 22, 2018)

When I see a person coming towards the building and like parking their shopping cart and coming in—it’s an honor! Because that’s why we do what we do. That’s why we hold meetings. These aren’t people that are sheltered. These are folks that live on the street day in and day out. Or either in a tent. Some of them rarely take showers. A lot of times they’re dirty. We work with homeless people that have to deal with the homeless outreach team disrespecting them and telling them they can’t be here or be there, they got to move over there. So yeah, it’s an honor and a privilege to have those folks come to your meeting, to talk about solutions, and how can this stop.

Maria Walles (December 2, 2023)

Sometimes it'd be frustrating. There was times when, “Oh people may not want to listen to me.” And then after a while, I had this look on my face. I’m like, “I don't know if they want to hear about this.” He’s like, “Yeah! Go ahead!” “All right.” Then when I brought up the topic. “Oh! Oh. I like that, Maria.” I'm like, “Oh, okay.”

Because, you know, there'll be times when, you know, you're in a room full of brothers, and it wasn't really too many women. And then it's like, okay, the battle of the genders. Let's just fight this out, duke it out. And it was a lot! Because you know, I was duking it out, but I did it with his encouragement and, you know, he was very, very supportive of, you know, of doing work with him and stuff like that. And—and I felt like he really gave me that push.

Charley Heck (December 12, 2018)

So, this is 2004, and so right away, I got involved and was asked to participate in a protest… So, I went along. We were protesting Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s five-year plan to get rid of all the homeless. We were protesting, because his plan did not involve the people that actually lived on the streets. It was all politicians and big real estate interests.

The only person that came over and talked to us while we were protesting outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel, and that person was David Dinkins. Out of all the politicians in New York City, he was the only one. Homeless people were just not accepted to be intelligent enough or civilized enough to participate in the halls of government!