Vendor Writing

Many of us witness homelessness, but very few of us are willing to do something about it

BY BY BARBARA WOMACK, CONTRIBUTOR ADVERTISING MANAGER

The following is a poem by Langston Hughes:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore—

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

This poem reminds me that we all have dreams and those dreams translate into goals, but what happens when a life event interferes with those dreams and are put on hold. If each of us were to take the time to sit and talk to a homeless person we would find that they too had dreams and hopes and aspirations and many still have hopes of achieving those dreams. Those dreams are merely deferred at the present. Many of us witness homelessness, but very few of us are willing to do something about it. Very few of us are willing to accept that homelessness is a tragic episode in the wealthiest country in the world.

Why should an American citizen have to sleep on the sidewalk? Why should a woman have to be raped because she is homeless? Why should homeless men be afraid to sleep at night for fear of being beaten and robbed? Why is a homeless person who is peacefully standing on the street trying to make a living being vilified?

I don’t have a solid answer for these questions, but I do know that there is a very special group of people in this city that are trying to find answers — I work with those people at The Contributor.

The Contributor is a “newspaper with a purpose” and that purpose is to alleviate the pain and suffering of those who are experiencing homelessness in this city and surrounding areas. The Contributor is the lifeline for this city’s homeless. The Contributor gives hope, praise, dignity and love to those who have lost hope, praise, dignity and love; it says to the homeless, “we are here for you, we love you and we will help you obtain your American dream.”

Without The Contributor, their dreams would be deferred and they would “sag like a heavy load.”

The Contributor organization is a group of amazing, dedicated people who have decided that homelessness should not exist in a country where many have several homes and many have none. Many of these well-qualified people could go elsewhere and make lots of money, but their devotion to this cause keeps them at The Contributor. There is just a desire to do the right thing in this world. They deserve the highest praise for the love and respect that they have for the homeless and they realize that homelessness is not a choice but rather a journey that many find themselves in.

People with lived experiences on the streets tell their stories in The Contributor through art or poetry or writing. Nowhere else in this city can you read how they express themselves here.

There are so many events in this world that we cannot prevent like earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and fires, but we can feed the hungry, we can house the homeless and we can heal the sick. Another of my favorite poets, Amanda Gorman, wrote in “The Hill We Climb”: “If only we’re brave enough to see it; if only we’re brave enough to be it.”

If The Contributor is denied its right to exist and do what it has been doing for over 10 years, then the cries of the homeless will go unheard and their dreams will not only be deferred, but could explode.

Why do people look down on the poor?

BY JOHN H.

Throughout my walk I’ve noticed how people look down on the poor or people who are not very wealthy or millionaires (well off). Me myself, I count it all blessings. I think about on that day when Jesus comes back how maybe I’ll be looking down on Earth. Here’s why: In Rev. 6:15, 16 it says, The Kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb.

I definitely wouldn’t want to be one of those people who are left here. It says “We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17

So the way I see it, that’s my main goal, “to be with the Lord on that day.” Not care about what people may think or how they may class you here on Earth. The least thing that could be on my mind is spending eternity with Satan. To all who agree, give me a big Amen on that.

Does it really matter how people characterize you or think about you? The best I can say is, “as long as it don’t create strife when it come to God’s word.” I’ll still love and be obedient to the laws and commandments God has given me.

To sum it all up, I can never look down on anyone. The only way I can is when we rise to meet Jesus in the clouds; may look down wishing you was rising up to the clouds to meet Jesus with me.