VENDOR SPOTLIGHT
IN THE ISSUE 7
10
9
Contributor Board
Tom Wills, Chair Cathy Jennings, Bruce Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Ann Bourland, Kerry Graham, Peter Macdonald, Amber DuVentre, Jerome Moore, Erik Flynn
11
Contributors This Issue
Music City Sounds
Roling Roling
Ode To Odd
Fast Side
The birds that sing Tug boat sounds The river runs on The crack of the bat Nashville sounds.
Up against the wall Hanging, untangling Peaceful lying smooth My substance dangling Giant fingers start to pull
No one ever offered you a hand, a leg up, a pat on the back, the benefit of any doubt
I would sit on the fire escape and write poems they weren’t very good
Amanda Haggard • Linda Bailey • Hannah Herner • Paul Collins • Yuri Cunza • Ken J. • Anita S. • Jen A. • Lydia Macklin • Michael “The Scribe” G. • Ray Ponce de Leon • Glen N. • Candy L. • Ed Galing • Joe Nolan • Mr. Mysterio • Tyrone M. • John H. • Logan M. • Victor J. • Brian B. Contributor Volunteers Joe First • Andy Shapiro • Michael Reilly • Ann Bourland • Patti George • John Jennings • Janet Kerwood • Logan Ebel • Christine Doeg • Laura Birdsall • Nancy Kirkland • Mary Smith • Andrew Smith • Ellen Fletcher • Richard Aberdeen • Shayna Harder Wiggins • Pete MacDonald • Robert Thompson
Cathy Jennings Executive Director Tom Wills Director of Vendor Operations
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Hannah Herner Staff Writer
VENDOR SPOTLIGHT: JUNE P.
Jesse Call Housing Navigator Raven Lintu Housing Navigator Barbara Womack Advertising Manager
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Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors Andrew Krinks Editor Emeritus Will Connelly, Tasha F. Lemley, Steven Samra, and Tom WIlls Contributor Co-Founders
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BY HANNAH HERNER In the last month, June P. has been experiencing the excitement of having her own place to live while also experiencing the grief of losing her mother. After she’s done selling papers near Osbourne’s Bi-Rite on Belmont Boulevard, she lies down to watch Law and Order in a bed that used to belong to her mom. Her feelings are incredibly mixed. “I love it. I love it. It’s up on the tenth floor, the high floor. You can see everything,” June says. “I’ve been lazy. My mom passed away a couple months ago, so I got her bed. I just lay in the bed and watch TV. I clean. I’ve lost like 25 pounds since she died. So I’ve just been trying to eat a lot.” After a year of living in her car, June P. got her own apartment through a Section 8 voucher. The process was delayed a couple of months by
HAVE YOU DONE ANY GOOD IN THE WORLD TODAY?
COVID-19. A connection she gained through fellow Contributor vendor Gary E., also known as Pops, paid off. “I had been going up there every once and a while to his apartment, hanging out because I didn’t know anybody really,” June says. “The manager there would see me going in and she’d joke like ‘you need to go in there and get him up, make him go to work.’ I had filled out my Section 8 papers and everything and she said, ‘no you have to fill them out for the property.’ She said ‘I’ll let you know when I’m taking applications.’” That manager called June the night before the applications opened and arranged to have her fill out the application in her office the next day. “If it hadn’t been for her, I don’t know,” June says. June P. grew up in Nashville with her seven
brothers and sisters. They lived on Nolensville Road and Old Hickory Boulevard on a hill that was replaced by a church. “We’d been real close until mom passed,” June says. “There was a lot of arguments. You know how it is, that many kids. We still haven’t had a service for her. There was a lot of fighting and arguing and it kind of grew us apart.” Growing up, June was very shy, and mostly kept to herself. She was very close to both of her parents and spent lots of time with her father before he passed away 30 years ago at the age of 52. That closeness is evidenced by a tattoo on her left arm. She also kept The Contributor readers updated on her mother’s condition and wrote tributes to her, in addition to her usual short musings and artwork. “I used to keep a journal and I stopped that,
I don’t know why. My writing and drawing kind of gets stuff out of me that I don’t talk about to other people,” June says. “I can get it all on paper. I do a lot of that at night when I can’t sleep.” June says working for The Contributor has helped her to come out of her shell. “When I started working The Contributor, I didn’t know how to talk to people,” she says. “I didn’t know how to communicate. It’s helped me open up and talk to people, which was real hard. It’s helped me a lot to stand up for myself, stop letting people run over me, use me. I have a lot of customer friends at the store that I’ve gotten real close with. A lot of people that God’s put in my life that’s helping me. And I’ve met them through selling papers.” Now her customer friends can be there for her when her typical support system isn’t.
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PAGE 2 | July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
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Provided as a free service by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 3
The New Christian Year Selected by Charles Williams
Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis—but he was arguably the most precocious and well-read of this eminent and intellectually fertile group. He was also known to have influenced Dorothy Sayers, T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden. Lacking a proper degree unlike his fellow Inklings, this genius Cockney-speaking author, editor, critic, and playwright was eminently well-versed in both philosophical and theological writings of the remote past as of the present day (the mid-20th century) and used this familiarity to good effect in his poetry, supernatural fiction and his lesser-known devotional selections designed for the spiritual benefit of the faithful in the Church of England. This series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation throughout the church's year, beginning with Advent (i.e., December) and ending in November, and reaches far beyond the pale of the philosophical and theological discussions of his day. It was under his hand, for instance, that some of the first translations of Kierkegaard were made available to the wider public. It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver
5th Wednesday after Trinity
6th Monday after Trinity
6th Friday after Trinity
THERE is a moving absurdity about all human categories when they are applied to Christ; for if one could talk absolutely humanly about Christ one would have to say that the words: "my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me" are impatient and untrue. They can only be true if God says them, and consequently also when the God-Man days them. And indeed—since it is true, it is the very limit of suffering. Kierkegaard: Journals.
LORD, often have I thought with myself, I will sin but this one sin more, and then I will repent of it, and of all the rest of my sins together. So foolish was I and ignorant. As if I should be more able to pay my debts when I owe more: or as if I should say, I will wound my friend once again, and then I will lovingly shake hands with him: but what if my friend will not shake hands with me? Thomas Fuller: Good Thoughts in Bad Times.
HOW many maggots remain in hiding until they have destroyed our virtues. These pests are such evils as self-love, self-esteem, rash judgement of others in small matters, and a want of charity in not loving our neighbour quite as much as ourselves. Although, perforce, we satisfy our obligations to avoid sin, yet we fall far short of what must be done in order to obtain perfect union with the will of God. St Teresa: The Interior Castle.
6th Tuesday after Trinity
6th Saturday after Trinity
SCARCELY is there any man that hath delight in worship, but that he is either in great peril of falling, or else fully fallen down into the pit of deadly sin, as we may see by many reasons: first, for also much as he that hath great delight is busy all times in his mind how he may keep his worship and made it more . . . Also he that loveth worship is busy to procure and get him friends that may keep him in his worship, and also further him to greater worship . . . Also commonly he hath indignation of others that be in worship and backbiteth them to make himself more worshipful and more worthy. And so he falleth into hate and envy of his brother. Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ, (trs by Nicholas Love).
OTHER sins find their vent in the accomplishment of evil deeds, whereas pride lies in wait for good deeds to destroy them. St Augustine: Epistle.
NO single teardrop lieth hid from thee, my God, my Maker, my Deliverer, no, nor any part thereof. The Orthodox Liturgy: Prayers of St Simeon.
5th Thursday after Trinity THE greatest exercise at once of the Divine goodness, and wisdom, and power, is to bring good out of evil. St Clement: Stromata. MAN must be lenient with his soul in her weaknesses and imperfections and suffer her failings as he suffers those of others, but he must not become idle, and must encourage himself to better things. St Seraphim of Sarov.
5th Friday after Trinity THE only remedy for having given up a habit of recollection is to recommence it, otherwise the soul will continue to lose it more and more every day, and God grant it may realize its danger. St Teresa: The Interior Castle. WE make an idol of truth itself; for truth apart from charity is not God, but his image and idol which we must neither love nor adore, and still less must we love and adore its opposite—namely, falsehood. Pascal: Pensées.
5th Saturday after Trinity THREE kinds of men see God. The first see him in faith; they know no more of him than what they can make out through a partition. The second behold God in the light of grace but only as the answer to their longings, as giving them sweetness, devotion, inwardness and other such-like things which are issuing from his gift. The third kind see him in the divine light. Eckhart: Sermons and Collations.
Fifth Sunday after Trinity YOU must not reckon with sin, from the nativity, but the conception; when you conceived that sin in your purpose, then you sinned that sin, and in every letter, in every discourse, in every present, in every wish, in every dream, that conduces to that sin, or rises from that sin, you sin it over and over again, before you come to the committing of it, and so your sin is an old, an inveterate sin, before it is born, and that which you call the first, is not the hundredth time, that you have sinned that sin. Donne: Sermons.
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6th Wednesday after Trinity FOR there is no pride, but that it may be healed through the meekness of God's Son; there is no covetize but that it may be healed through His poverty; no wrath but that it may be healed through His patience: nor malice but that it may be healed through His charity. And moreover there is no sin or wickedness, but that he shall want it and be kept from it, the which beholdeth inwardly and loveth and followeth the words and the deeds of that man in whom God's Son gave Himself to us into example of good living. Wherefore now both men and women and every age and every dignity of this world is stirred to hope of everlasting life. Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ, (trs by Nicholas Love).
6th Thursday after Trinity WHOEVER has admitted this tyranny of pride within suffers this loss first of all, that from the eyes of his heart being closed, he loses the equitableness of judgement. For even all the good doings of others are displeasing to him and the things which he has done, even amiss, alone please him. He always looks down on the doings of others, he always admires his own doings; because whatever he has done he believes he has done with singular skill; and for that which he performs for desire of glory, he favours himself in his thought; and when he thinks he surpasses others in all things, he walks with himself along the broad spaces of his thought and silently utters his own praises. St Gregory: On the Book of Job.
July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 5
THE impossible is still temptation. The impossible, the undesirable, voices under sleep, waking a dead world, so that the mind may not be whole in the present. T. S. Eliot: Murder in the Cathedral.
Sixth Sunday after Trinity THY word remaineth for ever, which word now appeareth unto us in the riddle of the clouds, and through the mirror of the heavens, not as it is: because that even we, though the well beloved of thy Son, yet it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. He looked through the lattice of our flesh, and he spake us fair, yea, he set us on fire, and we hasten on his scent. But when he shall appear, then shall we be like him, for we shall see him as he is: as he is, Lord, will our sight be, through the time be not yet. St Augustine: Confessions.
7th Monday after Trinity HOLD fast this short and summary saying—"Leave all, and you shall find all; leave your desires and you shall find rest." Give your mind to this, and when you have put it into practice, you shall understand all things. Thomas à Kempis: Imitation. BEING to ourselves what God ought to be to us, He is no more to us than we are to ourselves. This secret identification of ourselves with God carries with it our isolation from Him. Barth: Epistle to the Romans.
7th Tuesday after Trinity I HAVE a mind to draw a complete character of a worldly-wise man . . . He would be highly-finished, useful, honoured, popular—a man revered by his children his wife, and so forth. To be sure, he must not expect to be beloved by one proto-friend [best friend], and, if there be truth or reason in Christianity, he will go to hell—but, even so, he will doubtless secure himself a most respectable place in the devil's chimney-corner. Coleridge: Table Talk.
NEWS
THE POETRY ISSUE THE POETRY ISSUE Since the very first issue of The Contributor in 2007, we’ve featured poetry by people expereincing homelessness. Most of the time, the poets also sold the paper. We went back through a decade of poetry and chose 10 of our favorite poems to illustrate the importance of poetry to our paper. Illustrations by local artist, Paul Collins.
NEWS BRIEFS Nashville institutes mask mandate Masks or face coverings must be worn in indoor and outdoor public spaces in Nashville — with some exceptions — as COVID-19 cases increased to record levels at the end of June. Metro Health started enforcing the mandate on July 3. Those not wearing a mask could face civil and criminal penalties up to a Class C Misdemeanor. People and places exempt from the order are: • Any child age 12 and younger • Anyone who cannot medically tolerate wearing a face covering • At outdoor public spaces where 6-foot social distancing is feasible • During outdoor work or recreation, such as swimming, walking, hiking, bicycling or running, where 6-foot social distancing is feasible • Within a motor vehicle if it is not being used for transportation services • Within all educational institutions • While eating or drinking • While in a place of worship • While in a building or indoor space owned, managed or leased by the State of Tennessee or federal government Williamson County Homeless Alliance gets 501c3 status The Williamson County Homeless Alliance is now an official nonprofit. The group, led by Pastor Kevin Riggs, is working toward a perma-
nent homeless shelter in Williamson County and has led an emergency shelter program. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the alliance has raised funds to house people experiencing homelessness in a local hotel in order to allow them to properly socially distance. More than 52 individuals experiencing homelessness have spent more than a month in a local hotel — the group raised $67,000 to aid in sheltering people. COB releases #8cantwait policy advisory on force reduction practices Nashville’s Community Oversight Board voted to issue a policy advisory report on use of force policy recommendations for the Metro Nashville Police Department. The recommendations are based on the #8cantwait policy recommendations, which outlines eighth things cities can do to reduce police violence. The policies look specifically at banning choke holds and strangle holds, requiring de-escalation tactics and banning shooting at moving vehicles. The board will submit the recommendations to MNPD leadership. “#8cantwait is indispensable to repairing trust and promoting policing that is rooted in community engagement and respect,” says Board Chair Ashlee Davis. “This is just the beginning and the COB will continue to listen to the community and make itself available to the partnerships necessary to bring these policies to fruition.”
MUSIC CITY SOUNDS BY KEN J. Homeless Poet, Vendor The train whistle blows Police sirens and ambulances wail The jackhammers and pounders The truck and the cars Horns sound out Helicopters whirl, jets fly by The boots that stop The crowds cheer on Singers cry out swaller and holler The puck that drops The lights go out Guitars that scream Drummers beat on The birds that sing Tug boat sounds The river runs on The crack of the bat Nashville sounds.
MARCH 2015
PLAIN PLEASE BY ANITA S. Formerly homeless vendor
MEDICAL SECRETARY WANTED
Plain potato chips Not even with dip I’ll take mine plain Otherwise the choices Would drive me insane… I won’t just bake the cake Eat the horrible cake I’ll go back for seconds and thirds After all, these are my mistakes
Individual needed to fill the position of Medical Secretary at Compassion Care Clinic in Clarksville, TN. Please send resumes to: compassioncareclinic01@gmail.com
JULY 2017
PAGE 6 | July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 7
THE POETRY ISSUE
THE POETRY ISSUE
DEALING WITH THE GOVERNMENT BY LYDIA MACKLIN Formerly Homeless Poet
A LATE DINNER WITH MY SON BY JENNIFER ALEXANDER Formerly Homeless Poet, Vendor Remember that night at dinner— it was about a year ago— we went to Sammy’s restaurant on Caroline Street. You ordered a shot and the Mediterranean Plate. I had water and the avocado, sprouts, and Swiss on whole wheat. You paid because I didn’t have any money, Remember? We exchanged polite chit chat for a while— you obsessively fingered your tortoise-shell frames feeling superior and suspicious the whole time— me just trying to get to the meat. Without meaning to, I cut too close to the bone. Your face, that face I know so well, flushed crimson. Thunderbolts of ridicule stormed from your mouth, Remember? You started calling names—mocking my bright spirit. Then you slammed fifty bucks on the table and headed for the exit, me following a little behind. Out on the street, you leaped into the driver’s seat, gunned the engine, and peeled off into the night leaving me standing in a Niagara rain on Caroline, Remember? Well, my umbrella was in your car. I’d like to have it back.
Up at the crack of dawn At the government office at 6:30 a.m. Line at the door Crawling mass of humanity Herding us through the line like cattle Velvet-roped chutes to guide the way You’re just a number here my friend Another piece of paper That has to be dealt with Forgotten at the end of the day Go to sit down in the waiting room This section is closed Empty seats galore You gotta sit over there Where the people are crowded together Like a rat-infested tenement slum So many different hurting faces All these people in desperate need Coming here to these offices in humiliation Begging scrapes from the master’s table Further degradation do I suffer Not enough that I am a number 278 as a matter of fact I am treated less than human Made to wait hours and hours With nary a soft chair in sight Screaming children galore Can’t even fake that this is pleasant If you’ve been there you know what I mean However, this is the price you must pay If you want the help they offer To be able to feed yourself I wish it didn’t cost so much To my already battered self-esteem I will endure this For I have to you see Since I have no other options One fine day in the near and bright future I will beg no more This I do promise myself As I sit here for another hour Then maybe I can have my humanity back
MAY 2014
MARCH 2012
FALLBACK SPRING FORWARD BY MICHAEL “THE SCRIBE” G. Formerly Homeless Poet, Vendor If only one could spring ahead while fallin’ back; there in lies a neat trick, with stress junkies buzzn’ on wheat juice double shots, followin’ movie stars shootin’ double expressive interludes of espresso, as Nashville tourists fall back on spring dressed energy drinks, country stars find girly girl textin’ boots kickin’ high-energy mics staging eyes wide-bright; true-blue as they Jolt down before cold-moons fully grey, froze gigs, Suddenly 1 hour twilightly zoned out, Early on a stupid clock that seems to control the human race. Fallback spring ahead leave us alone, I’m going to bed. NOVEMBER 2014
ROLLING, ROLLING BY RAY PONCE DE LEON Formerly Homeless Poet, Vendor Up against the wall Hanging, untangling Peaceful lying smooth My substance dangling Giant fingers start to pull Tearing, mangling Like children testing Santa’s beard I’m spinning, whirling Fingers pull again Like a flag unfurling Keep getting thinner and thinner That squeaking sound, I can’t escape her Till all that’s left is my spool skeleton And I spend eternity in the sea That’s me, rolling rolling A roll of toilet paper JUNE 2008
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THE BADGE BY GLEN N. Homeless Poet, Vendor Does a badge give you a right to discriminate? Does the badge give you the right to racially profile? Does a badge give you an open season license to kill us like an animal? We are human beings. We are Black Americans. We were stolen from Africa and brought to America! Bob Marley sings, There has to be a change nothing changes if nothing changes. We must all stand together no matter what color—no matter what the cost. We all bleed red. I am an Air Force brat. Father did 28 years. One year he went to Thailand. We couldn’t go so we relocated to his relatives in L.A.! I witnessed color water fountains—sat in the back of the bus. Go to the movies and we went in the back door and sat upstairs. 1968-2015. What has changed? I served USAF! Help the change. Thank God for video phones MAY 2015
July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 9
THE POETRY ISSUE
THE POETRY ISSUE
AT LAST BY CANDY L. Formerly Homeless Poet, Vendor
sending a lava stream of foamy bubbles up and out your nose as all the assembled drunks mocked you— including your dad. You took your First Communion, sans veil, in a blue dress because your mother, (a Christian Scientist before the conversion) didn’t realize the significance of the white dress and veil. No one ever offered you a hand, a leg up, a pat on the back, the benefit of any doubt, comfort from night terrors, help with your homework, an ounce of encouragement. ODE TO ODD BY JEN A. Formerly Homeless Poet, Vendor “You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and, gosh darn it, people like you!” Studies show that starting each day in front of a mirror delivering a positive affirmation of your worth to the world, doesn’t work, And may, in fact, have the opposite effect. BECAUSE, LET’S FACE IT, YOU’RE ODD! You’re not like the other children. You were absent from school the day the other boys and girls learned to be properly socialized; because of an asthma attack, or the dog ate your orthopedic inserts, or to catch up on events in Pine Valley. No make-ups. You were raised in a beer joint where the Coca Cola was so cold it exploded in your mouth
There’s a blade of grass Trying to make it through the city sidewalk. It’s finally spring at last If this blade of grass could talk. I will fight every last rain drop Conquer the cold of a snowflake Dance in the wind, like I can’t stop Feet trample on me too much to take. But at last my best shines through I yawn and stretch trying to touch the sky One smile that came from you Makes me wanna try and try. JANUARY 2015
FAST SIDE BY ED GALING Formerly Homeless Poet when I lived on the lower east side at ten I would sit on the fire escape and write poems they weren’t very good I used a small pad and a pen and after I wrote them I would throw them down the fire escape I made an airplane out of them and watched as the thing floated heads over heels to the street were people could trample on them and later the garbage truck came along and swept it away with all the other trash I don’t think the poems were any good anyway and was happy to see them get washed away little did I know I was washing away parts of my life
You applied your own bandages, read the classics, grew your hair long, learned to order take-out, to lie convincingly without talking, to keep your head down. You know the comfort of headphones and the sting of icy stares. Your fish has left the water, You’re chimera with a nose ring and a pronounced limp. You answer to, “hey, you”. They think you’re irregular, unconventional, and strange-an anomaly wrapped in a deviation from the norm. So prove them right, Embrace the exceptional, extraordinary you. An original outshines a copy every time. Pull those pants on over your pajamas, put some fresh Hello Kitty tape on that break in your glasses, turn the mirror to the wall and shout, “I AM WHAT I AM!” God knows You’re plenty good enough. JANUARY 2019
NOVEMBER 2013 PAGE 10 | July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 11
MOVING PICTURES
LA NOTICIA “The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.
One Night in January
LOCALES - POLÍTICA - INMIGRACIÓN - TRABAJOS - SALUD - ESPECTÁCULOS - DEPORTES Y MÁS...
L a N ticia 2020
GRATIS
NEW HOMELESSNESS
Julio
DOCUMENTARY ENGAGES AS MUCH AS IT EDUCATES
Escanee esta imagen para ver La Noticia newspaper edición bilingüe digital
www.hispanicpaper.com
BY JOE NOLAN, FILM CRITIC One Night in January: Counting the Cost of Homelessness’ title is a reference to a national census of homeless Americans that’s organized annually to attempt to count the number of people experiencing homelessness in a city on the coldest night of the year. The count is required by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in the last week of January in order for cities to get federal funding toward housing. The title also points to the dollars and cents that are currently wasted by not creating much more cost effective systems and structures to provide affordable housing and healthcare to the more than half a million Americans who call the streets their home. There’s nothing surprising about the content of this new documentary produced and directed by filmmaker Stephen Newton, but his non-linear approach to story and editing brings an impressionistic sense to what might
“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publication include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.
“DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”
Año 18 - No. 309
otherwise be just another preachy, pedantic movie about nagging social problems that never seem to improve or change. The movie was set to release to theaters this year, but due to the global pandemic One Night in January is now available for free on YouTube. The movie features all the talking heads you’d expect to see in a documentary about homelessness: preachers and protesters, politicians and housing experts, and interviews with a number of homeless and formerly homeless men and women. Again, it’s not a question of what makes Newton’s film special, but how he takes familiar elements and arranges them in unexpected ways to keep a conversation about economic disparity and affordable housing engaging and even emotionally moving. Newton relishes in bouncing in-and-out from big picture interviews with prominent national experts to intimate chats with regular folks wrestling with
homelessness on the streets. Newton interviews Noam Chomsky about American feudalism in the 21st century, but he also talks to homeless veterans in East Tennessee, and affordable housing activists right here in Nashville. Newton rightly demonstrates how both of America’s major political parties disparage the poor and create policies to undermine the people’s social safety net in favor of creating an economy by and for big business interests. He also gives viewers a first hand look at homeless lives lived in burned-out, litter-strewn camps, and scattered along highway exits across the country. Newton’s film is disarming because it never feels like there is an agenda behind the camera, but the director still manages to make the point that putting homeless people into housing and ensuring that they receive primary, preventative medical care would ultimately cost far less than we’re currently spending to
criminalize their presence in urban spaces, and to fund the emergency medical treatment that becomes the go-to option for people living at the margins of society. The director talks with housing and medical experts about how willful ignorance among politicians is far more costly than addressing homelessness directly, but then it brings the receipts by demonstrating the success stories he finds in storefront churches and small scale not-for-profit housing projects in East Tennessee. The most novel insight in Newton’s film is the role that trauma plays in homelessness: 92% of homeless women with children report childhood trauma from abuse and neglect, histories of alcohol and drug abuse, and/or domestic abuse. The film questions how the early diagnosis and treatment of trauma might affect outcomes in terms of keeping people off the street in the first place. How might trauma education and
treatment affect the living situations of the more than 60,000 veterans who currently call the streets of American cities their home? The film demonstrates that the economic precarity of American life in the 21st century can mean a slide from employed and housed to jobless and homeless in as little as six weeks. In the middle of a global pandemic, at the beginning of a Greater Depression, how steep will that slide get before our political will can match the economic and moral good of acknowledging housing as a human right in the richest and most powerful country in the world? Watch One Night in January: Counting the Cost of Homelessness at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=gE5G0zuEKtw Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.
Latinas por Igualdad de Oportunidades de Hacer Negocio en Marcha
La emoción de estar ya en la ‘Fase 3’ de la reactivación económica duró muy poco con el anuncio del alcalde John Cooper, de regresar a la ‘Fase 2’, justo a vísperas de celebrar el 4 julio, debido al incremento exponencial y explo- Por Karina García Latinas4EBO sivo de casos de coroContribuidora navirus, que hasta el cierre de la presente edición alcanzaba los 11,114 contagiados y 111 muertos solamente en el área de Nashville. A pesar de todo esto, lo que sí se ve de manera más clara y optimista es como la comunidad empresarial hispana se está organizando para sobrellevar la incertidumbre y sobrepasar las dificultades financieras que la pandemia ha traído. La Cámara de Comercio Hispana de Nashville (NAHCC) estuvo lista para mediar los espacios de intercambio de experiencias e ideas innovadoras que esta misma creó. Entre ellos: El Programa de Reuniones Semanales vía Zoom a cargo de la Fundación NAHCC que se da todos los sábados a las 9 de la mañana y dura media hora; y el Programa de Acercamiento al Trabajo Público con el grupo en Facebook Latinas4EBO para mujeres empresarias hispanas, que cuenta con más de cincuenta (50) participantes. Ambos programas han facilitado un espacio de actualización e incidencia donde empresarios y empresarias, aliados y aliadas del emprendimiento social y autoridades competentes facilitan la asistencia y encuentro de ideas para afrontar el impacto del Covid-19 en los pequeños negocios. Latinas4EBO fué resultado de la innata necesidad de mirar hacia la comunidad en busca de ayuda y apoyo para saber cómo acceder a los fondos de alivio económico propuestos por el SBA (Administración Nacional de Pequeños Negocios) y de cómo adaptar el negocio o redireccionarlo para el trabajo público como una oportu-
“I Am Remarkable” by Google Fiber: Empowering Latina entrepreneurs is one of the many initiatives lead by the NAHCC Foundation and made possible thanks to key Corporate and Community Partners nidad en vista a los cambios. Las Opportunity Program-EBO) bajo la mujeres confiamos en otras mujeres ordenanza BL2018-1419 determina que para explorar estas opciones y tomar Metro Nashville reserve hasta 5% de su decisiones, también nos hace muy bien presupuesto anual para contratar con saber que estamos pasando por situa- pequeñas empresas minoritarias en donde ciones parecidas y nos alentamos unas a las propietarias sean mujeres (u otros segotras. Es por eso que este grupo de con- mentos minoritarios). Si usted es parte de tacto y soporte ha servido exitosamente este programa será registrada en el direccomo un espacio solidario en el que propi- torio de proveedoras de EBO y será notifietarias de pequeños negocios acceden a cada tan frecuentemente como exista una información resumida y en español sobre oportunidad de contratos. Además de las principales actualizaciones del obtener acceso a creación de redes, prograPrograma de Protección de Pago ó PPP, mas de capacitación, talleres educativos y el Fondo de Desastres Económicos ó programas de tutoría. En definitiva, un EIDL, y otras opciones financieras como paso importante para el negocio hispano. el Tennessee Relief Program ó de apoyo Los negocios hispanos pequeños de propara la reapertura como el “Good To Go pietarias mujeres, se caracterizan por funProgram” del Centro de Convenciones y cionar independientemente, liderado Turismo de Nashville (NCVC). principalmente por la dueña/fundadora y/o con algunos empleados (a veces miemLatinas4EBO no sólo tiene como objetivo bros de la familia) y mayoritariamente en facilitar el acceso a la información de el sector de servicios: belleza, limpieza, oportunidades financieras sino también alimentos y bebidas aunque también tede acompañar a las miembros del grupo nemos miembros en el sector de construcen el camino a prepararse para el trabajo ción y abastecimiento, reparación autopúblico ya que tener un contrato con el motriz y servicios profesionales especiagobierno de Nashville ofrece una oportu- lizados. Dado los requisitos de licitación y nidad de crecimiento y estabilidad benefi- la presión existente de sobrevivir al ciosa para cualquier negocio. Además, el impacto COVID-19, la NAHCC ha proPrograma de Igualdad de Oportunidades puesto modelos empresariales ‘colaborade Empresas (Equal Bussiness tivos’ para poder acceder a oportunidaes
Conoce tus derechos: ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada? 1. Mantenerse callado 2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido 3. No mentir 4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos 5. No revelar su situación migratoria 6. No llevar documentación de otro país 7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrarla Tarjeta Miranda (llámenos si necesita una)
por
Basados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, los derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un abogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda luego de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, de 1966.
w w w . j u a n e s e . c o m
PAGE 12 | July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
Nashville, Tennessee
July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 13
existentes de contratos con el gobierno, que traen como beneficio principal, cierta predictibilidad y sobre todo, estabilidad de ingresos. Estas ‘propuestas alternativas’, para muchas mujeres emprendedoras, implicaría cambios o redireccionamiento en las líneas de su negocio, por tanto significa un reto tanto para Metro Nashville como para las participantes y para la NAHCC, que tuvo la iniciativa de formar el grupo y dar el seguimiento respectivo. Hasta ahora se ha tenido reuniones semanales de información e intercambio y dos reuniones recientes muy importantes: una el 19 de junio en español con el SBA y su directora distrital la Sra. LaTanya Channel, para explicar y resolver dudas sobre las últimas actualizaciones de los recursos financieros disponibles a través del CARES ACT, y otra el 24 de junio con la Oficina de Asistencia a Empresas de Minorías y Mujeres con una explicación en detalle sobre el programa EBO a cargo de su director Christopher Wood. Próximamente se abordarán temas referentes a herramientas financieras y de marketing para ayudar a preparar a los negocios para el trabajo público. Si usted aún no es parte de esta incubadora de ideas y desea participar, visite Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber en Facebook o LinkedIn para acceder al enlace de nuestras reuniones de todos los sábados a las 9 am. Para ser miembro de Latinas4EBO llame al 615-216-5737 ó envíeme un mensaje de texto al 713-2696739 ó por la página NAHCC en Facebook. Aquí conocerá más sobre el programa y los beneficios de ser parte. Karina García es graduada de Sciences Po Paris en estudios de Gobierno y Politica con especialidad en Relaciones Internacionales. Karina cursó su ultimo año en Vanderbilt University llevando cursos de Politicas Públicas y se prepara para una Maestría en Gestión Pública Internacional en la Escuela de Estudios Internacionales de Paris-Sciences Po PSIA.
Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper.com
VOTE
OBIN KIMBROUGH HAYES UNITED STATES SENATE
FUN
HAIKUSCOPES
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
PASSION. AUTHENTICITY. SERVICE. “I grew up in a trailer park in Kentucky. The trailer park taught me how to stretch my resources, how to make a lot of a little, and gave me the drive to become a lawyer and preacher. Most importantly, it taught me that no matter what is going on, there is still hope.” - Robin
Early Voting - July 17, 2020
CANCER
SCORPIO
PISCES
A wasp on my porch asked me to tell you this joke: “You are in control.”
Would you rather be the world’s most famous dentist or a stalk of wheat?
Beetles ate the leaves that kept the eggplants growing. Still, the sun came out.
LEO
SAGITTA R IUS
ARIES
Five stages of grief. Marigolds in my garden. Pick one and it’s yours.
You sit in the shade under the tulip poplar. Can you count it’s leaves?
The beekeeper waits for the sweetest of futures underneath her mask
VIRGO
CAPRICORN
TAURUS
Sing out your window! “You were never alone here” – an owl answers back.
The heat burned up hope but despair cannot survive this humidity
I get lost thinking of a perfect peach we shared – but this peach is here.
LIBRA
AQUA R IUS
GEMINI
Pigeons live whole lives pecking the heads of statues. Nobody looks twice.
“You left the hose on.” say pipes humming in your walls. this pressure will build.
That familiar crunch of molted cicada shell – what we leave behind
Election Day - August 6, 2020 www.robinforsenate.com Paid for by the Committee to Elect Robin Kimbrough Hayes United States Senator Treasurer, Tonya Sherrell-Bond PAGE 14 | July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, an authorized gardening consultant, or a poet. Mr. Mysterio is, however, a budding intermediate podcaster! Check out The Mr. Mysterio Podcast. Season 2 is now playing at mrmysterio.com. Got a question, just give Mr. M a call at 707-VHS-TAN1
July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 15
VENDOR WRITING
PROFANE SUPER POWER JEN A.
A DOLLY PARTON SONG SAVED MY LIFE LOGAN M.
Why Johnny STILL can't read? 3 out of 4 children in Tennessee cannot read at grade level.
After your evil deeds were done, And your clandestine
You spun me around three times
Votes were taken,
said bloody mary’s gonna get me again
Having arrested
Punched me in my face
All voices of dissent,
Locked me in the closet
Your limp members slithered
Stuck a needle in your arm again
From your limestone vault
Daddy’s out hustling for his next hit of crack
Under cover of Cimmerian darkness And knelt in self-righteous prayer;
Mommas usually don’t let thier babies starve
One knee on the neck
and leave them there aching with a broken heart
Of a black man, And the other knee on the neck
This merry go round keeps on spinning around
Of a woman.
This merry go round keeps on spinning around I never thought a Dolly Parton song could save my life A handful of pills I’d stop just in time
THE SKY TYRONE M.
motivation 9 to 5 Maybe someday I’ll have a better life
I looked up/seen it
Find out why at N2Reading. com
A cup of ambition
huge blue wide
I’m a sparrow when I’m broken I wanna be an eagle that flies
spaced
against a billion stars
Momma’s not coming home
a blue sky
Daddy’s drunk again
moving endlessly
I’m locked in this closet again
all ‘round
This Dolly Parton Barbie doll is my only friend I never thought a Dolly Parton song could save my life A handful of pills I’d stop just in time
or check out N2Reading on Facebook.
TEACH THE WORLD SOMETHING NEW JOHN H.
Sixty years old, and feel no pain
A cup of ambition motivation 9 to 5 Maybe someday I’ll have a better life I’m a sparrow when I’m broken I wanna be an eagle that flies
It’s the hate in America, that drives a man insane Take a look in a mirror, that’s where it start On your way to bed, ask God to cleanse your heart Ya see it starts with me, before I can ask you Maybe afterwards you and I can get together, give the world a clue Loving someone ain’t hard, it depends on you I think it’s time we teach the world something new
LOVE VICTOR J.
People say they love you all the time left and right Soon as you turn around that love is gone In 60 seconds But God’s love will never end
PAGE 16 | July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 17
VENDOR WRITING
America (for some)
Thousands of Tennesseans can testify that Camp Changes Lives. In years past, this has meant days spent on a lake or taking part in music lessons during day camp. This year, it means engaging young minds, and fighting food insecurity, in their own homes.
JOHN H., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR God made a commandment that we should love one another. Today, people all over the world protest that love. I, myself, have been protesting over 40 years. Things that have happened here in America since day one are unjust to some. I remember when I was in the high school marching band. At concerts, games, etc., when I had to play the National Anthem, I would sit my drumsticks on the floor. Or, if I’m on the football field, I would place them on the ground. Just a few years back, I was attending church service and they sang the National Anthem. Everyone stood, put their hand on their heart. I stayed seated. Many asked why, I said, “You wouldn’t understand or if I told you the real truth, you couldn’t handle it. Songs like, “America,” in which they sing, “Land where the pilgrims cry” — what can the pilgrims cry about? They had slaves to do all the work, so what can upset you enough to make you cry? Bull.
Camp Chanqes Lives
Watch the Crucifixion on TV, many of those characters that they displayed were black. I guess what I’m saying is, the way America has brainwashed humans, the equality of it all—it’s a sad story. That’s why I have no kids, simply because I didn’t want them to be confused of who they are or to whom they are supposed to be. Many African Americans actually need counseling, taught over again and educated on what has happened. Ain’t gonna be easy cleaning up these folks’ acts, but we must start. Let’s all ask God together. He says in his word, “If we trust and believe that he will do for you, He will!” So educate yourself and let God handle your battle. Amazing how God used Black people to fulfill his word. Yet, America made Black people feel as though all they were worth is labor and building America. Things are going to change though. I can see it. Sad that Ahmaud had to lose his life to bring about change. To the millions protesting, I just want to say thank you.
Thanks to Camp Paradise Valley Weekly, our camp in a box program, children throughout Tennessee are getting a box of themed activities each week to engage their minds, reduce summer learning loss and provide nourishing meals so no one goes hungry. As importantly, the stress of families is reduced as uncertainty is met with gracious sharing. They also have access to our custom video series that compliments each box as our guests walk them through each week's activities! From inventors to pirates to farmers, our guests present the activities in a fun and engaging way that builds lasting summer memories. Best of all, our campers will be better prepared to successfully take on a new year of learning. Learn more at SalvationArmyNashville.org
From Hopeless, to Homeless, to Home BY BRIAN B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR
THEME: HUM A N BODY ACROSS 1. It’s often breaking 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca 8. Bog deposit 12. Mine entrance 13. *Blood fluids 14. Sinbad the Sailor’s home 15. Delhi dress 16. Ball of yarn 17. On the radio 18. *Brain’s “fear factory” 20. Gulf War missile 21. Monkeys, in Spain 22. “____ Elise” 23. Capital of Tasmania 26. Unlike Pinocchio 29. Be mistaken 30. Meteorologist’s line 33. Radiant light 35. Popular horse breed, pl. 37. VIII predecessor 38. Lit test format 39. Prima donna 40. Like meters and kilograms 42. Step on it 43. a.k.a. association
football 45. ____ Hood and Christopher ____ 47. *Result of UV exposure 48. Southern chicken stew 50. Staff leader 52. *The smallest bones 56. Social media button 57. Mange carrier 58. Plumber’s sealant 59. Fuzzy fruit, pl. 60. a.k.a. The Islamic State 61. Antioxidants-rich berry 62. Tolstoy’s Karenina 63. Grazing spot 64. Country singer-songwriter Loretta
6. A in A=ab, pl. 7. *Location of strongest muscle 8. *Part of both digestive and endocrine systems 9. Genesis twin 10. Like a desert 11. Used to fix a leaky roof 13. Limit in quality 14. Same as boatswain 19. “Pillow Talk” (1960) star 22. Same as #22 Across, in English 23. *It loses 80% of body heat 24. Root of iris 25. Music to a performer’s ears 26. *Fastest growing tissue 27. Popular Japanese DOWN 1. “For the Benefit of All” dish org. 28. Orient Express, e.g. 2. Cheese in red casing 31. Walkie-talkie word 32. *The teeth did it 3. Lean like an athlete 34. “The ____ have it” 4. Bad rep 5. Address to Kitty 36. *Gut dwellers 38. *One of #36 Down 40. Males 41. Van Gogh’s famous flower painting 44. Coffee shops 46. *____ cavity, a.k.a. mouth 48. Aplomb 49. Harbor city of Ancient Rome 50. *Humans are the only animals that have it 51. Field of grass 53. Having lace 54. Zeal 55. *The largest organ 56. Reggae precursor 57. mL
Imagine living the “Good Life,” married to the girl of your dreams, four beautiful children, a great job, and a comfortable home. LIFE IS GOOD! Then without warning tragedy strikes, and it doesn’t stop with just one blow. All of a sudden, you find yourself widowed, raising the youngest two alone, and in a tent, wondering each day if you’ll be able to find the food needed to feed your boys. The life you find yourself in is so far from anything you could have imagined, that you don’t even know where to look for help. This is where I was when I wandered by the Downtown Presbyterian Church, where I saw a line of men and women at the back door. Upon inquiring, I found they were buying and selling newspapers. I figure, “why not.” I signed up. Every day, I would go out, find a spot and hope people would buy my papers, at least enough for us to eat. I had very little success over the course of a week, so I gave up. I struggled through the next year or so, finding what resources I could, trying to keep my family fed and indoors as much as possible. Many days I would “fly a sign” asking for a handout. I had given up on my ability to provide for us on my own. However, I was feeding my children, that is until COVID-19 struck America. The virus closed down the places I would panhandle, cutting off the money I had come to rely on. Feeling hopeless, and trying to figure out what to do now, The Contributor newspaper came back to mind. I signed up again, this time with a deep desperation. I took the 15 papers they had given me to get started, found a place, and set up. Determined, I stayed four and a half hours, sold two papers, and made a grand total of seven dollars. Yes, it sucked, but it did buy food. So the next day I found a new spot and tried again, this time selling no papers but receiving a “gift” from a man of $10 — again able to buy food for one more day. This went on for several days. I would put in long hours and barely make enough to get by each day. My papers were running out. I had three left, and decision time was rapidly approaching. Yes, I was getting the money needed for food, but just barely. Should I spend the much needed money on more papers or not? Was this really helping, or was I wasting time and energy on a dead end? I made my decision, I would try one
PAGE 18 | July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
more place, sell my last three papers and be out of the newspaper business. I had heard of a place where a former vendor had some success, my current spot. Like everywhere else, the people in this location had dealt with their share of homeless people “working their patrons.” They, employees and customers alike, looked at me with a combination of pity and distaste, and some even with disgust. However, this community had come to like and respect The Contributor paper, and the mission it stood for. They gave me a chance. With only three papers, I left that day with almost forty dollars. For the first time I had made not only enough to cover the day’s expenses but to also buy more papers. With a glimmer of hope and a fresh stack of papers I returned the next day. Within a few weeks, as I continued to speak with my customers, they began to get to know me a little. Day by day, my paper sales increased as others began to purchase my papers. My sales grew rapidly, sometimes so much that I would find myself sold out with still a couple of days left before I could buy more. Granted this is a good problem to have, but it was still a problem resulting in lost opportunities. However, with the growing success I seemed to lose the feeling of being hopeless. Even though we were still homeless things were getting better. With the continued patronage of my customers, I was able to combine my small disability check with my paper earnings and get a small, two bedroom apartment. Now, I’ve seen a lot of wonderful things in my life, but NONE have ever come close to the look of true joy on my boys’ faces as we unlocked “our” door for the first time. We’ve now been in our apartment for almost three weeks, haven’t missed a meal in over two months, and are home. Now as we continue our progress back towards the “good life” we seem to have developed a better understanding of what a good life truly is. So I wrote this article for one purpose. Just to say thanks to the men and women working behind the scenes at The Contributor for helping to change my “hopelessness” into just “homelessness.” And a very special thank you to all of my customers, past and future, who helped me change “homeless” to “home.” July 8 - 22, 2020 | The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 19
