In response to this year’s Multicultural Morning, which focused on the myths and realities of homelessness, eleventh grade AP English students submitted prose, poetry, and letters to the editor to Streetvibes (pictured), the newspaper of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition For the Homeless. Streetvibes focuses on homelessness and social justice problems. Many of the student responses will be published in Streetvibes.
What I thought about Multicultural Morning
By Kate Taylor
“Multicultural morning”—it’s not the sort of phrase that makes me quiver with excitement. I have to admit that the prospect of the event on Thursday morning only inspired me to check the schedule to see which classes I would be missing. Okay, so I did watch the The Soloist trailer on YouTube, but this did little to pique my interest.
Thursday morning came and I trundled into the auditorium with the rest of my dazed and bleary-eyed upper school classmates to watch The Soloist. I have to say that the movie, in itself, I did not like. The schizophrenic scenes with echoing voices were, frankly, disturbing, and a crying baby on television is pretty creepy. But it did raise significant questions and displayed important messages that went along with Ms. Floyd’s theme of “Everyone has a story,” (which the real Steve Lopez actually said in the introduction), so for that I accept it. Each character contributed a different angle to the film. Of course, Nathaniel showed us the terrors of schizophrenia and the loneliness of the homeless. His new friend, Steve Lopez, thought he could change Nathaniel and save him from his predicament. He did neither. Nathaniel changed and saved Steve, showing that sometimes we have to be open to learning as well as teaching.
While watching the movie, I could not get past the selfish, ignorant, and egotistical cello teacher. Who does he think he is to apply his beliefs to Nathaniel? What is wrong with the world to make people believe that they can treat everyone the same? Though I am certainly not prone to anger, the cello teacher surpasses my understanding and strikes way at the top of my, albeit short, people-I-am-very-annoyed-with-and-almost-hate list.
On to the second item on the multicultural morning agenda. Jenny’s imaginary trip redefined my image of homelessness. Though I could still feel the cushioned chair beneath me and taste the lingering sweetness of the brownie from break, the exercise was realistic and powerful. Each step was individually terrible, and I can’t imagine all of them hitting one after the other. It gave some insight into the life of a homeless person, but nothing can compare to Grady’s profound story, which captured my attention and drove all thoughts of break-time snacks from my mind.
The aspect of Grady’s talk that stays with me the most is that he was, without doubt, a real person who had suffered real hardship and homelessness. His story was real. We weren’t watching it on a screen or reading about it in print or hearing about it from someone else. It was a person telling us about his life the way he experienced it.
It’s hard not to generalize a group of people when you’ve only got one example or one story to go on. At multicultural morning, I heard three different stories from three different people. Nathaniel was a poor, schizophrenic man who lived in fear of the world around him, thus making it almost impossible for Steve to help him. Thanks to Mr. Black’s intuitive questions, I learned that Jenny herself had been homeless intermittently throughout her life. Now she is working to combat the problem that has had such an effect on her life. And, finally, I listened to a man who was “homeless by choice” and fought his way out simply by returning home.
It is exceedingly difficult to surrender stereotypes and abandon the labels that seem to make life so easy: “mentally ill,” “drug-addict,” or “alcoholic.” But Multicultural morning demonstrated that Steve Lopez is absolutely right—“Everyone has a story.”
The Unknown and the Unnamed
By Kate Taylor
The folds of thin, fraying fabric
Form a crumbling resistance
Against the tormenting
Frost-bitten air
A candle burns at the end of a dark street
Sputtering light and warmth until
The invisible thief snatches
It away
Pleas for help take the shape
Of cardboard signs
Silently crying out
To passersby
Individuals are built
On hard, unforgiving concrete
Stories without readers burn
To ashes in graveside flames
Letter to the Editor
By Alexis Victor
Dear Streetvibes and the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless,
I was truly touched by Grady’s visit to our school and the presentation made about homelessness in Cincinnati. I believe that our society has a stereotypical and negative image of homeless people, and it’s almost as if we are raised to be cautious of these homeless people because we think that they’re bad people that could harm us. However, after hearing Grady’s story I am truly transformed. I realized that everyone has a different story in life, and even though some people have made bad choices in their life doesn’t mean that they should be cast out of society. The one thing that Grady said that touched me the most was the fact that a small conversation was much more significant than money. Grady’s story has inspired me to make a connection and talk with someone I see who may be tough on their luck. In response to your visit, I have written a poem about how the power of words can help a person in need more than any material possessions. Thank you for your informative visit, and please tell Grady that I am honored that he had the courage to speak to our school and help me become a better person.
Sincerely,
Alexis Victor
The touch of a word
By Alexis Victor
the face
worn by the cold, wrinkled with regret
the smile faded, eyes blank.
Lost.
yearning for the warmth of a connection
eyes meet, a smile, nod of the head.
worth more than the filthy bill too precious
to spare for someone in need
an exchange of words can touch the soul,
spark a light in the eyes
alleviate the wrinkled problems on the face
fill the mind, body and soul with purpose for change.
Homelessness
By Lindsay Dougan
On Wednesday January 27, 2010, the Upper School of Cincinnati Country Day School gathered to learn about homelessness. Grades 9-12 watched the movie The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downy Jr., which depicts how a talented musician ends up on the streets due to mental illness. The film awakened us to the plight of homelessness, which can strike anyone. Immediately following the film, we heard two speakers from the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, who had both previously been homeless. The goal of the presentation was to erase stereotypes and enlighten students on ways to contribute to the fight against homelessness.
The most important lesson learned that day was compassion. Each person who lives on the streets has their own story and is a human being worthy on empathy and aid. I left the presentation wishing to give hope to those out there on the streets battling the cold and hunger. Hundreds of young adults had taken time out of their day to learn about the lives of those down of their luck, and we cared. We cared about the individuals that are seen as less that human because they don’t have the privilege of a daily shower; we cared about those who feel degradation from their fellow Americans. We cared and we will continue to care. If the message that hundreds of thousands of people worry and feel for those who suffer on the streets reaches the ears of the inflicted individuals, it might bring a moment of joy to those who need it the most. If I can put a smile on the frown-lined face of a homeless person, the first step towards raising them up to success has been accomplished.
Death
By Alexandra McInturf
Death.
Death is a deep, unknown abyss.
Bright souls pass through,
Gradually enveloped by the darkness.
And then their light fades.
In most of those transparent souls,
The heart, big and red, beats strongly
In their middle, growing stronger
With the grief of their loved ones
Until the beating slows…..stops.
But some hearts, too many to count
Have pieces missing; have cracks down the center
Are tinted with different shades of blue, green;
The beating is frail, heavy with the burden
Of hardships, conflicts, life.
These hearts aren’t strengthened
As the soul descends into nothingness.
Instead, the thump-thump-thump
Becomes an echo of silence.
I look down into the black void,
And see the blue, green, and yellow
Hearts among the red.
And I wonder if there is a way,
To make those small hearts strong again.
But it is too late for these souls and their hearts.
“May They Finally Rest In Peace”.
Letter to the Editor
By Ilana Habib
Mr. Flannery,
First of all I’d like to applaud you on what a wonderful paper you are producing. Streetvibes seems to be a wonderful outlet for news that I simply have not seen elsewhere. I am the photo editor of The Scroll, the paper at my high school, and I definitely appreciate the breadth of content and the interesting perspectives presented in each of the articles. I received a copy of the paper following a presentation on the homeless, and it’s given me a perspective on certain hot-topic issues that I hadn’t seen before.
One thing I wanted to comment on was the article “On the Streets, Not ‘Up in the Air”. I definitely understand the author’s point that not all those who get let go react angrily, but I suppose I have another one of those contrasting view points. My father works in relatively the same business as Clooney’s character does and I would argue that the reason the movie focused in so much on the people that became violent is because these people have the most effect on people like my dad. My father spends most of his time on his airplane (he is just about to break two million miles), and while the main portion of his job is not to fire people, this part certainly upsets him. Whenever you google my dad, up pop up blogs describing my father as Satan or even insulting his mother or my sister and myself. Even though my dad is just doing his job, many people take it personally and thus backlash against him and his team. In one office in Tampa, someone even threatened my father with a bomb. While smaller staffs may not respond in such an ugly manner, “corporate crap” is different.
While the movie may not have taken the direction the author suggested (and please recommend the movie Outsourced to them, as if they really want to see O&O, that’s their gig), I think it was successful in exploring the psychological toll that those kinds of jobs have on the people that do them. My dad experiences a lot of stress because of what he does. He’s never home, people hate on him over the internet, and his job is basically to make some people miserable for the sake of company survival and benefit. It’s not all he does, but it’s a part of it, and it’s something that affects him (and my family) everyday.
I really enjoyed reading your paper, and if I have the opportunity to get my hands on another copy in the future I certainly will take advantage of it.
Thanks for your time,
Ilana Habib
