Dialogues With the Homeless

I met Percy on the street and approached him because he was selling Streetwise. Percy and I have a lot in common. His first dream was to become a hip hop and rnb producer. Now he's his own boss and considers the magazine gig a stepping stone for him to get one of his many creative business ventures off the ground. At 39, he says he's still trying to figure himself out and I wonder if that's just always true for people like us. He takes good care of his family and is incredibly grateful for his 7 step kids.

A few months ago I hit a milestone birthday and had the amazing opportunity to interview my dad at the StoryCorps booth in Chicago. StoryCorps is an organization that allows everyday people all around the country to enter a recording booth and interview anyone they want. The high fidelity recordings are then archived at the Library of Congress so that future generations can listen back and understand the life and times of the people we live with today. For me, it meant a lot that my Dad was receptive to doing this with me. It was impossible for me to not get emotional while doing it, knowing that these recordings would far outlast my parents and even myself. The reality is that if I ever have kids that aren’t fortunate enough to know my Dad, I would want them to at least have this glimpse of who he was. An even crazier reality is that even after I’m gone, kids of my kids could listen to these recordings and hear first hand of how their ancestors became Americans. I think my parents lived and continue to live the most remarkable lives they could have asked for. And sorry I’m an ugly crier, I definitely don’t get that from my dad :)

Recently I spoke with Kelly, someone who’s been on the streets for a couple years since her husband passed and her father was foreclosed on. In the past she’s worked was at the Burnham harbor, in a doctors office doing medical billing and coding, and has worked in service. We discuss the difficulties of finding a job while on the streets, why she stays away from homeless shelters, and some solutions that she thinks would help her get employed. ALSO the camera turned off while recording but I caught the audio on my recorder so in addition to posting the video, your boy is officially starting a podcast because it’s 2019 and why not? Shoutout #BobRoss #happyaccidents.

Recently I got the opportunity to talk with a young man named Nathaniel. This was his first day ever selling Streetwise, and we were on Michigan avenue when I met him. Nathaniel hopes to save some money so that he can afford books, a computer, and all the necessities for him to go back and complete his associates degree. His previous attempt at college was derailed after his computer was stolen. We talk about his life on the south side, growing up around gangs, and being able to stay out of the ghetto life as a young adult.