Homeless Memorial Day 2015
I've been involved with homeless people in Philadelphia since the fall of 2014- one year at this writing. I should really say street people. There are so many descriptions: people who live on the street; people who live in shelters; people who couch surf- sleep wherever they can. The commonality is that they spend much of their time on the street regardless of the weather- hence "street people". I've been looking for ways to use my pictures and words to help in any way that I can. I've done photography for One Step Away, the newspaper about the homeless community. I wrote a Photo Essay called Living Trans about a homeless transgender man. I'm working on a Photo Essay about Depaul House, a residential program that helps homeless men break the cycle of homelessness by getting them back into the workplace.
When I see street people, I wonder about their health. They often look unhealthy and older than their years. On bitterly cold days when I'm shaking in my three layers of clothes, many street people are scantily dressed, even without gloves. They must get sick a lot and die young- right? I read a statistic that the average life expectancy of homeless people is just 50 years, vs. 78 for non-homeless people. This was on my mind when I saw the announcement for the annual Homeless Memorial Day in Philadelphia on December 17, 2015. I attended to see if I could capture the emotion of this event.
While typically held outside, which is appropriate, it was moved indoors because of rain. It was held at the Arch Street United Methodist Church (one block from City Hall)- a church that is very supportive of the homeless community in Philadelphia.
The program included talks by religious leaders, representatives from homeless support agencies, a city councilwoman, and by a young woman who had been drawn into prostitution in order to have a place to live- happily her life has been turned around.
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164 names: In front of the podium was a poster with names of people who died this year, from Albert to Izora. Many names were just initials making them seem even more anonymous. Many names weren't there at all.
164 names: In front of the podium was a poster with names of people who died this year, from Albert to Izora. Many names were just initials making them seem even more anonymous. Many names weren't there at all.
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Hallelujah Was Played: Created a very solemn mood.
Hallelujah Was Played: Created a very solemn mood.
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Reading of the Names: The most emotional part of the program was the reading of the names as taps played in the background. One by one, a member of the congregation stood holding a sign with the name of the person just read. After 164 names, most everyone in the church was standing.
Reading of the Names: The most emotional part of the program was the reading of the names as taps played in the background. One by one, a member of the congregation stood holding a sign with the name of the person just read. After 164 names, most everyone in the church was standing.
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Waiting Their Turn to Stand
Waiting Their Turn to Stand
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What I Learned from Homeless People: The following series of images illustrates the emotions of people holding signs. As I looked at these images, I noticed something remarkable. Our world is dominated by strife between races, religions, ethnic groups, and countries all based on perceived difference. What these images reveal is that everyone looks the same when they grieve- how remarkable is that! We must all be the same afterall.
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Remember Lillian.
What I Learned from Homeless People: The following series of images illustrates the emotions of people holding signs. As I looked at these images, I noticed something remarkable. Our world is dominated by strife between races, religions, ethnic groups, and countries all based on perceived difference. What these images reveal is that everyone looks the same when they grieve- how remarkable is that! We must all be the same afterall.
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Remember Lillian.
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Remember Carmen
Remember Carmen
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Remember Floyd, W.Z., and Valiant
Remember Floyd, W.Z., and Valiant
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Remember Mike "Red" and A.W
Remember Mike "Red" and A.W
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Remember B.Y.
Remember B.Y.
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Remember Daniel
Remember Daniel
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Remember Bobby
Remember Bobby
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Remember James
Remember James
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Remember L.A.
Remember L.A.
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Remember David
Remember David
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Remember Michael, M.G., and M.T.
Remember Michael, M.G., and M.T.
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Remember to Remember
Remember to Remember
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Remember to Love: His fingers are a constant reminder.
Remember to Love: His fingers are a constant reminder.
Final Thoughts
What I Also Learned from Homeless People: I learned that people can slip into homelessness very easily, we're all just One Step Away. This memorial taught me that homeless people can slip out of this world very easily as well- without making a sound.