Joey Brumme's Blog
Reaffirming Dignity: An Encounter on the Street... / 10.17.08, 03:36 PM
Well, I’ve been meaning to update my blog for about a month, but being limited to about 2 hours on the internet per week makes it quite difficult to accomplish all the things I’ve been hoping to accomplish. I had several different things in mind to post here, one of course being a general update on what’s going on here in the Windy City, but I’m going to hold off on that one for a couple days. I apologize to all who are eager for some info about my team, my service site, my neighborhood, etc. I’ll write a long update as soon as I get some more time.
For now, I want to share a story about an encounter my team and I had while walking downtown on Wednesday, September 17. This happened on CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) Relay Day during the week of Chicago-specific training. CTA Relay Day was basically a big photo scavenger hunt in which we used public transportation to visit many of Chicago’s famous sites, like Soldier Field and Navy Pier. This was just a creative way to help us get accustomed to using public transportation.
On the way to the Rock N’ Roll McDonald’s (one of our scavenger goals), I greeted an African-American man who was walking on the street with a simple, “Hello.” Nothing too extraordinary as I’d been trying to get used to greeting strangers on the street, especially in our neighborhood. But, he immediately stopped and approached us saying, “I’ve been walking these streets for two years and you’re only the second person who has even acknowledged me.” This, of course, took us a bit off guard. But, we stopped and talked with him for a little while and eventually found out he was a homeless man named James, who actually had lived in Englewood at some point.
This conversation only lasted about 10 minutes, but it left me thinking and questioning long after the fact. It cost me so little to acknowledge James. Perhaps I was only risking being ignored or feeling awkward interacting in a situation out of my comfort zone. So, why, if it cost me so little, did my greeting mean so much to him?
For James, I think it was all about reaffirming his dignity. The more I’ve studied homelessness and poverty, and talked with homeless folks (neither have I done nearly enough), the more I become convinced that there is an intense need in the hearts of people like James to be reaffirmed and loved as human beings. Don’t get me wrong, I think everyone has this basic need. But, for James, and many others, this need has been intensified through years of being ignored and pushed to the margins of our society. Many people (myself included) tend to walk by homeless folks on the street without greeting them, smiling, or even making eye contact. Personally, I know I’ve thought if I make eye contact with a homeless person, they’ll ask me for money and I’ll either feel guilty if I can’t give it to them or coerced into giving something I don’t want to give. I may be wrong, but I think this tends to be a pretty common thought process for many people. But, regardless of the thought process, the result still tends to be the same; people like James are ignored and subsequently made to feel perhaps less than human. Imagine what it’d be like to go through days, weeks, and years being constantly ignored. And the only time someone doesn’t ignore you is when they drop a few quarters in your cup.
No wonder it meant so much to James to be acknowledged as a normal human being that day. He was starving to be afforded just a morsel of kindness and dignity, even for just a few moments.
Next time I see James, or anyone else on the street who may look different than me, I pray I take that opportunity to reach out and treat them with the dignity they deserve…even if it means feeling awkward once in a while. As Mission Year continues to preach to us, “Embrace the awkwardness!”
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Thanks for sending this, Joey. I worked with St. Columba’s homeless ministry for 5 years and all that you write is so true. Treating the homeless with dignity and respect is so important; the rewards are great, not only for them but for us… I always felt touched by grace when I connected with that very real human being inside the scruffy, dirty exterior.
By Susan / Oct 21, 09:36 AM / #
Well, Joe, this is a story you have not shared with us yet. It is a sad, but wonderful story and I am so glad you brightened James’ day with a simple “Hello.” It is a reminder and a challenge to us all.
“Lord, help us to show your love to everyone with whom we cross paths.”
By Tracy / Oct 28, 11:47 PM / #