Serving "the Other Man"

You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. -Clarence Darrow

When I left the Colorado Public Defender's Office, my beloved colleagues gave me a plaque with this inscription, thanking me for my time defending "the other man." I think a lot about the other man, both in the legal context and outside of it, because that "other" is often the same. Minority. Poor. Mentally ill. The least of these brothers and sisters. I really believe that if I care, then my life should reflect it.

Recently, I served dinner to the Over-the-Rhine community at Nast Trinity Church with my bar association. Nast Trinity serves dinner to the OTR community every Sunday evening. I'll be honest: I was tired from traveling and dreading going, even though I knew it was for a good cause. When I walked up to the church steps, right outside of beautiful Washington Park, there were homeless men and women scattered in various doorways. One person was curled up under an archway sleeping. Just inside the doors, the kitchen and dining area awaited. 

The small group of volunteers set up tables, made lemonade from powder in huge coolers, put together salad, heated up food, and then we served about 200 people in three groups. Most of our diners ate silently, the majority of the noise coming from us, the volunteers, chatting with each other or asking if anyone wanted seconds. I thought about this, compared to when I go somewhere to eat and get served. I thought about what it would be like to go eat somewhere out of necessity and not necessarily out of pleasure. I thought about how I have no idea what it would be like to sleep on a church step, or to plan your meals around the time there is free food available somewhere. 

It felt right to serve, though I don't know if my being there meant anything to the people I served. It certainly meant something to me. It meant that the other work I do, either volunteering at places like the CityLink Center or through my career, no matter how little change it seems to bring at first, does mean something for anyone I am able to push forward just a little bit out of poverty. It also seemed right to be of service to those who would never be treated the same way I am when entering a store or restaurant, and perhaps in most other times in their day walk around as the "other"- the lesser. I suppose in the end, all I'm saying is, for those of us who are more fortunate, it does our souls good to remember those who are not, and to see them face to face. 

Rhythm, Rest, Movies

listening to: Teagan and Sara (coming to Cincy this July for Bunbury Music Festival!)

I've been totally out of the church loop the past few weeks, though I still manage to catch up on the service messages. The series has been focusing on life rhythms, which I think has a really nice applicability no matter what you believe in. It's too easy to fall out of rhythms, and so much harder to get into to them. The principle of building in rhythms in your life makes a lot of sense: you want to rest when it's time to rest so you can work when it's time to work. I'm terrible at resting/playing in a focused way. So I thought I'd spend a little time thinking of activities that feel restful to me:

1. Dancing
2. Reading
3. Writing
4. Hiking/Walking in the park
5. Walking around a city with no agenda
6. Findlay Market trips!
7. Savoring delicious food

Here's to hoping I will build this into my weekend rountine. I've been feeling pretty tired.

In other news, I went to see Girl Rising last night. This is probably best described by some reviewers as a "PSA" about the education of girls across the world. The concept of the film was great: each young girl from developing countries was paired with a woman writer from their country to write their stories about how they  fought to receive education. The stories are interspersed with sobering statistics of the inequity of education between girls and boys globally, as well as statistics making a case for the great return on investment from education girls. It isn't exactly a documentary, since the stories are reenacted/reimagined by the girls and their writers. The stories seemed to end abruptly with a call to action, which is to say, a screen with a number to text donations. Something in the end left me a little wanting, though in the end, this is a great way to raise awareness to an important issue. I think it would be a great film for young women to watch and discuss, and certainly is a great reminder to Americans of the privilege we have to be afforded the right to free and appropriate education in our country. Worth a watch- you can request a screening in your community through Gathr. 

Good Deed of the Month: Support Second Chances

One of the big influences on my career path is David Singleton, executive director of the Ohio Justice and Policy Center. Read a recent article about their work. OJPC does remarkable work for one of the most marginalized populations in our country- those who have been involved in the criminal justice system. Work like this is so important to stop the cycle of incarceration and create more sustainable rehabilitation and reform in a system that just locks away people who we then pay for with our tax dollars. If you are looking for a great local organization to support or be involved in, here's one to consider.

Good Deed of the Month: Just Love Coffee

My good friend Lauren Loboda has been working to adopt a boy from Honduras who was born with HIV for years.  She and her husband are raising funds to bring him home.  Part of their fundraising is through Just Love Coffee store, where supporters can purchase coffee products, which in turn will use the proceeds to help Lauren and Mark bring their boy home.

Help Lauren and Mark

Good Deed of the Month: Pats Kids

Check out PATS kids.  PATS currently supports 43 HIV-positive children in central China who were infected by parents who contracted HIV through paid plasma donation. We work with communities to ensure that these children have comprehensive medical care, access to life saving HIV/AIDS medications, nutritional support, and educated caretakers who know how to best meet their needs. 

PATS is currently trying to earn a permanent spot on GlobalGiving.org, which helps connect donors to community projects.  They have to meet a $4,000 donation goal in order to do so.  Feel moved?  Help them out!

Support Pediatric HIV/AIDS Treatment in China