I AM A COMMUNITY JOURNALIST THAT WRITES FOR A NEWSPAPER IN PHILLY, A STREET NEWSPAPER CALLED - ONE STEP AWAY - MAINLY WRITTEN, EDITED AND PRODUCED BY GOOD SOLID WOMEN AND MEN WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS CURRENTLY OR HAVE EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS, HUNGER AND POVERTY.
JUST ORDINARY PEOPLE…….
Minister Peter Gomes smilingly points out that as a pastor of a church, he wonders why his congregation usually spends so much time worrying over church concerns and spends so little time on church celebrations.
I think this applies to all of us. We like to highlight negative or the troubling events in our lives and downplay the positive or ‘bland’ feel-good events.
I’m guilty of rolling in juicy gossip at times as most people. So I like to use this particular feature to point out Just ORDINARY PEOPLE doing extraordinary things.
I still remember the May 2005 Phila. Inquirer story by reporter Susan Snyder that introduced me to this ORDINARY WOMAN.
Rasheedah was an A student at Lincoln High School in Northeast Philly. She became pregnant at age 14. The expectant teen mother lost 6 months of the 9th grade, saw her A’s drop to C & D & F’s, followed by severe depression until she was briefly hospitalized.
Despite negative advice from negative people, Rasheedah never considered abortion or adoption. She was determined to make a better life for herself and her child. She would not let the stereotype, the image of the lost teen mothers trapped in a viscous cycle halt her dreams and goals.
ORDINARY PEOPLE find strength in adversity and fight against all odds.
Her story continued in a 2008 follow-up piece by reporter Snyder:
Rasheedah graduated from Lincoln with several awards and $9000 in scholarships for her outstanding achievements.
She decide to attend Temple University, while working a job and raising her daughter Iyonna.
She became a criminal-justice major, a research assistant, data transcriber and office manager, and also blossoming into a “terrific writer” as one Temple professor remarked.
Her story inspired many folks who wrote to Rasheedah, donated money, marvelling at her courage and determination.
On May 22, 2008, Rasheedah graduated with highest honors from Temple’s Beasly School of law. Her daughter Iyonna, then 9, proudly joined her mother walking across that stage in triumph.
It gets even better!
A recent posting on the Community Legal ervices (CLS) website highlights her post-graduate career. She worked in the CLS Family Advocacy Unit, conducted “Know Your Rights” community education sessions for teen mothers, eventually becoming a fulltime CLS public interest attorney. She speaks to countless groups of teen parents and social workers about her life and offers sound advice to help others achieve their goals.
Rasheedah serves on the board of directors for agencies that provide nedded care and services for chldren. She has contributed insightful articles to a number of books and publications . She has taking the time to provide helpful sisterly advice to younger African-American girls on the importance of using the inner power within us all to serve the community . She drafted a stinging petition calling for radio stations to “Implement measures to screen and minimize disrespectful lyrics” that denigrate and abuse people, especially women and children.
And her daughter Iyonna, now 11, is a mirror image of her mother, a bright, intelligent, positive pre-teen described as an avid reader and eager learner.
I had the opportunity to personally meet Rasheedah after placing a call to her office at CLS to discuss this article. She was flattered by the iea and she graciously agreed to meet with me the following week.
It is rare that one you admire from afar exceeds your expectations. Rasheedah was humble, gracious, intelligent, exuding a warmth and a strong serving commitment.
We conversed for a while. I introduced her to this paper 1 Step Away and talked about its purpose and the community it serves. We then shared stories about our children and i wished her much success in the future.
I like to end with this quote from an article Rasheedah wrote for the Drum Major, a publication of the Pennslvania Legal Aid Network in 2007:
"I am often asked why I chose to embark on this particular journey of serving the community when a law degree gives me nearly infinite possibillities, many of which could net me a comfortable income. Unfortunately, from the perception of many, a lawyer’s job is synonymous with a large income, television-like courtroom drama, and the defense of the supposedly immoral and depraved. Why , then, did I choose to do public interest work? There may be infinite possibillities for this degree, but for me, in my proverbial heart, mind, body and soul, there quite simply is no choice among those possibillities. …………………..
It is my humanity, my human experiences, and my interconnectedness to other humans whom I most identify with that forces me to attempt to improve our lot. Some people allow such experiences to jade them, or perhaps they become consumed by them, while others let their experiences drive them and give them purpose.
I have captalized on one of my many purposes this summer, and I plan to continue to do so in my future career as a public interest attorney.”
Just ORDINARY PEOPLE……doing EXTRAORDINARY things.
dedicated to rasheedah and Iyonna and all teen parents. Peace.
posted by Erik Michael Younge. @JAGUAR ENT./2010
please comment on any of the contents on this site or contact me at: eryounge@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment