Domestic Poverty

“Why are they doing this to us?” I will never forget when an individual with several disabilities posed this question to me.

My cousin phoned me out of the blue. I haven’t heard from him for awhile. Usually that is the case. I only hear from him when he is in dire straits and this wasn’t the exception. He asked if he could spend the night at my place before heading off to his moms for awhile. I said yes. I have the room and space.

We need not be afraid to teach our kids hard things and ask difficult questions.

Rarely do we get out of our left/right echo chambers here in the US when talking about these things – so this was a real conversation not just an exercise in embellishing each other’s views.

A First Nations baby who had difficulty breast-feeding was diagnosed with allergies that required special formula. The Canadian federal government would not cover the cost of the special formula, so the nutritionist begged the company for free samples. A non-aboriginal child in the same province would have received the formula through provincial health care. 

There is a 36% chance that Aboriginal students in Canada will graduate high school, compared to 72% for non-Aboriginal students.

It’s a cold, dark Sunday evening, and I’m at the drugstore. The only other customer in the store is at the checkout, taking a long time. She’s fumbling with her money, her bags, getting herself organized. She has the look of someone who is less-than-fortunate (and really, who would be riding a bike on such a night if they had any other option?).

Do you have plans for how to stay alert to injustice in 2015? Or are you in danger of becoming apathetic?

A few years ago, a Fulani village in Mali was ignored in a proposal for a region-wide irrigation project. The village submitted the appropriate paperwork but when the official plans were introduced, the village was left off the map completely--it was as if they didn’t exist.

The Mess is an open arts studio that provides opportunities to create art and relationships with those who struggle with issues of brokenness and poverty. At The Mess in Kingston, Ontario, we walk alongside people in our local community, offering hope and empowering healthy life choices. We are a supportive community of differing socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, physical abilities and genders. We welcome people of all ages to the studio. The foundation of The Mess is built on these core values: equality, empathy, commu

This is my second Christmas in ten years not being employed by Jacob’s Well, a small non-profit in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, BC. In more ways than I can explain, Jacob’s Well shaped who I am today.