All Men are Created Equal

Jaclyn Turner
(Atlanta, GA)

Before attending Impact: Boston, I was vaguely aware that there was such a large homeless population in the U.S. This needs to be fixed immediately. The homeless often strive to dress their best, making it more difficult to know their living situation before one hears their story. The majority of these men and women are friendly but have simply gone through rough patches. Anyone can become homeless; people should not frown upon those who are. Where has the world’s compassion gone?
All people should be respected and treated fairly with no regard to socioeconomic status. I’ve heard of restaurants forcing homeless consumers to leave because they are not the store’s target clientele. In truth, these people are just like you and me. Their instinct, like all humans’, is to survive. I have met homeless people from miserable childhoods and from decent upbringings. We are all people and all people deserve to be treated as such.
The assumptions that we form about the homeless make us ignorant. I now believe that I was ignorant about this distressing situation before I came to Boston, but am now knowledgeable about the topic, thanks to my experience with Spare Change News. While panhandling, there were a few standout compassionate souls who gave me advice and promised to pray for me. People like this made my day. Never again will I walk past a homeless person without offering a smile or a hello. We must work our hardest to end this problem and help these people by giving compassion and kindness. The assumptions that we make may not always be true. Don’t make the assumption that all homeless are under an influence until you have met them. Make their day a good day and help make a difference in someone’s life.