Category: Personal Essays
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Cornel West: A Voice in the Wilderness
“I come to you tonight with a heavy heart,” Cornel West began. “I just buried my grandmother,” he continued at the crowd gathered at West Park Presbyterian Church in the New York, which caused a collective “ahhh.” Dr. West cancelled a number of speaking engagements in early March, pausing his whirlwind schedule to deliver the…
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Roxbury's Prophet: Rap Phenom, Moufy Rhymes with Gitty Eloquence and Tender Rage
To cite the Urban Dictionary again, the first definition for Boston is, “A city that really feels like a town full of business people during the day and college kids at night.” Not to sound like a snob, but this is my impression exactly, although I only moved here recently. Having lived for many years…
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Letter: The Vision for a Homeless Bill of Rights
To the Editor: This is to make a correction on Adam Sennott’s article entitled “Rhode Island Homeless Bill of Rights: Is Massachusetts Next?” that was published on June 29, 2012. The article states, “Along with Senator Tassoni, the bill was put together by John Joyce and Megan Smith, Co-Directors of the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy…
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Thanks, Tim
James Shearer Spare Change News Recently after our 20th anniversary celebration there were some comments uttered about how the creation of Spare Change, or rather the way it was created, was a mistake. These comments were made by those who were either crying over spilt milk or were jealous of our success. Some would say…
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Editorial: Homeless Hotspots and Sandwich Boards
Since the time of Charles Dickens in the 1800s, the poor and downtrodden have been used in various ways in society, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. The premises and outcomes of this kind of hiring of the disadvantaged are up for review and one ought to understand their clear implications about how a…
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The Legacy of the Black Soldiers of the Civil War
In honor of Black History Month Jacques Fleury Spare Change News “Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once.” — Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (II, ii, 32-37) The contributions and achievements of black people throughout American History have often been overlooked in traditional history textbooks. Although I was educated…
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Vendor Profile, Anthony Thames
Larissa Butrimowicz Spare Change News Spare Change news vendor Anthony Thames, born and raised in the South End of Boston, and has been with Spare Change for two years. He became a part of Spare Change because he needed to make some changes in his life and find some direction. It has taken him over…
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The Origin of the Kennedy Curse
The Origin of the Kennedy Curse (EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is reprinted from Ireland’s Big Issue, one of our sister papers within the International Network of Street Papers. We thought the story is a natural for a Boston audience). By Tom Prendeville Ireland’s Big Issue We’ve all heard of the “Kennedy curse”. Is there an…