Last Thursday, the 27th Annual Minnesota Homeless Memorial March was held by Simpson Housing Services. We gathered at the Hennepin County Government Center and each picked up a sign with the name of a person who has died in the past year while experiencing homelessness, experienced homelessness in recent years, or was an advocate for the homeless. I marched for Jessie M. No other information was provided on the sign I chose--no knowledge of Jessie's age, birth place, societal roles, passions, dreams--only a name.Heart of the Beast Puppet Theater's "Luna" was the leader of the silent march down Nicollette Avenue to 28th Street stretching several blocks long. After over an hour of quiet walking and reflecting down a busy street, we entered Simpson United Methodist Church for a Service of Remembrance.
The signs we carried were laid at the foot of the altar while beautiful music set the tone. The program began with a welcome from the pastor of Simpson Church, then was followed by an address from Sen. Jeff Hayden of District 61. The names of the remembered individuals were read and a candle lit for each person. When Jamie M's name was read and candle lit, my heart fluttered. My only relationship with this person was holding out a name to be remembered, but that was enough of a relationship to feel the loss of life connected to an unjust system.
The most moving part of the service was an open microphone to share a memory. I was struck by the families who mourned the loss of brothers, parents and children. The deep relationships formed between social service workers and the people experiencing homelessness was clear--we are lucky to have such people supporting our community.
For many of the people remembered in the service, this was the only memorial service they would receive. This is not a perfect solution and the need for this type of service points to a deep injustice, but the silent march and Service of Remembrance filled a hole. It provided dignity and honor to a group so often left out.
As one of the organizers stated at the very beginning of the march--tonight is for remembering and reflection, tomorrow is for action. To learn about Simpson Housing's legislative agenda for 2012 and what steps they're taking towards action please click here.
If you're interested in attending in the future, the march occurs on the nearest Thursday before the Winter Solstice.
-Elizabeth Fairbairn, St. Joseph Worker & Justice Office Intern
