The Auburn Family Residence, Largest homeless residence for families, and subject to controversy between those who believe society has a responsibility to care for the poor and those who don't share that belief. Read the Village Voice response to a New York Post editorial by clicking on the image. To read the Post Editorial click here. To view the Building on Google Maps, Click here
I'm hoping to show you a video as we switch our attention to those at the bottom of the ladder. It is a documentary on homelessness, and should be a good Introduction to the next book on our roster--Rachel and Her Children. If I cannot locate it, I'll concentrate on the video above.
READ, in Jonathan Kozol, Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America
The preliminary material, up to Part one: Christmas at the Martinique Hotel.
Read, in Rachel and Her Children, by Jonathan Kozol
From Part I. Christmas at the Martinique Hotel
Chapter 1. A Mood of Resignation, p. 25-35
Chapter 2. Grieving for a Lost Home, p. 36-50
Chapter 3. Three Generations, p. 51-60
Last Thursday we had a chance to discuss the film born rich and what it suggests about the lives of the younger members of the "upper crust". If everything worked according to plan, we also had a chance to see an old vcr, "48 Hours, Homeless in New York City", as we explore the trials and tribulations of the lowest class. As you read today's readings, read at your normal rate, and time yourself. I want to get a sense of what works best for you as we explore Kozol's book. We begin by looking at a homeless shelter for families in New York City. The shelter is no more: It has been reconditioned into a fairly swanky Radisson Hotel, as the neighborhood has gone a bit upscale, and also as a result of a scandal in New York City, about which you'll read forThursday's Class.
I put the little excerpt of from the Robert Burns poem here, not primarily to drive everyone nuts, but to remind us how difficult it is to see things from the perspectives of those whose life experiences are so different from our own. It is hard for me to examine life from the perspective of Jamie Johnson and his friends, but perhaps even harder from the viewpoint of the people presented to us by Jonathan Kozol. Do your best to see them as real people. Some of the short videos I present on the website or in the resource box may be helpful in that regard. What would it be like to find one's self living at the Martinique Hotel? What happens to one's spirit when one becomes suddenly homeless? We'll discuss this today. As you can see below, The Martinique Hotel is no longer a Homeless Shelter. In fact It may not be the Radisson Martinique Hotel much longer.
Most of us think of Manhattan as housing only rich folks. We've heard a lot about Trump Towers recently. But there are still homeless shelters in midtown Manhattan. The one below is Nazareth Housing. It has a website, and also a Facebook Page.
For your resource folders, I'd like to have you find something about homelessness in various places (towns, cities, rural areas) and add this to your folder). You'll find something about Rhode Island Homelessness in my folder. we may look at it in class. If we don't, look at it on your own if you're interested.
