Fair housing is like poetry in motion
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008Every day should be fair housing day. But as this month has officially been designated to recognize initiatives and efforts toward equality in housing, it has also been deemed Fair Housing Month. Through this we can build awareness of the inequalities that exist today, push toward the future and strive to better the public and its professionals through education.
I want to draw attention to a video I found on YouTube. It is from an annual Poetry Slam event sponsored by the Fair Housing Partnership, titled, “Ending Segregation: Just Say the Word.” The April 2007 winner, Vanessa German, raps about inequality and how it breeds a feeling of unworthiness.
German says when you feel unworthy, you don’t have any expectations, even if the expectations are normal justices that you should have. She says if the mindset doesn’t change, then fair housing won’t change, because the rights won’t mean a thing if people don’t expect that they deserve and are entitled to these rights.
Well-said, Vanessa–a person’s self-worth is reflective of what they receive. We need to foster a culture of respect for one another, a culture of understanding that will allow people the dignity to seek the housing they deserve.
Without empowering thoughts, we cannot hope to cure the problem of providing fair housing for all. Without positive communication, we are just putting a Band-Aid on an internal wound.
