last night out as a single girl

You've all heard by now that I am getting married on Sunday. And you all know you are invited to marry us too. All I ask in return is a present. A present, you ask? A present about an social justice issue that concerns you, one that you want to share that will perhaps enlighten others of us to get involved. No issue is irrelevent if it matters to you.

You can find out more here and here. You know you want to be on the guest list. And Mad is promising girl (brain) on girl (brain) action. Librarians are wild like that.

So anyways, I figured since I am getting hitched (again, and to so many of you) that I might want to get out and sow my last few wild oats. Lucky for me, Columbia Pictures invited a bunch of us homeless hacks in the Bay Area to an early screening of The Pursuit of Happyness in recognition of National Project Connect week. Nothing says changing the world like a bunch of homeless hacks all in one theater seeing a free movie.

You should see this movie. Chris Gardner is an amazing human being. And his struggle to keep his family safe and housed is just one example of what thousands of families go through on a daily basis. Hands down, an incredibly moving film. Will Smith did an amazing job portraying Chris' story.

And while I don't want to be critical, I do need to say that I had hoped the movie would have made a stronger case for the broken system rather than focusing solely on how damn hard this man worked to save his life. I fear it might give the impression that anyone who's homeless can get their shit together if only they work hard enough. I wish that was true, but we aren't alone in this. It's a dysfunctional system with many layers and obstacles - not one easily overcome by many. Chris Gardner is an amazing human being, and what he was able to do in his life is inspirational and remarkable and humbling...but it's not only up to the Chris Gardners of the world. It's up to local, county, and state legislators to stand up in their communities and advocate for change. To increase the supply of affordable housing. To improve minimum wage and the cost of child care. To leverage non-profits to get the most comprehensive services possible. It's up to all of us to make sure everyone is housed, and safe, and warm.

Chris may have done it all by himself, but that is what makes him so heroic. I am no Chris Gardner. And in all my years of working with homeless folks, I've never met anyone else like him. He's extraordinary. But the problems still remain, and will remain, until we make housing a priority in every community.