Cover of Gerald Anderson’s “Still Standing”, via screenshot
The Street Sense newspaper vendors, each with their melodious peddling, are fixtures of the weekend Flea Market at Eastern Market. For those new to town, or those who have never picked up a copy, Street Sense is a newspaper made, for and about the homeless community in DC. The paper was started in 2003 by Laura Thompson-Osuri and Ted Henson. Together with a group of volunteers, the first issue came out in November of 2003. The paper is sold throughout town, not just Capitol Hill.
Now Street Sense has moved to other platforms, such as the digital storytelling in Cinema From the Streets, to continue the important work of giving a face and a voice to people who, for different circumstances, find themselves without a permanent address. One of these stories, which was first told in the pages of Street Sense, but which now lives digitally, is that of Gerald Anderson. Gerald fled New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit, ten years ago this week. He ended up in DC, where his criminal record made it tough to find employment. Gerald’s salvation came through Street Sense, where he wrote a series of articles that were collected and became a book, “My Katrina.” You can read an excerpt of his story by clicking this link. Gerald will also be reading from his book at Martin Luther King, Jr. library on September 10th.
It’s hard to believe that Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans a decade ago. If you’d like to share your memories of that terrible weekend with us, comment below.