June 2010
1 post
how the summer began
living in community is the hardest thing i’ve ever done. i say this weekly and mean it. but in may, i found myself repeating it almost daily. conflict plagued the house, reorganization became necessary, and a lot of the house members started asking “what the heck are we doing”?
june rolled around and though a house member had moved out, a communal meal plan had been organized,...
April 2010
2 posts
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you need a ride? →
tomorrow, folks in atlanta who rely on public transportation are facing a huge blow. marta (metropolitan atlanta rapid transit authority) service has always been spotty and unreliable at best. it can’t even begin to compete with bart in san francisco or the t in boston but it was what atlanta had to offer and a lot of people made due. but on april 20th, buses and trains that are going to be...
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the promise of april
there are eggs in the kitchen and shovels in the soil. april is shaping up to be an eventful and incredibly promising month for the house. we’ll be planting most mornings and having dinner together 5 nights a week starting next week. if you’re feeling lonely, bored, or just want to go to bed with that accomplished, tired feeling…come by!
we’re also planning to have the...
March 2010
2 posts
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February 2010
3 posts
save the date
it’s been decided…the work day will be march 14th! we’re going to try and get things under way by 11:30 am and work as long as possible. mark your calendars, friends. come for an hour or stay ‘til the sun goes down. we need your hands and your heart.
field labor #5 by michele ramirez
“Most of the people on earth today are paralyzed by what are said to be the...”
– James Douglass
4 tags
a modest proposal...of fun
dear friends,
as the ground begins to thaw, we have been taking in the state of our yard and taking stock of what all needs to be done in the journey toward turning the jungle into a garden (hopefully, a community garden that can provide fruit, vegetables and flowers to the house and our friends/neighbors). Well, basically we’re a little overwhelmed.
the front of the yard looks manageable enough...
January 2010
6 posts
3 tags
community coffee hour
we feel out of touch with our neighbors. by this point, this is definitely somewhat of a national epidemic. but i’m referring specifically to our household. so to make things right and create the community we all deserve, we’re having a little get together at the house.
next saturday, january 30th from 9:30 am to 11:30 am we’re going to host a coffee hour (don’t worry,...
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“The beginning of healing is in solidarity with the pain.”
– Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out (via seeingthesacred)
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Watcha beautiful movie made by a community friend, maria sykes, about an awesome project for the people of greenriver, utah. great service anywhere should be celebrated everywhere.
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dinner on 2nd ave.
serving dinner in south decatur on new year’s eve didn’t happen as i pondered resolutions or radical exertions that we were fighting the system. i didn’t want to be hasseled by the owners of the parking lot and i really didn’t want to answer too many questions about why i was serving chili off of an oldsmobile.
despite not maintaining a very new years-y, forward thinking...
December 2009
8 posts
employment discrimination for the young and... →
(via thegang)
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a possible change for mortgage laws in georgia →
“10,000 foreclosed homes land on the auction block in Fulton County every month. As a result of so many people losing their homes, Georgia ranks number seven in the nation for foreclosures.”
“It would be nice if the poor were to get even half of the money that is spent in...”
– Bill Vaughan (via simplicitycounts)
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another excerpt from the latest zine
The Sparrow Community House was formed in the face of incredible need. As a group of people, we needed to feel like part of a community and we wanted that community to thrive on service. But before that thirst was placed the need of those alienated by a culture that sees homeless people, poor people as the enfleshed fear that the American Dream, in its most superficial sense, fails.
So six young...
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will the real peacemaker please stand up? →
many thanks
bread bakers by meredith stern
on monday, two members of the sparrow community house took a trip up to brevard, nc to pick up a bundle of donations! the women of iwil, who had graciously done a service project at the house in november, donated pots, pans, dishware, and other kitchen neccessities to make our work of serving meals easier and much more efficient. we had a wonderful and humbling...
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"glocalized" violence
in japan in the 1980’s, some business men began to use an old term in a new way. the original term, which directly translated means “global localization” was used to refer to the adapting of farming techniques to local needs and environments. But the new use referred to a marketing strategy that encouraged companies to understand local consumers so that profits could be maximized and global...
November 2009
9 posts
1 tag
the house zine
while we were at the protest in ft. benning, house members handed out copies of our first zine. along with ekua’s prayer, the zine contained a piece about the value of community and a general explanation of the phases of service we are undertaking together. of course, the paper version of the zine is precious but if you can’t get a hold of one or you’re trying to use less paper,...
a prayer
Great Spirit,
We come to you holding hands, each of us acting as a representative
creating a great circle of world communities
with the understanding that without You,
there could be none of what we value here on Earth.
We understand that this time is prolific, and we are each willing to do our individual parts
to achieve the composite productivity of our communities.
We are willing to see...
the sparrow community house at soaw
this weekend is the annual protest at the gates of the school of the americas, a combat training school for latin american soldiers, located in ft. benning, georgia. five of the six sparrow house members will be in attendance handing out info about serving in decatur. in addition to being witnesses for peace at the gates on saturday and sunday, two house members will be at the protest at the...
an investigation for the people →
“I have received many complaints of public housing demolitions and no replacements in the same number of units from various parts of the country, but specifically from Chicago,” Rolnik said.
“They listen to me but they don’t hear. They don’t have to hear. This...”
– bell hooks from Wounds of Passion
“Somehow we keep our lives so well hidden from one another that we do not guess...”
– Elizabeth O’Connor
October 2009
3 posts
blessed are those who hunger and thirst for...
a couple of weeks ago a woman came to stay at the house with us. she had found stable housing for a time but then the program that helped her regain stability, lost its own footing. she was faced with the inevitability of returning to a men’s overflow shelter where she, a trans woman, would have to present as male. i was contacted on her behalf and later that week she came to stay with us. during...
a thoughtful incremental housing strategy →
“what the architectural profession lacks is an understanding of its own social importance…you are those who provide mankind’s shelter. remember this, and then look at our cities, our slums to realize the gigantic task awaiting you. you are not hired lackeys of the rich. you are crusaders in the cause of the underprivileged and unsheltered.”
-ayn rand (quoted in the...
September 2009
2 posts
“The suffering of affluent countries such as ours - our anxiousness and...”
– Henri Nouwen
August 2009
6 posts
good stuff, good folks →
sometimes, i visit other websites besides this one (but not much…i’m very loyal). safe2pee’s city cloud provides a glimpse, however small, into local struggles for trans safe spaces.
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a little background →
the first article printed by Southern Voice on the work to create trans-inclusive policies for atlanta shelters. it is important to note that the policy for the shelter featured in this article has not yet been changed.
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why is this work important?
though the house is just starting to become a reality, the idea for it sprung forth almost 7 months ago. and certainly, the need for a living space that welcomes transgender homeless people has been around for longer than many can imagine.
seven months ago, i was a caseworker at a men’s overflow shelter in atlanta. one morning, a young woman, new to the city, came into my office and asked...
July 2009
3 posts
beginnings are always exciting. - dorothy day
…and in the case of the sparrow community house, i dare to say, a bit revolutionary. if you haven’t heard the buzz, atlanta has always been and continues to be a dangerous place for transgender people experiencing homelessness. the sparrow community house is coming into being to shelter and support transgender women who have been without services and a safe space in a city where...
“We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is...”
– Dorothy Day