“I sing, trailers for sale or rent / Rooms to let, 50 cents / No phone, no pool, no pets / I ain't got no cigarettes / Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom / Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room / I'm a man of means by no means / King of the road”
Pops played the Roger Miller country song from his phone, sitting at the vendor desk where he works as a vendor assistant, rocking his torso. Chris propped his hands against the counter and swiveled his body. Robert was, indeed, pushing a broom in order to barter for papers so he could go out and sell them, but he leaned it against the wall so he, too, could join in on the song. Dale joined in, too, snapping fingers.
They all made for a joyful chorus, belting out “I’m a man of means by no means / King of the Road” — and then cheering a collective release.
A song — and some finger snapping and hip-swiveling — was something everyone could share, even though they have, by no means, means. There’s quite a bit of singing at Street Roots these days because Portland State University professor Coty Raven Morris has been holding choir practice. She’s building a social justice street choir.
A conductor — whether it’s Pops behind the desk or Coty with her baton — brings a group of people together to make something larger and more beautiful than is possible on their own. As someone who struggles to carry a tune on her own, I love to lend my voice to be carried by the strength of other voices.
A group of people coming together to make something larger and more beautiful than is possible on our own. That describes Street Roots and our multitudes — Street Roots vendors, staff, volunteers, readers, all of you. We are coalescing around the importance of journalism every week, producing a newspaper and then hitting the streets to sell it. We are also coalescing around the importance of knowing each other across difference and caring for each other.
I’ve been asked at two recent house parties (these are fundraising parties hosted by supporters who bring friends together — let me know if you want to host one) why it is that Street Roots vendors represent themselves so well with professionalism. Of course, there are plenty of elements that I can also point to with our vendor program, starting with the twice-weekly orientations for people to walk in off the streets and start selling.
But it’s important to point out this has much to do with being a part of one chorus, one collective effort. We express the value of dignity at Street Roots this way: “We lift each other up through the quality of our work and our engagement with each other.” How one acts matters not just for themselves but all the others who are out selling the paper. Roger Miller might sing of the king of the road, but in our world, he is not alone.
This week marks my sixth year as Street Roots executive director. I started my tenure by trying to sell Street Roots myself, challenged by the late Michael “Brantley” Field. We now call this “Brantley’s Challenge,” a challenge for new staff members to be a vendor for a day. I wrote my second column — on Dec. 22, 2017 — about the experience, describing how, a few days after I tried selling the newspaper, Street Roots vendor Mark Rodriguez asked me how it went:
“I described how I felt shy, and several vendors sipping coffee nearby offered encouragement. I described how I realized that the only way I sold papers was because of the work of other vendors hitting the pavement every week.
‘As Isaac Newton said, ‘On the shoulders of giants,’’ Mark said.
I looked at him, astonished. I told him how that exact phrase kept coming up in my mind. He kindly pointed out that it makes sense. After all, that is the strength of Street Roots. Each of us need not start over. When a person comes into the Street Roots office for orientation, they are not starting from scratch. They are lifted up by the respect cultivated by hundreds — thousands — of vendors. Folks struggling with poverty and homelessness collectively help each other by adding dignity to the work.”
It was true then, and it’s true now in 2023. It’s a truth that runs through all of Street Roots, the strength of individual pursuits that are linked together, the fight for systemic change alongside individual well-being.
Street Roots has an ambitious vision for a stronger Portland: one that values each human life as intrinsic to who we can be at our best. It’s a song that values the voices thin with trepidation and coursing with confidence. It’s a song that’s possible if we all get a chance to sing.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly investigative publication covering economic, environmental and social inequity. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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