MY TRUTH: The Least Of Us

By Cheryl Smith

Have you ever been hungry, wondering where your next meal would come from? What about shelter?

When you’re in your warm, comfy bed, do you think about the thousands, right in your city, that not only don’t have a pillow to place their heads on at the end of the day, but also are lacking many of the amenities that make a house a home.

According to a survey con- ducted by welfareinfo.org, the poverty rate in Dallas is 21.8%, which equates to one out of every 4.6 residents of Dallas lives in poverty.

So everyone is not doing well and while there are some who speak out, there are so many others who suffer in silence.

Whatever a person’s lot in life, having someone in your corner who doesn’t mind adversity or being challenged, is nothing to sneeze at.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, was such a person, who championed causes for our country’s poor, during the 1960s.

Today we have the likes of Rev. William Barber and Rev. Liz Theoharis; who work tirelessly calling attention to the plight of the poor. They are the Co-Chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

Last week, during a video call, I listened to stories from people who wanted a decent life where they didn’t have to suffer. Is that too much to ask of the country that is the home of the free and land of the brave?

The Texas Poor People’s Campaign is demanding that U.S. Representatives from Texas “demonstrate their political and moral commitment to ending poverty” by signing on to a Congressional Resolution, “Third Reconstruction: Fully Addressing Poverty and Low-Wages from the bottom up.”

Addressing everything from COVID-19 and home- lessness, to voter suppression and the voting rights act; the resolution skillfully addresses many of the societal ills that continue to plague society.

Which brings me to my truth.
It is unconscionable to live on this earth, without any desire to make it a better place. You have to ask your- self, “What am I here for?”

At the time of the virtual call, organizers said that currently three U.S. Congressional Members from Texas support the resolution: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congressman Al Green, and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia.

Rev. Barber, as well as people across the country, and locally like Dr. Jennifer Wimbish, and Carol Mayo, have galvanized a multiethnic group of citizens who don’t have a problem with being uncomfortable for the benefit of others.

You have people who gather weekly, and even daily, from across the country; speaking out about injustices and the need to take care of the least of us.

We’re going to begin focusing on many of the issues in the resolution. I encourage you to join in on the calls, usually held on Moral Mondays. Maybe you can’t be there in person, but you can see when folks are leaving and give them some sup- port. You can also make cash contributions. No amount is too small. Log on to www.poorpeoplescampaign.org and find out how you can be that leader that many of us have been looking for. Then too, you don’t have to lead the charge, but you can help finance the effort that will ultimately benefit us all.

There is room in this effort for everyone. Let’s not allow a few to work so hard for the masses. We all need to find some way to make a way for others.