Name: Ally

Social Justice Group: Homelessness & Education

Date of Fieldwork: November 30, 2018

Name of Organization: The Arthur Project

Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Liz Murray

Type of Fieldwork: Interview

What I did:

We traveled all the way to the Bronx to speak to Liz Murray about her experience with being homeless. Liz became homeless at 15. Soon after, she realized one of the only ways to escape poverty was to get educated. She was prioritizing school. Liz proved to be very smart and was able to graduate Harvard without the support of her parents.

What I learned:

Homelessness is very big issue and everyone’s experience is different. We learned that she couldn’t speak for everyone. Since we are kids that have never experienced these things, Liz brought up that even having keys, something that we take for granted, means that they have shelter. It means that people have somewhere to go. Small things like a set of keys should be something we are grateful for.

What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:

When interviewing Liz, I realized I take a lot of things for granted when there are people on the streets that would want those things. Sometimes I don’t like school, but getting an education is such a big part of becoming successful when we are older and need to earn money. Sometimes when I am disappointed or when I don’t want something, I get upset but I shouldn’t take it for granted since there are so many people who don’t have the money to support their needs.