HOA Instructors + Sojourner Hardeman + Zena Murphy
Picture the Homeless 2427 Morris Avenue Bronx NY 10468 Phone: (646) 314-6423
KENDALL JACKMAN, born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn, is a former postal worker who is currently homeless. Prior to her appointment with the Postal Service, she worked as a receptionist among other jobs. She grew up in a household where her grandfather, who was a Garveyite, ran his own business. Her parents and uncle were union members. Discussing history and politics with her grandfather, and helping her father with his union work, stoked the activist fire in her blood that she was born with. While in Junior High School, when seven students were shot at Jackson State, an Historic Black College, during a student protest of the Vietnam War (getting only a fraction of the media coverage than Kent State), she and her fellow students took over their own school for one week in solidarity protest. As a member of the original students to attend South Shore High School (first graduating class), she was confronted by racism. For two and a half weeks, she and her fellow students rioted against each other. She was one of a small group of students selected to form the first Leadership Class to address these issues. In later years, she was active in her union. She has one daughter, Kenyetta.
DARLENE BRYANT is homeless, born and raised in Harlem. Darlene first became homeless in the late 80”s. She’s slept on subway, shelters, and friends’ couches. Darlene was a participant of the Tompkins Sq. Park, Tent City in 1988, distributing food and clothes. 24 years later she feels herself “struggling to the point of no return”. Darlene first came to PTH for legal help a year ago. She was hungry, so attended an organizing meeting for the snacks. There, she ran into an old friend from Tent City and stayed. Darlene immediately stepped up, becoming involved once again in the movement in different ways: doing radio, television, public speaking, leading direct actions. Darlene is a leader of the Housing Not Warehousing campaign and feels that “instead of gentrifying communities with new buildings, we should renovate some of the warehoused ones and move myself and my homeless brothers and sisters off the streets into buildings.” Darlene wants to make sure everyone knows that if anyone needs a loud and rambunctious activist, she’s applying for the position, just look for Darlene Bryant “THE ACTIVIST,AND SQUATTER”.
GENGHIS KHALID MUHAMMAD. Many of you have met Genghis Khalid Muhammad A/K/A GKM. He is a member of Picture the Homeless (PTH) and has fallen on hard times. However, Mr. Muhammad has managed to maintain his business deeds and entitlements and is pulling himself up by his own bootstraps, the American way. He is the President/CEO of Untouchable Records (URI/UR) and is a producer/publisher/promoter in the business of music. One of his skills is writing and composing musical compositions (songs) for marketing. Mr. G.K. Learn more.
As a member of Picture the Homeless, you will:
BELONG to an inspiring and powerful group that HAS YOUR BACK in a crisis
CONFRONT bureaucrats and other decision-makers, and demand ACTION
SHOW the world the real story about homelessness, by speaking to high school and university classrooms, churches, and others
GET ACCESS to computers and internet in the office REPRESENT the organization on out-of-town trips
NETWORK with other groups doing exciting work on issues that are important to you
LEARN how the system works by building relationships with other folks who have been through it already
FIX the problems you're dealing with
MAKE new friends
LEARN skills like public speaking, running a meeting, grass roots research, fundraising
ORGANIZE your friends and neighbors into a powerful force for CHANGE!
WORK TO SECURE A HOME through direct action, sweat equity and commitment!