From The Intern Desk …

Ed. Note: Below is the first installment of a new Blog series called “From The Intern Desk …” This particular entry was written by Katie, our intern extraordinaire who is currently serving in the St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic, the Dining Room and the Development department:

Having grown up as a small town Midwesterner and even smaller-town college student (attending Dartmouth in the miniscule Hanover New Hampshire), the transition to the St. Anthony foundation in San Francisco has been an interesting one.

On Wednesday, January 20th the other interns and I participated in the “Homelessness Ends With a Home” rally and march. After taking the historic, if somewhat sluggish, cable car to the ferry building we came across a mass of people, chanting and holding up a variety of signs–the most common reading “house keys not handcuffs.” Although it was a cold and cloudy morning people had traveled from all over the west coast to attend this march. The crowd was a mix of currently homeless, previously homeless, advocates, non profit workers, and, like me, a few clueless people looking lost and out of place. As the afternoon progressed a series of speakers, singers, and poets stood on stage to talk about their hopes, demands, and experiences. As they spoke, and sometimes even screamed, I watched as the clouds gradually cleared from above our heads to let the elusive sun shine through, warming our soggy bodies. Maybe it was the sunlight, or the banners, or the energy of the crowd, but I finally began to realize how much this march meant to these people. It wasn’t merely a symbolic walk down Market Street, it represented the very survival and future of the people standing next to me, in a way I could probably never truly grasp.

As the march began a brass band started to play and people on megaphones led energetic chants. After a few blocks it started to sprinkle, then rain, and then pour. Although my first instinct was to complain, I quickly realized that if thousands of people had to live and sleep in these conditions, the least I could do was walk in them. After countless blocks, endless yelling, and hundreds of stares from bystanders, the march finally reached the federal building. The rally was an impressive and empowering experience, and I can only hope that it will make a small difference in the long-term fight against homelessness. It was a great pleasure to walk beside people with such passion, who were willing to fight to obtain what so many of us take for granted–a home.