"BROADCAST TO ASK DETROIT: WHY NOT END HOMELESSNESS NOW?"
13th Annual Homelessness Marathon begins 4 p.m., PST, Tues. Feb 23rd
and run for 14 hours until 6 a.m., PST, Wed. Feb. 24th
"We have a mindset in this country that homelessness is a problem that can wait," comments Jeremy Weir Alderson, founder of the Homelessness Marathon, "but it's a dire emergency for the people who are homeless, a drain on our economy, and a stain on our national honor. We ought to solve this problem, and we could if we would only turn our attention to it."
The Homelessness Marathon will address the problem of homelessness by speaking directly with homeless people, who will give their first-hand testimony on how they became homeless and the obstacles they face before they can be housed again.
Homeless people will be brought by bus, in shifts, so that they can participate in this event and speak directly to the nation. They will be brought by shelters, advocacy groups, and grass roots organizations formed by homeless people themselves.
The broadcast will feature, as well, such speakers as Ron Gettlefinger, president of the United Auto Workers, and two of America's most outstanding anti-poverty advocates, Cheri Honkala, director of the Poor Peoples' Economic Human Rights Campaign and Paul Boden, director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project.
Prominent advocates from Detroit will participate, including Rev. Faith Fowler, director of Cass Community Social Services and Maureen Taylor, the state chairperson of Michigan Welfare Rights Organization.
Experts from elsewhere in the country will also participate, including Kathleen Johnson, director of Katrina Relief in Mississippi and Mike Rhodes, editor of the Community Alliance newspaper in Fresno, California, arguably, the cruelest city in America towards its homeless citizens.
The broadcast will originate from 12025 Woodrow Wilson St., a "green gym" recently opened by Cass Community Social Services for the use of its homeless clients. Detroit area radio stations participating in the broadcast will include, WHFR in Dearborn, the broadcast's host station; WHPR in Highland Park and CJAM in Windsor, Ontario.
The Homelessness Marathon is a consciousness-raising not a fund-raising broadcast. There will be no on-air solicitations. The broadcast will be made available to stations free of charge via the Public Radio Satellite System, The Pacifica Satellite and the Pacifica Audioport.
More information about the broadcast can be found at: http://www.homelessnessmarathon.org.
Acclaim for the broadcast can be found at:
http://homelessnessmarathon.org/2008/2009/thank-yous-acclaim.html