After seeing myself in the eyes of an unhoused boy, I decided to start cleaning up areas in West Oakland where unhoused people live. The work snowballed from there.

“What are you doing?” asked the boy, his eyes gazing up at me. 

“I’m working out to make sure I stay strong,” I said as I finished my reps at MLK Park in West Oakland. “Do you exercise?”

“No,” he said. “We live in that van.” He pointed at a nearby vehicle. “And mama won’t let me play in the park ‘cuz she said it’s too dirty.”

Read the rest at Oaklandside.org