This post is inspired by my partner Ken's son, Ross. We had a conversation this past weekend which touched my heart and motivated me to do new posts on poverty. Thank you, Ross. :-) And in seeking to get into the heart of poverty, one person came spontaneously to mind who I hadn't thought of in some time. Yet this woman's courage, teachings, wisdom, enormous heart and passionate caring for all those impacted by poverty deeply lives on in me. Donna Beegle is among so many others who have deeply touched my heart and inspired a shift in my thinking and the way I am in the world.
It has been several years now since I attended a two day training through my work with Healthy Start. In doing home visiting through the Healthy Start program with first time parents for nearly eight years, I had the opportunity to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. They ranged from the very wealthy to the homeless. "The Culture of Poverty" training was to be my first encounter with its facilitator, Donna Beegle. In this training, we each were offered hands on activities that put us in touch with our own personal beliefs, prejudices, experiences, emotions, and attitudes related to poverty. Donna also shared her own personal story, which left barely a dry tear. And out of this two day experience all my days since then have been changed.
Because I look differently upon poverty now and upon all those who struggle in its grip. There is a sense of compassion, understanding, and passion about affecting positive change that has not left me. And there is this sense of humility for all the ways in which I truly did not understand the culture of poverty in America and how it is that generational poverty is institutionalized in our country. I also have humility that arose in coming face to face, not just with my own ignorance, but also my own biases. As someone who strives to be compassionate, it is not always easy to lift one more veil that has kept my vision distorted and led to my holding judgments and beliefs that were anything but compassionate. There is also this whole level of apathy that I uncovered in myself. Sure, I cared about little children not being fed, violence in the cities, homelessness. But how much? How much had the attitude gotten into my bones that we live in America and anyone who wants to can rise above their circumstances and obtain the American Dream? Did I begin to know or understand or truly care that for so many, the American Dream is something from which they feel wholly excluded? No, I did not. Not really, not deeply, not in the same way that I do today....
Donna Beegle has an amazing story. Although she went from living in her car with her young children, went on to get her doctorate, and now speaks all over the country, her early break came when she was able to be the first single mom to attend a program specifically for young mothers living in poverty. That program was, synchronistically, at Mt. Hood Community College, the same community college that my youngest son attends today.
"Donna is the only member of her family who has not been incarcerated. After growing up in generational migrant labor poverty, leaving school for marriage at 15, having two children and continuing to cope with poverty, she found herself, at 25, with no husband, little education, and no job skills. What followed in 10 short years were: self-confidence, a G.E.D., an A.A. in Journalism, a B.A. (with honors) in Communications, a Master’s Degree in Communication with a minor in Gender Studies (with honors), and completion of a Doctorate Degree."
Donna Beegle shares: "My education, my work, and my passion are to help people from all races who are trapped in poverty. I want them to have genuine options for lifelong success. This can only happen if the voices of those struggling with poverty can be heard and their perspectives understood."
Donna Beegle is one of the strongest, most courageous women I have ever personally met. She is an inspiration. PBS plans to air a documentary in the fall of 2008 which features Dr. Donna Beegle and her life story: "George Rivera Productions presents a one-hour documentary that explores what it’s like to be poor in America through the eyes of a single family living in the Pacific Northwest. Their compelling story will lay the groundwork for improving understanding, communication and interaction between the 36 million people living in poverty and the rest of the country. Plans for the program also include an extensive outreach effort through local PBS stations and partnerships with organizations whose mission is to help people move out of poverty...What makes Invisible Nation unique is that it will refocus perspectives and counter stereotypes in order to encourage new ways of thinking and acting when it comes to confronting poverty. At the program’s center is Donna Beegle, Ed.D., a high school dropout, married at fifteen, who, through sheer determination, has successfully 'crossed the border' to become highly visible as an advocate on behalf of people mired in circumstances not unlike those of her own family."
Please go here for the website Communication Across Barriers to access and view the film trailer for Invisible Nation: http://www.combarriers.com/node/39
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