Two decades is a lifetime for some nonprofits, but we continue to grow
Welcome to this special edition of Street Roots marking our 20th anniversary. And thank you for making every day of it possible.
We are a long way from our earliest days when we were just learning what it meant to be a street paper in a town with so many publications vying for your attention. And yet those days still seem ahead of us as the world of media, consumers and our streets continue to change.
Twenty years is a lifetime for many small nonprofits, but we feel our brightest future is still ahead of us. In our two decades, we’ve matured, and so have Portlanders, in how we talk about poverty and our terms and outlook for solutions.
And we owe that all to you. Really, we wouldn’t be here without you sharing our belief that we hold the future in our hands, that we don’t have to accept the status quo, that the paradigm can be shifted and tomorrow doesn’t have to be the same as today.
At the core of Street Roots is the recognition that we are surrounded by systems that keep people away from employment, from housing, from financial independence and the fullest engagement with their community. But we are also charged with the knowledge that we don’t have to accept these destructive systems, that we have no obligation to keep the status quo, and in fact possess the power and moral obligation to create a just society.
These efforts are both small and grand in scale. From a single interaction between a reader and a vendor, to the larger campaign of our journalism and advocacy, we all are making a difference. We are vendors, readers, supporters, journalists, volunteers and contributors, and every day we achieve, step by step, the fulfillment of this moral obligation. This is the power we hold in our hands.
Our mission is to provide income opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and poverty by producing a newspaper and other media that are catalysts for individual and social change.
In more personal terms, it means that Mark not only has a new income, but new friends in the community. It means Randy can sell the paper to people who will read his story and poetry. It means Debbie can talk with readers, like herself, about the causes she is passionate about. It means Jim has a fulfillment among customers that calls stronger than isolation. It means a place to show off a sobriety coin, or talk about going home, with confidence, to visit family not seen in years. It means Wayne and Denis and Eileen and Richard and so many others now have keys to a place to call home. It means the end of lonely days and terrible nights. On any given day, it can mean everything.
Now in our 20th year, Street Roots continues to grow. We are looking inward to better understand universal equity and how we can be responsive and responsible in reaching that goal. And we are looking outward, preparing for a future that welcomes more people to engagement, empowerment and action, and making sure we have the capacity for all who step forward.
We anticipate the next 20 years knowing the challenges that lie ahead. As we said, 20 years is a lifetime for some nonprofits, beginning to end. But then, Street Roots has never been like other organizations. Borne of the streets, our impact ripples through this community from the ground up, and it always will with your support. That is the power you hold in your hands. Thank you.
Email Executive Editor Joanne Zuhl at joanne@streetroots.org.
Street Roots is an award-winning, nonprofit, weekly newspaper focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. Our newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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