Hoping to heal the world around her, Racheal is invested in her community
William Shakespeare dismisses the importance of names in the famous soliloquy Juliet delivers from Romeo and Juliet:
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
But names mean something. Even Shakespeare himself would likely agree that parents all over the world spend countless hours thinking about what to name their child. Parents convey their own hopes and aspirations in the act of naming — often giving the namesake of a beloved relative or combing through resources to find that perfect name with meaning. This act of naming something carries meaning.
This is the story of Racheal Dulaney, a longtime Street Roots vendor who has sold Street Roots on and off for about six years, what’s in her name and how its meaning guides her to care for her community. The spelling of her name was lovingly bestowed by her mother, who chose the spelling of the last four letters “h-e-a-l” intentionally.
“My mom named me Racheal because she told me one day you are going to heal the world around me,” Racheal said.
And that has shaped her outlook and attitude towards those around her. First connected to Street Roots by her younger brother in 2015, Racheal has embraced the chance to earn her own money to help out her family and boost her community.
“Street Roots has given me the opportunity to help my community around me,” Racheal said. “When the blizzard hit last year, I volunteered in the warming center opened by Street Roots. And just last night, I reconnected with someone I helped last year. He told me he remembered me. That felt good.”
The mother of four boys, Racheal’s youngest son was just born in November.
And his name? Ambrosë.
“His dad named him,” Racheal said. “I wanted to name him Kieran Atlas, but he really liked the name Ambrosë, who is the son of Atlas. It’s a good, strong name.”
Racheal puts a lot of thought into names for her children, recognizing the importance of their meaning.
“My other children are named Rayne Kito, which means precious child in Welsh, and my second child is Sky Rayden,” she said. “My third son I gave up for adoption when he was three days old. I know he wound up with a good stable family. I’m very proud of the choice I made, but it was a very hard choice.”
And her definition of family embraces her community. Five years from now, she hopes to have stable housing with a full-time job at Street Roots and plans to be caring for her son who will be in kindergarten. But beyond that, her dreams for her community are big.
“I want to open my own program to support men and members of the LGBTQ+ community who have experienced sexual violence,” she said, noting the gap in the current programs to provide healing support to those experiencing trauma. “I want to revamp the way we provide care.”
Racheal, like many people in Portland, is looking forward to the spring and the hope it holds.
“The cherry blossoms — there is something innately beautiful about the cherry blossoms — it means that the sun is going to come out and it’s light,” she said.
Racheal sells Street Roots at the Dollar Tree in Gresham on Northeast 181st Avenue and at times at Safeway on Southeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard and Powell Street. You can also support Racheal through@StreetRoots on Venmo by entering her name and badge number (434) in the notes.
Street Roots is an award-winning weekly publication focusing on economic, environmental and social justice issues. The newspaper is sold in Portland, Oregon, by people experiencing homelessness and/or extreme poverty as means of earning an income with dignity. Street Roots newspaper operates independently of Street Roots advocacy and is a part of the Street Roots organization. Learn more about Street Roots. Support your community newspaper by making a one-time or recurring gift today.
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