This picture haunts me. The girl on the right is not one of the students. She is a Chiapeneca, one of the many young girls from the state of Chiapas, who sell candy and cigarettes on the streets. Their outfits are always distinctive. They and their brothers, who work with them, can be very young. I always have a soft spot in my heart for them and seeing this one walking with all those happy school kids, well, it took me back, remembering all the haves and the have-nots I worked with as a teacher. It always made me want to do more. I read that 70 percent of oaxaquenõs live in poverty. One is constantly confronted with it. People work hard to eke out an existence, sometimes washing windshields, or juggling, or selling things in the midst of traffic. And in general, people support them. I always have change in the car or in my pocket just to be ready. I have watched people walk by every beggar or street musician on the street and I have watched people stop and give each and every one of them a coin.
One must respond as one's heart dictates.
1 comment:
This image is amazing. Can you open a school of arts for the children of poverty, or something to help them get an education and off the streets, begging for food. I know you have a lot of friends and this should be possible. Being a teacher you could facilitate this project. If I was there, that's what I would do. Just food for thought.
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