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$2.00

100% of the sale
goes go to
your vendor

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Subscribe to Equip

In addition to a magazine for you, your
subscription supplies additional copies to
someone in need.

(Your gift becomes a seed that will be
transformed into extra income
through their hard work.)

speakupmag.org/subscribe

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A voice for the voiceless.

Speak Up is written by and about people battling
homelessness.

The magazine is sold by vulnerably-housed or homeless
street vendors who keep 100% of the profits (they buy
copies for a low price, sell them and keep the cash).
Through the process, these ambitious individuals develop
a passion for entrepreneurship, get back on their feet
financially, and become advocates who proudly give a
voice to the voiceless.

SPEAK UP This special edition is intended to
501 Hawthorne Lane share a glimpse into the ways and
Charlotte, NC 28204 workings of Speak Up.

speakupmag.org CREDITS
Matt Shaw, Editor in Chief
WRITING WORKSHOPS Peggi Knowe, editing
Thursdays at 2pm Myeka Johnson, writing workshop

GIVE A VOICE AND A WORK OPPORTUNITY—
Speak Up Magazine is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Give at speakupmag.org/donate

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How to join Speak Up—

1. 2. 3.

Make Show up Orientation
contact for your &
interview Training

Come to the Thursday Be on time. After this two-hour ses-
writing workshop or sion, during which you’ll
contact Speak Up (call, learn sale techniques,
SMS, email) to schedule watch a short video, and
an interview. sign the code of conduct,
you’ll be given 20 free
magazines and a tempo-
rary vendor ID badge.

(You’ll sell the magazines
for $2 each and keep all
the cash.)

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4. 5. 6.

Sell Spend Keep at it
magazines & or
publicly Re-invest Step forward

Find a busy sidewalk and Now you have money Now that you’re in a
offer the magazine to the for what you need for cycle of working and
public. You keep all the your life: housing, food, earning money, you can
cash from each sale! transportation. decide what to do next.

(It won’t be easy. When Be sure to set aside some Maybe this is a short-
people think “homeless,” of money to buy more term solution while you
they don’t always think copies of the magazine seek another job? Or
hardworking, positive, from Speak Up, so you maybe this is a job that
and diligent…but you can always have more to sell. you want to stick with?
change that perception.) (Be strategic. You’re a
business owner now.) Finally, you’re in charge
of your future!

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From the Cover— What has been your most positive experi-
ence while selling Speak Up?
Meeting a lot of nice people. I love meet-EARLEEN MINGO ing people, and they have given me a lot
of inspiration.

I understand you like to help out people
in need…
I fill my bag up with sandwiches, gloves, and
whatever they might need. I saw someone
eating out of the trash and had to buy him
some food.

Have you been homeless?
Yeah, but I always wind up keeping myself off
the streets. It isn’t easy, but I try to stay safe.
I’m working toward getting my own home
right now.
Where are you from originally?
I was born and raised in New York. What’s a recent accomplishment?
I bought a car. Then I earned enough money
Where are you living right now? selling Speak Up to get my license renewed,
insurance, inspection, everything. It has beenI’m staying in a littel place that I am renting.
years since I have had a car. I have a car!

How did you learn about Speak Up?
During this time of transition, what gives
One day, I was downtown, really struggling you comfort?
and trying to figure out what I was going to
Basically, getting up every day and going todo next. This lady asked me what was wrong.
sell my magazines. It keeps me motivated.I said, “I don’t know what I am going to do.”
And she said, “Do you want a job?” She
brought me to Speak Up. Where do you see yourself in five years?
As the editor of Speak Up. Ha ha.
Where do you sell your magazines?
I sell my magazines mainly downtown. I have —Interviewed by Matt Shaw
a lot of customers who really like me a lot.

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I’ve been writing and volunteering for
Speak Up for a few months now.VOLUNTEERING
One of the best things about Speak Up isAT SPEAK UP IS the opportunity to hear and see the lives
of people struggling with homelessness
and get a chance to see the world fromAN AMAZING
their perspectives. I’ve worked with vul-
nerably-housed people for years, and itOPPORTUNITY. is so enriching to hear the perspectives
of those who have experienced life in a
different way than I have. This program
has changed the lives of so many people,
and each week, we meet and welcome in
newcomers.

As we sit around and tell stories about our
lives, the writing workshop helps us bring
those stories to life. As you read Speak Up
Magazine, you read stories of those who
have overcome difficult obstacles. You
also read of those who are currently going
through the impossible and have found a
way to enjoy life despite it.

I remember discussing how, if others could
walk in your shoes, what would they see?
How would they feel? Speak Up gives
not only the reading audience a chance
to experience homelessness, but it gives
the homeless an opportunity to express
the reality of what society considers “an
excuse” or “the low life.” No matter what
others think, every time I attend a writ-Myeka helps with the writing workshop, ing workshop at Speak Up, I see smilingand magazine editing and writing. faces and humbleness. I also see genuine
and kind people that, despite not having
much, give a lot.

—Myeka Johnson

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SPEAK UP IS…

Joshua Vince
magazine vendor street writer

Speak Up is a family to me. Speak Up This magazine has made such a difference
is a business for my life. I like Speak Up in my life already. I left a magazine at the
because it helps me a lot and helps my gas station where I go to buy food. There
life get even better. It makes me so pro- are a couple of ladies that work there who
fessional. I want to become the greatest know I am homeless and they often talk to
salesman and the greatest entrepreneur in me rudely. Now they treat me with a smile
the world and in my hometown. (I want to and use my first name to greet me. It’s
make Speak Up rich too!) broken the shell of “discommunication”
with others too. Sometimes I even try to
I’ll never stop working for Speak Up. For give the first copy away for free to expose
those who want to join Speak Up, come them to the great words and stories inside.
talk to me—I have lots of good advice for It is unbelievably popular. Spreading the
you. Keep pounding! message of Speak Up is now an essential
part of my life.
speakupmag.org/joshua

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Amy Kimberly
magazine vendor vendor / writer

Speak Up is a magazine that tells the true Speak Up gives my life journey purpose
stories of being outside and on the streets. here on earth. It helps me write and ex-
It gives those who write for the magazine press love for the souls of every human
a chance to meet others and branch out. being. While writing for Speak Up, I’ve
As one who has been homeless and slept experienced homelessness and social
in different places, I am thankful that it injustice in my outside life, but it has never
gives me and others on the streets a place stopped me from telling my stories and
to tell our stories. I have had a good expe- telling others about Speak Up. I want to
rience with it. Even before I started selling empower others and encourage them that
the magazine, I used to read the articles “this too shall pass.”
in it. It feels really good when a homeless
person comes up to me and thanks me I speak up!
for what I’m doing—because selling this
magazine gives us all a voice. speakupmag.org/kimberly

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VOICES
FOR THE
VOICELESS

A conversation with Harry Griffin
about his years of leading a weekly
writing workshop for homeless
and street writers.

Conversation with Matt Shaw

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Harry, can you describe the Writing people’s stories. When we look at it in light
Workshop? of the issue of homelessness, everybody
who has experienced homelessness has
Let’s see, we were over on Mint Street in a story to tell. Those stories need to be
the offices there. It started very rough. We heard and listened to and honored and
decided to have a homeless-writen “Zine” respected. We need to understand why
that would emerge from the Writing [events] happened to them. They need a
Workshop. We would sit around the table sympathetic ear. The Writing Workshop
with whoever showed up, and we would gave people a chance to have their
write together. It meant I had to come up stories told and to communicate what had
with prompts. A prompt is the instigator happened to them and write about it.
for the writing that happens. You give a
person something to write about. Was there a writing or writer that has
stuck in your mind or heart?
Can you tell me one thing that you
looked forward to at the Workshop on One of the most outgoing personalities
a weekly basis? there, which is why she stands out in my
mind, was Andrea Garland. I don’t know
The Workshop for me was, in a lot of ways, why our relationship was so meaningful,
the culmination of a lot my creative work but in her exuberant personality and
in the sense that I had had a lot of creative garrulousness, she just reached out to me
mentors throughout my education, and was a companion in some way. It was
teachers and professors in creative just special.
fields that led me. I’ve always wanted
to be a teacher in a creative work. The I remember Stephanie and Tyrone, who
writing workshop, more than any other were living on the streets. I worked very
experience in my entire life, offered me closely with them for a number of weeks.
that opportunity to teach. I was the leader They wrote well. We would meet over
of that Writing Workshop. That was such lunch and write. They would write about
an amazing feeling. what was happening to them.

Why do you think that the Writing here was a bond that was formed with
Workshop was and is important to be people. They were my friends. There was
offered? an intimacy there that’s very unique.

I think that writing has been helpful to What was a challenge of the workshop?
me for a long, long time in being able
to access and articulate my thoughts, I think that sometimes my expectation
understand what I think and problem for the participants’ writing skills were
solve my feelings. It was you, Matt, who higher than their writing levels. I have
[articulated] that we wanted to honor spent a lot of time writing, and I think

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Scenes from Speak Up’s weekly writing workshop

that there were some people who have In your opinion, was the Writing
been to the Writing Workshop who have Workshop a “voice for the voiceless”?
done very little writing. In some cases, my Did it support Speak Up’s mission?
expectation for their writing skills was too
high. I think so. The bottom line is that I was a
constant presence for those folks every
Did that require you to make changes? week. If I offered nothing else, they had
something they could come to every
I never really resolved that issue…I week. [If they chose to come,] they had
remember looking over the notebooks me who offered them mental stimulation
and looking for a fragment of something and encouragement. I was positive and
that could be turned into a poem or encouraging. I was a warm body in their
published. It helped to work one on lives. I think sometimes it’s hard because
one with people. It was helpful to ask you don’t know what to do for people.
a question like “What was it like to live You just have to be there and listen, honor
under a bridge?” and draw that out. their stories, be a presence for them and
offer them opportunities.

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Above: Harry Griffin

A lot of the people who have regularly Okay, last question. What do you say to
attended the Writing Workshop over the person who wants to help people
the years, and whose writing often find their voice?
appears in print, often get feedback
from readers who have experienced Use your skills. Identify what you’re good
homelessness. Those people say, “thank at and what you want to do with your life.
you for doing what you’re doing and If you want to paint, go teach a painting
for telling the stories and being a voice class. If math is your forte, go and teach
for us.” Harry, there’s a tremendous math to people. Figure out how to involve
appreciation for what you created yourself using your skills, and the rest will
with that workshop with the homeless follow. You’ll get something out of it and
writers, the invitation you offered help people in the long run too.
and the voice that you provided. They
feel as though their voice is worthy.
You cultivated that for three years—
faithfully, week after week. It made a
huge difference! Thank you.

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Dear Speak Up Magazine Vendors, here are
a few things I’ve observed about you:
By Matt Shaw
You are hardworking.
You are generous. You show one another the best selling techniques and places.
You hug and encourage one another in hard times.
You demonstrate to the watching public that someone who has lived on the
streets can be a person of responsibility, integrity, and honor.
You buy gifts and meals for one another, for others at Speak Up, and for those
less fortunate than yourselves.
You encourage and speak positive words to your customers; your perseverance
and hope lifts their spirits and ours.
You bravely share your stories and hardships…with us and with the world.
You reject the belief that you have to be a beggar or dependant.
As micro-business owners who distribute Speak Up, you have chosen the hard-
er and more honorable road of personal responsibility and hard work. You love
to work!
You don’t wallow in self pity. You are full of hope.
You are quick to resolve troubling situations, quick to forgive and eager to
move forward.
You encourage one another to healthy and difficult choices.
You’re honest.
You are ambassadors in a preoccupied world, sharing the stories of others,
showing kindness to your neighbors and inspiring the world.

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There are many facets to
the particular question of
how I rose off the streets.
First and foremost, and
by far the biggest of
these facets was me,
myself, and I.

It takes courage, strength, determination,
and humility to rise above this plight in
society. I had that and more. So have
many others I’ve seen who have risen
above and succeeded where so many fail.
I’m not tooting my own horn or theirs for
that matter. I’m simply stating a fact that,
fortunately, I can be proud of. Without me,
myself, and I, this journey would have nev-
er started, and my road would continue to on Tuesdays (that everyone affectionately
be dark and cold. calls “the beans and rice people”). There’s
Urban Ministries that does so much for the
It wasn’t me alone though, Without the homeless and the community around them
beating heart of Charlotte, NC that cares that it is staggering. The Crisis Center’s
so deeply for this travesty of society, I Room at the Inn, my newfound family and
might still be there no matter how hard home at Speak Up that has given me the
I tried. It is the work of the churches that opportunity to put money in my pocket…I
feed throughout the week with loving think you get the picture…I could fill pages
words of encouragement, the city morgue with how many groups, organizations and
opening their doors to us almost every churches are out there fighting the good
day of the week, King’s Kitchen and Jim fight.
Noble being a constant source of love
and encouragement, and the First Unit- But no matter how much I was helped, ul-
ed Methodist Church opening its doors timately I had to do the hard work of lifting
every Sunday morning for food, coffee, myself out of homelessness. Without the
fellowship, and encouragement. Let’s not want and the drive to better myself and
forget the burrito people on their bikes my conditions, I would still be there today.
handing out awesome breakfast burritos
and Capri Suns to the group who feeds —Troy Burtnick