I bopped out onto Connecticut Ave and hoofed it down towards Dupont Circle.
This area is a bit different than where I've stayed in DC previously; still pretty close to Chinatown and the National Mall, just north a bit and the neighborhood is a little more...charming, I guess. Sorta reminded me of Federal Hill in the Providence Rhode Island area, with a bunch of little outdoor cafe setups dotting the thoroughfare. Some pretty cool buildings through this area as well, and as is a usual sight here in the DC area, plenty of folks experiencing homelessness, wandering aimlessly, panhandling and generally languishing away as hordes of people pass by them.
Then I came across Carlton, hunched over a chunk of cardboard, small sponge in hand, tubes of acrylic paints scattered around him. Dude was busily painting away, lost in his creative spirit. I checked out his artwork and have to say, I wa stunned by the beauty of his paintings and mesmerized by his easy and methodical painting skills.
We talked a bit and Carlton told me he was HIV positive and had a hard time holding a job because he suffered recurring illnesses that put him out of work for extended periods, but he was not willing to beg or panhandle for his money. He wanted to earn it, he has something to offer, and he wasn't looking for charity.
I purchased his Bonsai tree painting for an amount I won't disclose here, but suffice it to say I made it worth Carlton's time and effort, as well as his creativity and skill. As I carried my painting back, I passed a man selling Street Sense near a DC metro tunnel; another person who wasn't waiting for someone to come along and hold a handout to him but instead was taking the initiative to do something to try and make some changes in his own future.
This got me thinking about all the folks who sell The Contributor in and around Nashville, and I was humbled that so many others were able to take the initiative for themselves because we provided them the opportunity to do so. All they needed was a way to get started.
Hmmmm. In the world of capitalisem and bigtime biz, isn't that what "venture capitalists" provide to industrious entrepreneurs who put forth some initiative and try to fill a need, meet a demand, all through innovation and hard work?
And frankly, isn't that what the American Way is all about? The entrepreneurial spirit that embraces hard work and self determination, doesn't take "no" for an answer, that keeps pushing in the face of almost insurmountable odds, putting in ridiculously long hours in order to live their dream of being their own boss while creating their own empire?
Seems like we're always hearing that if "those homeless people just pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, put the shoulder to the grindstone and the nose to the wheel and got a job," their problems would miraculously disappear. So why, I ask you, when industrious and ambitious individuals choose to go through the hassles of training, develop a network of customers, stand on street corners around cities to ply their honest trade, in all kinds of weather and environmental conditions, there are some in our communities who find fault with that?
Why on earth would anyone in their right mind work to constrain, eliminate, inhibit or crush the work-spirit of men and women who've found just about every other employment door closed to them?
What really is the difference between these brave and hardworking men and women and some of the greatest business entrepreneurs in our country? We hold these others as idols, models to be emulated, lavishing praise on the Zuckerbergs and Gates of the world.
Yet, when a Contributor vendor is working his or her tail off to earn a living in order to spend the money made from that labor directly into the community they work in, why is there not the same sense of pride and honor for them in that community?
What Contributor vendors are doing is classic Americana. It's the American dream on a street corner; an entrepreneur, running his or her own business, putting in long and often grueling hours, developing networks of customers and supporters, building a sales empire, relying on repeat sales and customers, and answering to no one but themselves for their success or their failure. They are models of perseverance, of the ability to overcome obstacles, personal and professional challenges, and barriers coming from all angles in order to earn a living.
These vendors should be celebrated, not banned from public sight. They should be used as an example of the human spirit conquering all to achieve the greatest gift our society can provide; respect, independence adn the ability to direct one's own footsteps along the path of life.
I hope the good people of Brentwood - and every other city that is considering banning The Contributor vendors, or for that matter, any vendor anywhere, from working in their communities - will reconsider and allow these vendors the right to earn a living. It's the American Way and it's the right thing to do....
