With no home, food or healthcare, 62-year-old Cluster Faison sits in the shade he said he was lucky to find. A native of Southeast D.C., Faison has been homeless for 23 years. A rare skin disease he suffers from often causes him pain, and he avoids sitting in the sun.
"When you're diagnosed with something like this, the insurance company will not cover it. When they look at you and see it will cost thousands of dollars, they turn the other way," Faison said.
Homelessness among Blacks is just one of the issues addressed in the CNN series "Black in America," which aired July 23 and 24, hosted by anchor Soledad O'Brien. The series asked questions and sought to find answers to the problems of economic and racial disparities between Blacks and Whites caused by unemployment and incarceration.
"We found that one in three Black men will serve time in prison, meaning there will be more men on the streets without a job," O'Brien said.
A research study done on employment for Black males found that 10 percent of Blacks, as opposed to four percent of Whites, are unemployed. "A Black applicant with no criminal background faired no better than a White individual who was just out of prison, which means being Black in America today is equivalent to having a criminal record," said Princeton Professor Devah Pager.
Not too far from Georgia Avenue in the District, a row of homeless people are often overlooked by those who pass by. Sometimes still referred to as "Chocolate City," the District has as its neighbor Prince George's County, Md., the most affluently predominantly Black county in the country. The CNN series aims to study just how far Black citizens in this country have come since the days of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
But for some, like Faison, there is still a long way to go.
"The shelter out here is like warehousing. You're treated like cattle. They really don't care anything about your well-being. And family can only take care of you until it effects them," said Faison, who once served in the Army, and suffered through a series of employment layoffs after returning to civilian life.
Studies reveal that the employment rate for Black adults fell from 62 percent in the late 1980's to 51 percent in 2007. In addition, the employment rate among those with only a high school diploma is also at 51 percent, the lowest point.
"It frustrates me," Faison said. "When I get to the social security office, they put you through so much stuff. And half the people don't want to take care of you," Faison said.
He speaks of life on the streets being better than living in a shelter, because so many shelter occupants have mental conditions, and the shelters lack properly experienced caregivers.
"That's why you see so many people on the streets. People wonder why somebody would sleep on crates. [It's] because it's safer for them. You don't have to worry about anybody stealing, or doing you bodily harm," said Faison, who searches the streets daily for what he considers his next home.
"It gets rough out here. I just thank God for waking me up every morning. Sometimes I'm a little ungrateful because it's not enough," Faison said. "I say I want a Rolls Royce, but I just need a car."
