On May 8, 2024, the Church of the Epiphany was transformed into a debate chamber for Council Member Robert White, Rodney Grant, and moderator Rachelle Ellison, People of Fairness Coalition’s assistant director. The three were joined on stage with a panel that included the director of the Humanities Truck, Dan Kerr. The discussion included topics such as the criminalization of homelessness, guaranteed income policy, and universal rights to housing. During this event, people who are part of the unhoused population were given the chance to take to the floor and bring up their concerns around resources for their local unhoused community.
Right outside the doors of the Church, the Humanities Truck set-up shop, displaying interviews from the 2023 Homeless Memorial Vigil, which can be found on our exhibits page. Those participating in the forum and passersby were invited to watch these interviews and fill out prompt cards that encouraged them to consider what they believed the causes of homelessness were, what a better world would look like in their eyes, and what they would do to try and end homelessness in DC.
Humanities Truck Community Fellow, Angie Whitehurst, also made a point to interview willing participants asking them the following questions: What do you think are the biggest causes of homelessness in Washington, DC? What are the most critical issues that a movement to end homelessness should focus on, and why? If you could get 50 people to join you in doing something to end homelessness, what would you have those people do? If you could build a better world, what would that world look like? These interviews can be found in our Community Archives and on the Humanities Truck YouTube Channel.
