Those of you who missed our special one-hour program on homeless children may get another chance to hear it this weekend on your local public radio station. "The Invisible—-Children without Homes" is being offered this week on Bob Edwards Weekend, a Public Radio International (PRI) program carried by 92 stations across the country. In addition, PRI is offering the program free of charge to ALL of its hundreds of public radio stations–so contact your local station to learn what time you can hear it. After this weekend, you can have it for free as an XM podcast. We want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to hear about these kids.
After "The Invisible" ran on XMPR on December 27th, we were contacted by the National Network for Youth and told we’d be honored at a Champions for Youth Homelessness luncheon later this month. Ariana Pekary, who worked so hard to produce the documentary, will represent us at the luncheon. (Producers Geoffrey Redick and Dan Bloom shared the recording duties for the program.) We also heard from professionals who work with troubled young people. They said our interviews reflected the experiences they’d had on the job—and they thanked us for doing the program.
"The Invisible" includes grim stories of hunger, disease, drugs, prostitution, sex slavery, theft, and quite a bit of physical abuse—stories that will break your heart. But the program also includes the fabulous stories of several young people who have endured all of the above and triumphed over the longest odds to be self-sustaining, college-educated, young adults. Another is still homeless and living in a shelter—an extremely bright, vivacious, African-American high school senior who slept in a public park and studied by streetlight for her four Advanced Placement courses. Her name is Zanoni Bishop, and I’ll be very disappointed if college administrators don’t call me with scholarship offers for her.
I used to think homeless teenagers were runaways looking for adventure. Now I know that most are forced from their homes by circumstances or by abusive adults. And they don’t want adventure; they want love. Listen to their stories this weekend on Bob Edwards Weekend on PRI.
Bob
I would appreciate an update on Ms. Bishop’s progress. Does she realize how brave she is, or is her self-motivation more a matter of survival? I applaud her perseverance and will follow her career as it unfolds. I am studying to obtain my master’s degree in education to teach earth science to high school students. You can bet I will be using her as an example for my students to follow for their character development.
I have just finished listening to the show on homelessness and cried through the whole thing. It is really overwhelming. It makes me feel like walking every day through the city, through the offices of the city government, through the offices of the federal government, in front of the adults across the city with a big sign and a loud voice saying “the children, the children, don’t forget the children! You need you to notice them, to help them, to love them, to protect them, to lead them with good decisions.”
I wish we could get every politician, every celebrity and everyone traveling to other countries to take on these issues right here at home; to take to the streets and say this has to stop.
Thank you for this story to educate everyone that many of the faces of homelessness include children who didn’t do anything to get themselves in this place. I hope that exposure like this will wake up powerful voices to put a stop to this and give these children hope.
PS after much digging I did find it on your site — for other people interested, it’s at https://bobedwardsradio.com/the-invisible-links/
I heard the whole, extraordinary documentary today. What an excellent piece. I’d never before understood or focused on the plight of the homeless with any depth; now I’ll think of it often – and I’ll never think of it the same again. I imagine I’m not the only one who felt a desire to not only think but also support the incredible people and organizations you profiled in the piece. Would you consider posting links to some of the organizations we can help?
Thanks for telling the story. I was sad to hear that nothing had improved or even changed much in the 35 years since it was me …
Education is the only way out of the soul-grinding poverty. I was really glad to hear that at least one of your interviewees was making that start. Education and a mentor are two elements that help to break the cycle. That and enormous individual gumption.
Thanks for doing the story!
Best regards,
Dana Morgan