Chip Ward’s illuminating article on how the library has become a de facto ’shelter’ in place of the state’s shrunken safety net provides an excellent opportunity to look at how ppl who are often perceived as non-citizens, non-persons, non-existant nuisances in the collective conscience are reclaiming their power and identities.
Here are some props to ‘information’ efforts that seek to give voiceless groups space to speak for themselves by putting the media in their own hands.
First is Homeless Nation, a Canada wide non-profit organization that provides an online community and forum for homeless people to express their point of view, and an opportunity for the public to interact with and learn some things about being homeless in Canada. Launched in [June] no, April of 2006, membership has grown to over 2000 participants.
Mentions of Homeless Nation in the media can be found here and here and in Rabble podcasts here.
Second is an archives that is documenting the history and cultural heritage of people who’ve been in contact with the psychiatric system.
Librarians, carve out a wee moment in your hectic schedules check out the Psychiatric Survivor Archives, Toronto. It’s a forum and space that aims to preserve the history of psychiatric survivors for current and future generations. PSAT seeks to create an opportunity to restore a sense of agency and personhood to psychiatric survivors, to value their lived experience, history and culture, and to engage a voiceless and stigmatized population in the democratic process of self expression.
Articles here and here published recently in the Toronto Star speak to MAD pride, a movement akin to the ‘queering’ of gay/lesbian culture.
- PC