Reverend Barber and the revolutionary power of poor people
A Poor People’s March is descending on Washington, D.C. this summer. It has the potential to ignite a new progressive movement in the United States. INSP spoke to one of that movement’s leaders, pastor and activist the Reverend Dr. William Barber.
Interview with Narodna Dopomoha, an aid organisation working with those being internally displaced by the war in Ukraine
Narodna Dopomoha is an aid organisation based in the western Ukrainian city Chernivtsi, near the border with Romania, which has been working with internally displaced people in Ukraine since the initial conflict in the country’s eastern Donbas region was instigated by Russian military forces in 2014. The organisation’s work has increased dramatically in the last week after Russia escalated the conflict to a full-scale invasion. One of the organisation’s project leaders, Anastasiya Beridze spoke to INSP about the work they are doing. The organisation was previously linked to the street paper Gazeta Kiev until it ceased publication several years ago.
Street papers respond to conflict in Ukraine – UPDATE: Former Ukrainian street paper The Way Home shares the situation on the ground
As Russia invades Ukraine, it’s anticipated that more than a million people may flee the country to seek refuge in neighbouring nations like Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. Street papers in those places respond to the ongoing conflict, standing in solidarity with the Ukrainian people’s right to democracy and in support of all those who may flee.
Housing for the People: “I was homeless on the road raising a child”
In this deeply personal piece for INSP’s ‘Housing for the People’ column, the writer tells a story of displacement and homelessness that spans continents in an attempt to escape the horror of domestic violence and to give her child the chance of a better life, even if it meant experiencing a period of transition living outside first.
Housing for the People: Addressing housing instability with equity in mind
Janiah Miller – an advocate experienced in providing support to political campaigns and offices, assisting in legislative and constituent support, and building intersectional coalitions within the community – writes for INSP’s latest ‘Housing for the People’ column about how the culminating moment of the American Dream – owning a home – is not equitably accessible to all.
Housing for the People: “Dear President Biden…”
Interweaving her own personal story with evidence of the current homelessness issue in Oregon, columnist Mandee Seeley drafts a heartfelt epistle to the US President about how to properly address the housing crisis. The letter is the latest instalment in INSP’s Housing for the People series.
KC Tenants – an activist group experiencing the harms of the affordable housing and eviction crisis first-hand offer – offers a model of possibility for fed up tenants worldwide
Kansas City, smack dab in the US Midwest in a Republican-led state, is often overlooked in the national conversation about the country’s housing crisis. KC Tenants – an organisation made up of members of Kansas City’s communities of renters – fights for cooperative housing, social housing, and a dignified response to the city’s housing, eviction, and homelessness crises. Ever since its formation in 2019, it’s made its demands for a better world known through carefully-researched policy proposals as well as direct actions matching the urgency of the issues they’re addressing. Its work offers a model of possibility for fed up tenants worldwide. INSP North America spoke to KC Tenants co-founder Diane Charity.
A holiday message from L’Itinéraire’s Daniel Grady
Having sold the street paper for 15 years, L’Itinéraire’s Daniel Grady explains the reasons why he’s thankful for it as we reach the end of another year.
Megaphone vendors on the food they cook and eat over the holidays
Put on the elastic pants and serve up a Megaphone meal using vendor recipes sourced from their food memories.
“It was an opportunity for rediscovery” – what street papers are in the words of those who sell them
Everyone who is a part of the global street paper network knows what a street paper is – that extends to the staff that put each publication together and those who buy them. But the people who truly know what a street paper is – what it means – are those who sell them. Here, a collection of street paper vendors – from Greece to Australia – tell us, in their own words, what a street paper is, personally to them.
The Housing Narrative Lab is helping tell the story of housing insecurity and homelessness in America
The Housing Narrative Lab is a new communications and narrative research hub dedicated to sharing the stories of people facing housing insecurity and the systems that drive people into homelessness. Here, its director Marisol Bello writes about what’s wrong with American policies and how they negatively impact women who remain the vast majority of single parents in the US, some of whom have to choose- during a pandemic – between leaving young children at home alone or risking their jobs.
“The street paper saved my life” – what street papers are in the words of those who sell them
Everyone who is a part of the global street paper network knows what a street paper is – that extends to the staff that put each publication together and those who buy them. But the people who truly know what a street paper is – what it means – are those who sell them. Here, a collection of street paper vendors – from North Macedonia to Canada – tell us, in their own words, what a street paper is, personally to them.
“Street papers have a sort of superpower” – what street papers are in the words of those who sell them
Everyone who is a part of the global street paper network knows what a street paper is – that extends to the staff that put each publication together and those who buy them. But the people who truly know what a street paper is – what it means – are those who sell them. Here, a collection of street paper vendors – from Brazil to Finland – tell us, in their own words, what a street paper is, personally to them.
Housing for the People: “Like the air we breathe, housing is a basic human need”
Mandee Seeley spent three of her five years in Oregon without a home, living in the national forest with her husband and two children. For the latest instalment of INSP’s ‘Housing for the People’ column, she writes from her personal perspective about the basic requirement of all humans to have a home, and how the system should reflect that.
Housing for the People: Housing justice as a central voting issue
Janiah Miller – an advocate experienced in providing support to political campaigns and offices, assisting in legislative and constituent support, and building intersectional coalitions within the community – writes for INSP’s ‘Housing for the People’ column about how the affordable housing crisis remains at a historic nadir and how local organizations must continuously elevate affordable housing and homeownership as top priorities in their communities and bringing them to the attention of those with the power to affect change.
Housing for the People: “We got into our new apartment right before Christmas – it was the best gift!”
Mindy Woods and her son were forced to leave their dilapidated and mold infested home when it began to affect their health. Their experience thereafter is a story of lows – navigating the Kafkaesque public housing and benefits rigmarole, facing up to the “embarrassment” of having to tell her son’s teachers they were homeless – but also the high of finally getting a place to call home. A tireless housing and social justice advocate, Mindy shares her story here – as part of INSP’s new ‘Housing for the People’ column – to affect public perception and create policy change.
Brasília street paper Revista Traços’s ‘Spokespersons for Culture’ have their lives reflected back to them through drama
In a new webseries produced for Revista Traços, the street paper based in the Brazilian capital of Brasília, those who sell the magazine – traditionally called vendors or salespeople across the street paper network, but at Revista Traços known as ‘Spokespersons for Culture’ – are having their lives dramatically retold on a soundstage by local actors.
“We all need to pitch in”: Marginalised communities hit hardest by climate change
INSP compiled the thoughts of those who sell street papers – made up of some of society’s most marginalised people – on how climate change, environmental disaster and extreme weather affects their everyday lives.
The world wants climate justice – the people of Glasgow are at the centre
The UN climate conference COP26 has been ongoing in Glasgow. On Saturday, members of the public and activists alike took to the streets to make their voices heard for climate justice for all.
Global street paper movement appeals for climate justice
Ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, the global street paper movement calls on leaders to take urgent, coordinated and necessary climate action to protect the world’s most vulnerable communities.
Apropos’s Ion Firescu: Living between two worlds
Ion has called Salzburg home for over ten years, but what is home for him is not what is home for us. Ion sleeps on the streets because his circumstances make it impossible to be officially registered in the city. There is another reason, too: he provides for his family in Romania through his work as an Apropos vendor and values his wife and children’s comfort above his own.
Poster campaign emphasises the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19
Social art and design lab Amplifier has made available to street papers posters which emphasise the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and encourage those who have yet to be immunised to do so. Coinciding with street papers reporting on the attitudes and experiences of marginalised communities when it comes to the vaccine, the posters aim to spread the message of community protection.
Big Issue Taiwan vendor Chu-fang Chuang: “Selling the magazine is my responsibility”
Those shopping in the area between Taipei City Hall Station and VieShow Cinemas pass Chu-fang Chuang as she sells copes of The Big Issue Taiwan outside a Chunghwa Telecom shop. Chuang volunteers for multiple organisations in addition to her work as a vendor and thrives on self-reliance and keeping busy.
Liceulice’s David Jankovic: The street paper was the wind at my back
David Jankovic has been working as a Liceulice vendor for 10 years. During that time, he has won the hearts of readers with his cheerful spirit and friendly manner. Here, he reflects on his childhood, his work as a Liceulice vendor and the happiness he has found in life.
Real Change’s Debbie Nichols: “I am the oddball because I am out there!”
In 1999, Debbie Nichols held a prominent job and was an active member in her community, but an abusive relationship and a drug addiction set her down a troubling path. Luckily, Nichols found street paper Real Change, which she said made a positive impact in helping her find her way back to her normal routines.
Big Issue Japan’s Nakanishi Hitoshi: “Customers have been supporting us for nearly nine years. It’s easy not to quit”
Nakanishi Hitoshi currently sells The Big Issue Japan in Kumamoto City, on the Japanese island of Kyushu, a pitch that has existed for almost nine years. He credits the public’s support with keeping him going. Although life can be emotionally tough, it is vital to keep overcoming hardships and finding a way through.
Surprise’s Taoufik Narati: “When I grew up, I knew I would have barely any chance of getting a job and living a good life in Tunisia with my disability”
Taoufik Narati, 59, came to Europe from Tunisia many years ago. He contracted polio asa young child and underwent many operations to ease his condition; however, as a young man, he realised that there would be few opportunities in Tunisia for someone with his condition. He has built himself a happy life in Switzerland and feels thankful for his work, selling the national street paper Surprise, and loving family life.
Hanover street paper Asphalt partners with prestigious contemporary art exhibition documenta fifteen, exclusively announcing line-up
World-renowned contemporary art exhibition documenta is celebrating its 15th instalment next year in the German city of Kassel. In line with its leading artists’ values, the line-up for the event was exclusively revealed by street paper Asphalt in nearby Hanover, who will act as a media partner for the exhibition.