The other day, I had a very interesting interaction with a guest. She came to the front desk to ask for services, but it was far past the time of the morning when a case manager would be able to meet with her. When I told her that we could not offer what she was asking for, she asked for clothing and food, both of which are not items we provide regularly, and especially not under the current health risks. So, unfortunately, I was again unable to give her anything she asked for. She continued to ask some questions about our services, peppered with frustrated comments about not being able to get help. She was talking so quickly that I couldn’t understand her, so I asked her to repeat herself.
She paused and said this: “I want peace and justice.”
Her request really took me aback. I was totally caught off-guard because I was having so much trouble understanding the other questions she was asking me. All I could muster at the moment was, “I’m sorry but I cannot offer you that either.”
As the morning slowed I began to reflect more on her request. Through everything that she said, through the rambling and mumbling and our inability to give her what she needed, she asked for something many of us, especially our guests, are hurting for right now: peace and justice.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard protesters demanding for justice for Black people so that we can work toward peace. “No justice, no peace.” Over the past months, our world has been full of chaos with ever rising health risks and the fear of becoming ill. Every day our guests feel the weight of an unjust system pressing on them.
So, it’s no wonder that this particular guest, after not being able to get her physical needs met, asked for the only other thing she could think of that would help her heal: peace and justice.