Today, December 21st, is the Winter Solstice, when darkness lasts longer than any other day. Since 1990, December 21st has been marked as National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, a day to mourn the loss and celebrate the lives of our brothers and sisters who have died while homeless.
It has been far too dark, for far too many people, for far too long. At the DC Memorial Vigil this afternoon, 43 names were read of men and women who died in and around DC this year.
We must work together towards a day when there are no names to read. We must work together to be the light that brings an end to the darkness of homelessness.
In Memoriam
William Bailey Kenneth Ballard Tommy Bennett Alvin Best Peter Bis Bob Bourban Albert Boyd Frederick Brockington Zachary Brown (who died just short of his 30th birthday) Clark Carvaly Robert Chambers Misty Clanton James Ralph Davidson Augustus DeGrazia James Diggs John Doe Renee Farmer Alfonza Flythe Maelloyd Garner Dehab Gebrichristos Harvey Gillian James Glover Michael Harmon Mark Harrison Joann Hollis Betty Jones Saccora Jones Cornell Lawrence Joe Lewis Mia Means Charles Mills Tyrone Murray Billy Ragan Melvin Riley Terrence Bowie Robinson Jesse Smith, Jr. Janice Stafford Richard Starnes Joy Stribling Leroy Studevant Catherine T. Lorenzo Tinsley Marcellus Wilkerson
