Customer Profiles: Tina Darragh

Marisha Wickermsinhe

Street Sense: Good afternoon folks, I’m hear with one of my frequent customers, Tina Darragh. And if you don’t mind me asking Ms.Darragh, where do you work?

Darragh: I work at Georgetown University, I’m a librarian there.

Oh, great, great, great. So you can appreciate good writing and literature.

Darragh: Haha, exaclty!

And if you don’t mind me asking ma’am, where do you live?

Darragh: I live in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Okay, so you’re a Maryland resident and you just commute to D.C. but you’re still passionate about the homeless cause. And we appreciate that! What do you find most interesting about Street Sense?

Darragh: Well, I like the variety of the articles: I like the fact that so many of the vendors write and contribute to it; I thought the interview with Pope Francis a few issues ago was just amazing — it’s a great variety of work.

Well I appreciate you taking time on this rainy day to share your passion about the cause. What do you find most interesting about your vendor?

Darragh: Well, I really appreciate your resilience and stamina. I watch people walking by you all the time and I don’t think I could do it. You must have some goals in mind that keep you going when people are rude or ignoring you.

Actually ma’am, we do. As a vendor myself, we do get a lot of rude people, racism, discrimination, basic insults and everything. But if you’re passionate about the cause, that doesn’t matter. It’s like a rain drop rolling off your back. As far as your relationship with your vendor, could you say it has evolved at all?

Darragh: Well, I’ve known you for about a year. And I always look forward to seeing you.

Thank you ma’am! And I definitely look forward to seeing you too: your smile and your appreciation. That’s one of the things that helps keep me going — as a vendor, former homeless person and an advocate for the homeless. Do you have any specific thoughts about homelessness?

Darragh: Well…

Please, speak freely.

Darragh: There’s just so many factors. The treatment for mental illness contributes to it… So many veterans are homeless — and that’s because there’s a lot of rhetoric of support but not real support. Those are two things right off the bat that come to mind.

And is there anything else that you’d like to add about homelessness, about Street Sense or about this interview?

Darragh: What I like about Street Sense is that it’s connected to similar organizations across the country and around the world. I think that if people realized that they would take it more seriously.

Thank you, ma’am! Well I greatly appreciate you taking the time with us and your support of Street Sense. Is there anything you’d like to say to the Street Sense readers or vendors?

Darragh: Just keep on keepin’ on.

You keep on keepin’ on too ma’am — thank you so much!

Darragh: Thank you.

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