How do we get a sense of community? My sense of community comes when I sell Street Sense Media at the Dupont Circle, Petworth, and Mount Pleasant farmers markets.
Being at the farmers market is like being at home away from home. I can just be myself. No one’s going to judge me; they just welcome me. I look forward to going to these communities every week. It’s where I feel safe! The people are awesome. They talk to me and treat me with respect, and I do the same. Even the farmers market vendors are always offering me some of their awesome products.
I have built positive relationships in these communities with the people who live there and with the people who visit these communities. I have been offered jobs, clothes, food, furniture, money, and advice, but most of all, they welcome and respect me. Some of these relationships became friendships. These relationships changed because of trust and honesty between me and them. One example of a relationship becoming a friendship is when I met a couple with whom I have become friends. We don’t only see each other at the market, but we also socialize together. They celebrate my birthday with me, and they even spent a whole day at the hospital with me. That’s a friendship. I also worked on a farm for one of the farmers market vendors. That’s the first job I was offered at the Dupont Circle farmers market.
In conclusion, I thank all three of these communities for welcoming Street Sense Media and me into their communities.
