Day of Dignity 2009- Helping Chicago's Working Poor

Domestic Programs Coordinator, Karim Amin, recaps the 'Day of Dignity' Chicago event:

Alhamdulilah (All praise be to God), 'Day of Dignity' Chicago was definitely a great way to open up Ramadan. A collaboration between Islamic Relief USA and IMAN, the Inner-city Muslim Action Network, the event provided those who attended with school supplies, toiletries, hygiene kits, and even had a small farmer’s market with a basketball court and a jumper for the kids.

Primarily a Latino and African-American neighborhood, many of the people living in South Chicago are unemployed and live below the poverty line. Many are the working poor: hard working people with honest jobs, but when one thing goes wrong, or an emergency happens, everything gets messed up.

One gentlemen who came to get supplies for his family told me he was a construction worker who hurt his leg and since then has had no way of earning a living. Recently, there was a fire at his home and he and his family lost a lot of their belongings.

He was a man that was concerned for his family; all he wanted were sheets, blankets and hygiene kits to cover the needs of his children.

This really impacted me, because this gentleman worked hard to make an honest living but because of just one or two incidents, he couldn’t provide for his family anymore. It felt good to give him some basic items for the day. Even though they may not last long, at least we helped for that day.

Chicago is also an area with a lot of gang influence and violence. The local 'Day of Dignity' coordinator, Tony Salam, runs a program where he helps former incarcerated individuals get back into the community. Some of the men and women we worked with to put this event on were formerly part of those communities, but through this program they’re making a change and giving back and that was an excellent thing to see.

All of the volunteers worked very hard and Rami Nashashibi was an excellent host. Alhamdulilah, we fed over 600 people.

I wish we could have done more. But Alhamdulilah (All praise be to God), but working with organizations like IMAN and Islamic Relief USA we can use 'Day of Dignity' as a launching pad for more sustainable efforts in the south side of Chicago.