Fiction | Social Justice Essay
The Other Side of Pride: Homeless and Forgotten on Empty Streets
We need to work together to build opportunities for hope
A car alarm sounded somewhere far off, then drifted closer, slicing through Julian’s sleep. Slowly, he blinked awake, the haze of dreams based on the day before became pixelated and then disappeared entirely. He stretched sore limbs, feeling the rough pavement beneath him, a chill creeping through his jacket, thin as it was. Taking in a slow, deep breath, he scanned the empty street, still cloaked in the pale, early light.
The remnants of last night’s Pride celebration littered the ground around him: tangled flags, crumpled streamers, and confetti crushed into the sidewalk. Julian remembered the vibrant energy of the parade, the warmth that radiated between strangers, a sense of unity and love that seemed almost tangible in the air.
One boy, with a rainbow sticker on his cheek and a smile so open it seemed to glow, had caught Julian’s eye from across the street, motioning for him to join. But Julian had just hugged his knees tighter, painfully aware of his ragged clothes and the stale scent he knew clung to him. He’d looked away, the courage to cross over escaping him as quickly as the smile had warmed him.
