Kwanza Says: In Your Dreams

Everyone has dreams. I’m not talking about the dreams that you have when you close your eyes and go to sleep. I’m talking about the dreams you have during your waking moments. The ones that move you to take on a new challenge or push you beyond your comfort zone. The ones that might even scare you a bit because you don’t know how to achieve them but you persevere anyway.

The pursuit of our dreams can help us live a life filled with passion. This is why one of the saddest things is to hear about someone who no longer dreams. Someone who has become so overwhelmed with anger, hurt, disappointment, bitterness or fear that dreaming seems a frivolous and pointless activity.

Last week, Marcia and Cliff from PATCH Fashions and The Ruby May Staine Foundation dropped by the office. Their company and foundation are changing people’s lives by reawakening dreams.

Marcia, her son, and her sister have a fashion accessory business. One of their featured products are ankle  belts that can also be worn around the wrist, arm or neck. Both versatile and fashionable -- nice combo! Aside from the diversity of their designs, what really moved me was the story behind the designers. Through their foundation, they help homeless men and women, seniors, and underprivileged children. They provide homemade quilts to nursing homes and homeless shelters, and backpacks that are fully stocked with school supplies. But in reality, they provide more than just these material things.

One of the events they coordinate, in conjunction with the Downtown Women’s Center, Nest Feathers, and Gladtees, displays this. Given that PATCH designers are in the fashion industry, it‘s fitting they would organize a fashion show. But what makes their shows unique is that their models are homeless and transitional women. More than raising money and awareness, they help raise self-esteem. More than models of fashion, they are models of change. After being involved in a recent show, one of the models, said that she used to walk on the sidewalk with her head down but now “when I walk down the sidewalk I’m going to walk with my head held high, even if I’m going to trip.”

Her sentiment displays the power of dreams. Dreaming encourages action. Action leads to change. And remember, even if you trip while pursuing your dreams, at least you’re making progress.