Hannah Ball-Brau, Youth Leadership Grant Recipient

Hannah Ball-Brau, 2010-2011 Grant Recipient
Washington International School

“Hospitality by the Homeless”

My name is Hannah Ball-Brau and I am originally from Baltimore, where I attended both private and public school. I relocated 2 years ago and now live in DC with my mother. As an 11th grader at the Washington International School, I am in the IB program. I am especially interested math and for the second summer in a row I will be attending the Canada/USA Math camp for five weeks. I play varsity volleyball and in my free time enjoy cooking, baking, and sharing my food with people. I learned about hospitality through my experiences at a small inner city church in Baltimore. I am currently a member of Luther Place Church in DC where I often share the food I make.

Essay and Project Summary

Though the words are different, the Abrahamic traditions combine to create a singular understanding of what it is to welcome the stranger. They teach us that welcoming the stranger is treating every person with respect and kindness, no matter the relation, because, as children of God, we are all equal. They teach us that to accept God into our lives, it is not to welcome only the good and the familiar. We must welcome every aspect of our world, especially the scary and the strange. By embracing the things that make us uncomfortable, we can work towards accepting, and even loving, them.

Many misleading stereotypes about the homeless pervade our society. Some people believe that the homeless are victims of their own incompetence or lack of motivation, and are incapable of sustaining themselves. Because of these misconceptions, society as a whole offers the homeless pity and charity, but fails to give them support and opportunity. Through N Street Village in Washington, DC, Hospitality by the Homeless will provide the residents a rare opportunity to demonstrate their hospitality by creating, cooking and serving meals to the community around N Street Village.

Reflection

“Though the words are different, the Abrahamic traditions combine to create a singular understanding of what it is to welcome the stranger. They teach us that welcoming the stranger is treating every person with respect and kindness, no matter the relation, because, as children of God, we are all equal.”

Project Update (August 14, 2013)

So much has come out of making food and eating together: new partnerships and an expansion of our community. Through Hannah’s project around making and breaking food together, different communities wanted to contribute their favorite foods. Last Friday, four different communities came together to make three different kinds of Tamales (Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Mexican). Women from N Street Village – a shelter for women – came to learn how to make tamales, mothers from Thomson Elementary School and Norwood Cooperative (largely Latino building) came to share their best tamale recipes, and members of Luther Place Church, including Hannah Ball-Brau, worked from 10am to 7pm to make over 350 tamales for the following day’s block party. The success and beauty of this project continues and has boundless opportunities.