In the parking lot of Butler High School on Wednesday, students gathered around a shipping container attached to a humming generator, with the phrase “Dignity Belongs to All” written on its walls.
The container is the home of the Dignity Museum, founded by Cecilia and Terence Lester of the group Love Beyond Walls. It’s a mobile museum aimed at teaching people about homelessness and breaking down stereotypes surrounding those who struggle with it.
The walls inside are adorned with facts about homelessness and pictures of people who live on the streets. A large TV plays clips of Terence’s podcast, in which he speaks with individuals about their experiences with homelessness.
“I came up with the idea to create a museum that will educate people about the realities of those who are going through homelessness, to demystify and debunk some of the stigma and stereotypes, but also to think about, how can they be inspired to better serve this population," Terence said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has almost 5,500 students considered homeless or lacking stable housing.
Outside, students participated in activities meant to help them think about careers in data science and their own futures. At one station, they created a data chart in real time, answering questions about what they want to do with their lives and then logging their answers on a poster board.
The event at Butler High School, organized by the Principal Foundation, aimed to help students get excited about data science and its career potential. But the Dignity Museum was there to remind students that data can be used in the real world to address serious problems like homelessness.
“When you’re able to make connections, that’s creating relevance to what we are teaching students in our class, to other subjects, and then they’re able to see themselves beyond high school graduation," business teacher Natasha Deese said.
As part of the program, eleventh grader Mira Jaafar won a scholarship for an essay she wrote about her interest in data science. She says she’s interested in how data can be used in the field of cancer research. And Wednesday’s event helped her see how it can be used in other fields as well.
“I got to learn about homelessness, which is a topic I’m also really passionate about, and I met people with all kinds of cool backgrounds that were able to give me advice," Jaafar said.
