Sheila's Story: How One Woman Broke Through The Shadows

There may have been nothing to come home to but, at the height of Hurricane Katrina, Sheila was one of the lucky ones. By some twist of fate, Sheila and her three children, ages 8, 4 and 2, were in Chicago for her sister's wedding. It was a trip she had saved up for months working odd jobs and setting aside a little something each day. After 6 years of not seeing each other, her sister Jeanine's wedding was an important event not to be missed.

But then, after the festivities in Chicago, and after the disaster in New Orleans, it hit Sheila - there was nothing left. No odd jobs, no tiny home. Chicago, then, was it for her and her kids.

This was just one of a series of misfortunes for Sheila to confront in her 30 years. Born to a single mom, she and her sister knew what it meant to live in hand-me-downs from other relatives, to painstakingly cut grocery coupons and to work from a very young age. Conflict at home caused her sister, 2 years her senior, to pack her bags and ride a bus as far as it would take her, leaving Sheila behind.

For what it's worth, Jeanine found herself in Chicago and was able to pick find a steady job at a grocery store.

Jeanine's leaving, however, had a huge impact on Sheila's life. Without her big sister to make her tow the line, to look up to, and to support when things got really tough, Sheila became uncontrollable, running with a bad crowd, and getting pregnant at 17 without finishing high school. At first, it seemed an escape from the difficulties of home and an aging mother. But pregnancy after pregnancy took its toll on Sheila's relationship. Before arguments escalated to abuse, Sheila left with her babies in tow and went home to the tiny apartment where she grew up.

Sheila took care of their mother until her death a year before Katrina. For Sheila, it was a sobering experienced. Her mother's death taught her that now, more than ever, her kids needed a mother and, for them, she needed to make sure they were provided for, no matter what it took. So, it was back to hand-me-downs and cutting coupons for Sheila. It also took jobs that paid little, took away hours with her kids, and sometimes, affected her self-esteem. By the time Hurricane Katrina hit, Sheila was a cleaning lady who also happened to dance in the clubs at night.

Throughout the years, Sheila and Jeanine's relationship was mended through poignant phone calls and letters. In fact, the invitation to Jeanine's wedding was the bright spot in Sheila's life after years of struggle. The original plan was to visit Chicago for a few days, look for work if possible, then go back to New Orleans where her home still was. Hurricane Katrina tore down a large part of that plan but shone light on another.

For a time, Jeanine offered Sheila a place to stay but Sheila knew that being newly married, Jeanine could not afford four more mouths to feed indefinitely.

The problem was, finding a job in Chicago after Katrina proved to be like finding a needle in a haystack.

With Katrina refugees migrating out of New Orleans post Katrina, the job market simply did not have enough jobs for everyone. What's more, the competition between native-born workers and migrants resulted in huge disadvantages for Sheila and those like her.

However, state and national governments' responses to the impact of Hurricane Katrina have not just focused on the rehabilitation of affected areas but also on the housing, employment, education, and immigration of thousands of evacuees. The Illinois government's response to the needs of the victims of Katrina proved to be Sheila's lifesaver. Social services referred her to various groups which employed and trained disadvantaged women, giving them a new lease on life.

These groups were not just charities. They provided the necessary skills, and more importantly, jobs, that would give women like Sheila access to long-term employment. There is a non-profit Chicago group that manufacturers soap and spa products, where women can participate in paid training that would expose them to different business and manufacturing skills. This way, women are empowered through skills training and exposure which will prove valuable as they become more self-sufficient and as they move on to new and better jobs.

Your support for these organizations and the products they carry go beyond simply selling, buying and enjoying different products. Your support provides jobs, education and, even, brighter futures for those who have faced great adversity.

Finally, an update on Sheila. After her training, Sheila took a permanent job with the same group that proved to be her lifeline. Sheila has permanently settled in a modest area of Chicago, close to where Jeanine lives. Her children are in school and she has truly found her place at a job she's good at. Luck aside; she knows that this is an opportunity never to be taken for granted.

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While the names, locations and circumstances in this article have been changed, the difficulties that survivors of Hurricane Katrina and of numerous American women living in poverty face each day as well as the hope that artisanship can give them is very real.

Reference:

The Enterprising Kitchen, http://theenterprisingkitchen.org/about-us

"Illinois Contributes to Hurricane Katrina Efforts." State of Illinois: Ready, Illinois. Article online at http://www.ready.illinois.gov/ittf/publications/katrina_illinoisresponse.pdf