A Client's Pespective
By Ayja Allen,
TimeBanks USA Intern
“Respect for another man's opinion is worthy. It is the realization that any opinion is valuable, for it is the sign of a rational being.” These are the wise words of Sargent Shriver, the credited architect of the “War on Poverty.” TimeBanks USA received the Public Welfare Grant to create a documentary about the work of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s (NLADA), a critical program of the War on Poverty that is still active today. TimeBanks USA’s founder, Dr.
Edgar Cahn was involved with both the implementation of the War on Poverty and the creation of the NLADA.
This summer as a TimeBanks USA intern, I had the pleasure of sitting in on an interview with Rosita Stanley, one of the NLADA client-board members.
The interview will be incorporated into the film with the title; Justice, Justice Shall Ye Pursue: Clients As Poverty Warriors.
This film will give insight into what has been kept in the shadows for so many years, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) clients’ perspectives.
The clients have played a vital role as the core of the War on Poverty’s efforts for 50 years. Rosita Stanley serves as a Vice Chairperson on the Board of Directors of the NLADA from Macon, GA. Rosita is a vibrant, witty, charismatic woman who is very passionate about the work that she does.
Oftentimes she would prefer to have others share her message
because she feels as though people do not take her seriously due to the emotion that overpowers her while she speaks.
It is that same passion that drew me in and made me fall in love with her. One of her powerful anecdotes was when she described a summer in which several of her neighbors had been harshly affected by the Housing Authority’s failure to provide proper living conditions in her home state of Georgia.
Heat in Georgia's summers are very hot and oftentimes unbearable without proper ventilation and air conditioning. Due to the construction of the housing units and violence in the area, many of the residents were afraid to use window fans for fear of stray bullets entering their homes.
The buildings were made of concrete and absorbed all of the heat, making the conditions even worse.
Within a day of one another, two of the residents died from heat exhaustion. A third victim of the unbearable conditions was a young boy who suffered from a growth disease in which use of air conditioning under such conditions was vital.
However, the Housing Authority did not feel that the boy’s doctor’s
orders were sufficient and threatened to evict the family for disobeying their regulations. Rosita used her training from the LSC and fought to have the regulations changed so that the living conditions of the housing units were made to be more humane.
The changes that were made in the Housing Authority’s regulations serve as one of her proudest accomplishments.
I was also fortunate enough to meet Larry Carlton, a client of the Legal Services program in Waverly, Florida.
During his interview, he and his wife, Latrina shared how they began their incorporated non-profit organization, Committed Citizens of Waverly (C-CoW) and what services they provide.
They began C-CoW in October of 1998 following Mrs. Carlton’s unwarranted brutal attack by the local police and a feud between herself and their the next-door neighbor. C-CoW is a community-based organization that was created to accurately represent, unify, and educate the community.
The organization was incorporated and established its non-profit status with the assistance of their local Legal Services program.
Continued on Page 16.
Larry and Latrina Carlton, founders of Citizens of Waverly.