Los Angeles filmmaker Tony Montana has directed a documentary about Gloria Lewis, a Black humanitarian who has committed to helping the homeless in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Hailing from Barbados, Lewis arrived in the U.S. in 1987 in search of a chance to grab hold of the American prosperity she had grown up watching on television. In her words, the United States seemed like "the land of milk and honey" in comparison to the poverty she had been experiencing on her island.
When she made Fort Lauderdale her new home, she came to realize that the suffering she witnessed and experienced herself was not unlike what she had already lived through back in Barbados – and others in her community were going through struggles of their own.
Thus, Care in Action USA was born.
"I started this organization because I got so frustrated with reaching out to the media, to public figures, to just about 40 politicians, to every entity there is possible in 11, 12 years, and nobody would listen," said Lewis in the documentary. "This whole mess with homelessness started when the housing crisis happened in 2007."
With the aid of a multitude of friends, volunteers, religious leaders and organizations, Care in Action USA does everything from providing free meals to the homeless to bringing them clothing donations every Sunday.
Emphasizing the devastating impact the 2007 housing crisis had on individuals that contributed to the large homeless population in her community of Broward County, Lewis shared that she found it difficult to remain idle while those in her community starved.We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Orlando Weekly. Letters should be a minimum of 150 words, refer to content that has appeared on Orlando Weekly, and must include the writer's full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. No attachments will be considered. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Letters may be edited and shortened for space.
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