OUR PEOPLE RISE;
AMERICAN TALES OF TRIUMPH

By Enyaj Pitchford , art & photos by AJ Lovewin

AJ Lovewin rose up from homelessness, addiction and mental illness in his late 20’s to transform his life and emerge not only as a survivor, but as a community leader and an inspiration to others. Against the odds, he resurrected his life, and channeled his experiences into the creation of the non profit, Harmonic Humanity. This organization creates temp jobs for people navigating homelessness through a unique music program. After tending this non profit for over a decade, he has reemerged with a new project, “Our People Rise: American Tales of Triumph, a documentary about stories of Americans who have overcome human hardship against the odds. In his own words, “I didn’t think I was going to survive homelessness and all that it came with, let alone make it to where I am today. I thought I was going to die, alone in the streets. I was one of the fortunate ones, I found transformational teachings and a conscious community and they helped me change my life forever. (The film) “is not a descent into darkness but a profound exploration of the transformative journey that emerges from the depths of despair.” In addition to producing the film, the project is simultaneously developing an online learning course, to assist people with finding resource and paths to recovery. I met filmmaker AJ Lovewins at a cafe in Venice and I asked him to describe his film “Our People Rise”. Without a pause he took a deep dive into the film’s premise and purpose. “The film portrays stories of radical transformation of those in our society who are often forgotten simply because their lives were devastated in some way. Whether it’s finding themselves in a war zone or on the streets homeless; whether there is addiction or simply mental health issues following a lot of trauma. The documentary is an effort to place greater value on these individuals lives and help them rise from their devastation. It explores the attitudes, the resources, the teachings that have been successful and led to recovery.” The stills and original footage AJ shares in the teaser are powerful. It speak to that dark place that society won’t look once people fall there. The documentary and course will also include insights by experts in the human potential field and those that work directly with this demographic. The focus will be on what they see are the differences between the people who make it out, and the people who stay locked in or simply perish under the burden. The project seeks to address the people who have been to hell and back and to help them get the hell out of there. He goes on to say that he wants the documentary “to be screened at prisons and shelters and halfway houses, NGOs (nonprofits that operate without government assistance and usually address social and political issues), and nonprofits that are serving communities in need. Places where people who can use this type of content will be.” Furthermore, the free online course will be an extension of the “medicine that is in the film” and will connect those in these very circumstances to resources to help them ‘rise’, from their condition, as the films title indicates. Those taking the course, will also benefit by joining a larger cohort of people going through similar problems. “So, as the rising star of their own story, they will be part of a larger online community, and no longer be so isolated. The deeper education and practical application skills will also have a support community to help people get through the course and to a place where they can, hopefully, begin to rebuild their lives, and be able to take on leadership roles and help themselves, their communities, and bring more people into the course and ultimately on the road to recovery, continuing the ripple effects of the work,”. So, it’s not only about watching the documentary and taking some instruction. The project, will continue a step further in that after you go through the online course, there will be an opportunity to join in on monthly video support groups with peers who have completed the journey through the film’s course. So the hope is that it has a trifecta effect of helping people to become inspired, empowered and educated to find the strength to liberate themselves from addiction and self abuse in the face of the current systemic failures. I pause to admire the tenacity of heart and mind this filmmaker has, along with the skills to make it work; an admirable man with a great cause. AJ’s personal odyssey sheds light on his focus and determination to complete his project. It began when he was living in LA, trying to make it in the film business and drug addiction took him out. He left LA to San Francisco to get restarted. “My heart began calling me to seek something more valuable and real than what I’d been chasing in LA and it seemed like the perfect moment to reboot and refocus. Sadly, it was the same moment I became homeless and started shooting up”. The next three years would be a bewildering cycle of heartfelt efforts to seek something spiritual while battllng and succombing to the beckonings of addiction.

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AJ was adopted, and never met his biological mother and later found out his mother had mental health issues and his father was an alcoholic; perhaps fuel for his trials but he doesn’t blame anyone. Recovery from addiction is a responsibility and daily burder all addicts shoulder.

This project is put together under a new nonprofit, Our People Rise. One of the foundational themes behind the film, arose from a moment he had on the streets of San Francisco during a bus ride. He explains, “It was sunset and everything became golden, creating a surreal moment in which I had a revelation that everything and everybody was valued equally and Divine. It was very Spiritual.” I believe, in that moment, he discovered the thread which binds all mankind to our common Source and our common value, inherent within us all. It speaks to the fact that this project is not only here to educate people but to promote the idea that we’re all gold. We’re all valuable. Even if you live on the streets, you are still connected to everyone around you and we should treat each other as such for we are all Divine. AJ’s film seeks to correct the erroneous narrative that allows society to dispose of people once their lives have become devastated. His work humanizes the face of homelessness and of all people who have been literally disposed of and dismissed as too crazy, too sick, too weird for society to take care of. It reminds me of Gandhi , who when asked, “What do you think of Western civilization?” and answered “I think we should give it a try.” Maybe it’s an idea whose time has come!’

AJ Lovewin is an interesting, groundbreaking filmmaker whose time to rise is now. For it’s obvious that AJ Lovewin is out to Win, and complete his project and spread Love as the antidote to the poison that has taken over the streets and hearts of a society that hides from the complexity of issues at hand. We are with you AJ and the “Our People Rise.” project. Below is his contact and means to give support to his film and or the Harmonic Humanity project.

AJ Lovewins Founder, Producer Our People Rise Light Venture Films http://www.lightventurefilms.org