“When I call you ‘king,’ I see God in you. When I call a woman ‘queen,’ I see God in her,” Shawn Lesley said, a wide smile on his face.
“We kings and queens are flesh — not higher than the king of all kings — we know this. But we are kings and queens because God dwells within you.”
If you’ve met Lesley selling at his longtime spot by Musica, you’ve almost certainly been bowed to and greeted like a monarch. Cheers of “Hey King!” and “Hey Queen!” can be heard most mornings on the Music Row Roundabout, where Lesley’s radiant cheerfulness has made him a community fixture.
“Some people think I’m kind of crazy. But there’s people that do love it.”
But this affectation is more than a show for passersby — it’s a reflection of the optimism which has allowed Shawn to prevail through homelessness.
“‘Kings and Queens’ means you are loved, God loves you, that you are special. When you’re down and out, pick yourself up. This person, that person may not care about you, but God cares about you. And I care about you,” Lesley explained. “It makes me see life different. Just like The Contributor, it made me see life different.”
People need and deserve to be seen for the individuals they are, in Lesley’s view — and when you’re working a dead-end job or flying a sign on the street, you are rarely even regarded as human. Selling the paper not only allowed Lesley to fulfill his lifelong ambition of becoming a salesman, but also to make a living on his own terms.
“The Contributor saved me … if it wasn’t for The Contributor, I don’t think that I would be out here. I’ve worked other jobs; I dishwashed, I worked at a hospital, I’ve loaded trucks, I’ve done all that. But I found peace being at The Contributor,” he said.
“I love to sell, but I also love to let everybody know who they really and originally are. If you understand that you are loved, it makes a big difference. The Contributor gives me that.”
After a recent episode of homelessness — one which followed a landlord charging exorbitant extra fees and threatening legal action if Lesley objected — Lesley is finally back in an apartment of his own through The Contributor’s housing program.
“When I had seen the place, I was overwhelmed, I was happy. I’m gonna put my own little touch on it,” Lesley said, laughing. “I’m gonna take my time.”
More than just a home, though, the new place will serve as a base of operations for a clothing line Lesley has hoped to incorporate into his sales for a very long time now — one to be suitably named Kings and Queens.
“That’s me, that’s my brand. I finally found a job that I actually love, and then I found my place and what I actually wanted to do. I mean, I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know how to get Kings and Queens out there. I didn’t know if I could actually sell a pitch to people. A lot of salesmen lie to you,” said Lesley. “The Contributor made me want to tell the truth. And if The Contributor made me want to tell the truth, then with Kings and Queens, I can be myself.”
Lesley was adamant that it wouldn’t mean he’d stop selling the paper — he’s got a community around his Contributor vending nearly 10 years in the making — but he hopes to grow that community even more as he develops his own apparel.
Regardless of what the future holds, Lesley remains grateful for the kindness he’s been shown over the years by strangers and friends alike at his spot by the roundabout. And with a new roof overhead, he looks forward to paying back that kindness, he said — and encouraging others to do the same
“Show kindness not only with your eyes, but with your heart. When you do both, that’s kindness. You don’t take the time to just see me, you take the time to feel me. You act on it.”