Performance text for Chicago women I love or "hey, girlfriend"

Chicago women with high-risk behaviors were recruited to participate at a large University site of a national HIV-prevention project. Their voices remind its of the everyday difficulties of negotiating life when there is rarely enough: enough food, enough help with the children, enough money, enough respect, or enough of whatever it takes to get you through to the next day. Some of their experiences were difficult to hear, and there were many moments of shared laughter. Working with the women and learning from them for 2 1/2 years created feelings of great humility among the research team. This text represents a few powerful memories of one team member's experience.