Cheri Honkala (1963 - )

Sat Jan 12, 1963

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Cheri Honkala, born on this day in 1963, is an American anti-poverty advocate who co-founded the Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU) co-founder and National Coordinator of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1963, Honkala grew up in poverty. As an adult, Honkala was forced to move out of her apartment with her young son, and they were compelled to live out of their car, a white Camaro.

Their situation was made more dire after the Camaro was demolished by a drunk driver, and Honkala could not find a shelter that would allow them to remain together that winter.

To stay together and keep from freezing, Honkala decided to move into an abandoned Housing and Urban Development (HUD) home. At a press conference, she stated “This is me, this is my nine-year-old son, and we’re not leaving until somebody can tell us where we can live and not freeze to death.”

In Philadelphia, she co-founded the Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU) and the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC). She has organized numerous protests, holding marches, demonstrations and setting up tent cities, over the course of which she claims to have been arrested more than 200 times for civil disobedience.

In 2011, Honkala ran for Sheriff of Philadelphia, promising to refuse to evict families from their homes. She finished in third place with over 10,000 votes.

“It’s easier to do horrible things to people if you don’t really see them as people.”

- Cheri Honkala