Credit: Nick Romanenko

Pras Michel, a student at Rutgers–Newark in the early 1990s, visited the New Brunswick Campus this month to screen his movie and engage students in a dialogue about homelessness.

For nine days in 2006, Grammy-winner Pras Michel left behind his king-sized bed and his plasma television to live anonymously on the concrete sidewalks of Los Angeles – rats, rain, rumbling traffic, and all.

Leaving behind the trappings of celebrity, the cofounder of the Fugees was determined to explore the stark realities of the homeless. It was an experience the hip-hop legend would capture in “Skid Row,” a 90-minute documentary designed to open viewers’ eyes to the underside of American society.

This was no publicity stunt, Michel told Rutgers students last week. Rather, it was his attempt to place poverty and homelessness high on the public agenda and to dispel the misconception that the only people who wind up on the streets are lazy, mentally ill, or drug-addicted.

A student at Rutgers–Newark from 1990 to 1992, Michel came to the New Brunswick Campus on October 13 to screen his movie and to engage students in a dialogue about the causes and cures for homelessness.

“I didn’t want to make a propaganda film. I didn’t want to make a government film,” he said at an afternoon roundtable with representatives from student social-action groups. “What we were trying to do was build awareness. Unfortunately, this is not a sexy topic – it’s a very hard sell.”

“We as Americans have a tendency to feel that if a problem doesn’t affect us directly, let’s just forget about it.”

But more and more, he added, the problem does affect us: Thousands are losing their jobs in this uncertain economy, and thousands more are stretched to the point of breaking by astronomical health-care and housing costs. Many Americans are just one paycheck away from the streets, the rapper estimated.

Michel’s appearance at Rutgers was sponsored by a coalition of more than 20 student groups spearheaded by Awareness to Action. The Office of the College Avenue Campus Dean helped to organize the event, which culminated in a social-action fair showcasing student efforts against hunger and homelessness.

College Avenue Campus Dean Matt K. Matsuda estimated that between 350 and 400 students, faculty, and community members attended the screening in the Rutgers Student Center.

Appearing with Michel were Rob Wisdom, a coproducer of the film, and Tony MacLachlan, director of the soup kitchen at Elijah’s Promise in New Brunswick and a veteran of the streets.

MacLachlan said although the latest available figures indicated there are about 250 homeless people within the city limits, the actual number is more likely double that because pride and fear of the law keep many from admitting their status.

Michel rose to fame in the 1990s with the Fugees, which he founded with singers Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. The group recorded two albums, including “The Score,” one of the best-selling hip-hop albums of all time. The Fugees disbanded in 1997, and Michel went on to act in movies and focus on soundtrack recordings.

In 2006, armed only with a tiny camera lens masquerading as a button on his shirt, he spent his self-exile on the streets panhandling for change and making friends with other denizens of a five-square-block area of downtown Los Angeles.

He shared with the audience his feelings of terror and despair when night descended and he found himself alone in his makeshift tent for the first time.

“It’s been two years and I still live in that moment – it’s always embedded in my consciousness,” Michel said.

For their part, the students were eager to hear his stories and to explore ways to respond to the plague of homelessness. They peppered Michel with questions: Why did you decide to go on the streets yourself rather than filming someone else doing it? How did the experience affect your life? What was the first thing you did when you went back home? (“Take a shower,” he responded to that last one.)

But the common thread that ran through students’ queries was: What can we do to help? All three speakers emphasized that giving money to panhandlers wasn’t the point; rather, they emphasized that the important thing anyone can do is to treat the homeless like human beings.

Don’t walk by as if they’re invisible, Pras said. Making eye contact or saying a simple “hello” makes an enormous difference.

Assessing the crowd at the afternoon roundtable, the former Fugee star said afterward that he was impressed by the level of commitment he saw among the students. “All the questions were valid, and the people were concerned and engaged,” Michel said in an interview. “I think the people who come here for an event like this are actually in it for what they can do. They don’t just drop in because they’re bored.”

Matsuda said last week’s event served as a de facto kickoff for a series of student activities throughout October and November, including food drives, environmental clean-ups, and fundraisers.