Let’s swim in 9ft deep
Let’s watch the pain away
Let’s be honest
Let’s be authentic
Let’s be fierce
Let’s not be afraid to hide
Breaking glass ceilings
Knocking shit down
I didn’t build this world
I will destroy the parts that hold me and people back
I get tired
I get hurt
and then I remember
We have the capacity to win
We have the capacity to dream
We have the capacity to set the roads on fire with hope and love
The human condition
What a crazy world we have built
Only a few suffering from the insanity of greed
only a few lost on the meaning of life
The childish notions that we will be saved by a force outside of ourselves are gone
I declare… we are the force
The life force to bring this crazy world to its knees
I used to wonder why I didn’t fit
How I saw this world so different
I was reminded I don’t fit — and that’s not a bad thing
I found the people and places where my heart is whole
where white supremacy practices of conquer and divide don’t live
Where collaborative leaning is a held truth
Where community collective health is centered
Some say “She’s nuts” others say “She’s brave”
I say, “Get Ready! “
Jennifer Disla, a Center for Community Change GenChange Alumni, started organizing in 2008 with Healthcare for America Now Campaign in Missouri. She continued her career in organizing afterward as a Labor Organizer for Service Employee International Union Local 1. She has since worked on contract campaigns in Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, and Indiana. She is currently based in Detroit, Michigan as Organizing Director for Detroit Action. She believes in building collective power to effectively change our society. She is a member of Organization for Black Struggle, Missouri Jobs with Justice, and Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates.
