bottom dwellers

"being an activist, being a leftist, being a person who is concerned about more than just yourself: you have to be in it for more than just the glory. so if you aren't getting any glory right now, hang in there, and hopefully you'll see it in your lifetime. but if you don't, then still do it. because its the right thing to do. that's how i wake up every morning. just do it. because you have to." staceyann chin

staceyann chin is a strong, verbally combative, powerfully passionate, bad ass female. she is a spoken word performance artist, political activist, and advocate for change -- a woman i so greatly admire.

today was a good day because the above quote was the last thing i read before walking out the door. what a timely reminder!

in the work that i do, i sincerely try to dwell in the possibility of change. it is far too easy in the human service field to start to believe that change isn't possible for someone. that they might never really get there. but staceyann chin -- oh, she keeps me believing.

she is an artisan of speech, crafting concepts out of words and verbally chronicling her memoir as a Jamaican/Chinese/American lesbian. her speech is so fluid that as her proverbial soapboxes stack higher and higher with each powerful verse, you can hardly help but to climb up there too, raising your fist in indignation right along with her.

"equality has to be more than a word. the future must become a door we all can walk through. we have to be willing to fight for more than what makes us comfortable."

though i would hardly put myself on the same plane as staceyann chin as far as advocacy and activism go, i have chosen to commit my life to working towards positive change -- towards widening the door. as a woman, as a leftist, as a social worker and community activist, i too wake up every morning and try to do my part each and every day to expand equality. i work one on one with clients to help them navigate their path out of poverty. to help steer them straight for that doorway.

poverty is complex, multi-faceted, and institutionalized in our society. capitalism is structured so there are winners and there are losers. there is a top and there is a bottom. and unfortunately, in our society, the losers are the underdogs that have little chance of pulling ahead, catching a break, coming from behind for that applause-evoking victory.

but in true determined optimist fashion: there is hope.

each and every person has inherent strengths: an inner toolbox to access when the pieces start to fall out of place. and there are agencies like the one i work for, and people like me (and staceyann chin), who want nothing more than to build on those strengths and to create a society that is sturdy from its foundation.

so though poverty is complex and far too complicated to reflect in one blog post, getting help doesn't have to be. and though i may never have the linguistic confidence to give the artistry of spoken word a try, to lay it down on you in a way that is both heavy and uplifting, i like to think i do my part. and so do each of us. as long as you never give up on believing that change is possible. no matter how frustrating it is. we are all capable of change.

dwell in it. sit in it for a little while. and eventually, you'll start to believe it too.