Reach Out, Raise Hope, Change Society

1. Reach Out, Raise Hope, Change Society
University of Michigan School of Social Work

Reach Out, Raise Hope, Change Society

2. The Most Tragic Problem
Rabbi Joachim Prinz, 1963 speech, March on Washington

“...the most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.”

3. We Have Become the People
June Jordan from "On the Night of November 3rd,1992" published in Affirmative Acts, Political Essays

“... even without revolution, we will prevail because we have proven to the world, and to ourselves, that we are not ‘fringe elements’ or ‘special interest groups’ or so‐ called ‘minorities’. Without us there is no legitimate majority: we are the mainstream. We have become the people.”

4. Consider Love
Dominique de Menil, at the Rothko Chapel, 1977

“In a world filled with mistrust, armed to the teeth and ready to explode, a realistic attitude might be to consider love as an imperative need.”

5. Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph, “An Indian’s View of Indian Affairs.” North American Review 128:269 (April 1879)

“The Great Spirit Chief who rules above seemed to be looking some other way, and did not see what was being done to my people.”

6. Interlude: Change Society for wind quintet

7. If You Live by the River
Indian Proverb

“If you live by a river, make friends with the crocodile.”

8. Tell Me
Chinese Proverb

“Tell me and I may forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand.”

9. We Are Free
Carolivia Herron: Excerpt from “Asenath and Our Song of Songs”

“We were caught. We were stolen. We were broken. We were murdered. We were slaves. We came to ourselves. We ran for our lives. We headed for the hills. We stood up and lived. We organized our defense. We broke loose. We endured the enslavers no longer. We proclaimed our selfhood. We destroyed the chains of our oppressors. We threw off the bigots, the racists, the evil ones. We rose up. We revolted. We chased off the victimizers, the invaders, the thieves. We lifted up our heads from degradation. We gathered our strength never to be held down again. We refused to bow down. We made our choice. We staked our land and our lives and we stepped forth from the prisons we opened our arms and our mouths and our hearts in great ecstatic joy and we sang, in spite of all odds in the face of all opposition through much trial and terrible pain and great struggle and deep humiliation our moment has come and we have it after bitter tears after exile and grief after such loss after too much time after so many crushed souls the time is here and now of our desire and our hope and we have come to it we are slaves no more we woke up this morning with our minds stayed on Freedom!

Yes we are awake this day and we know that we are you are y'all are she is he is they are thou art I am Sing, sing out to the great culminating beautiful darkness, sing, sing the lovesong of human life oh peace oh love oh Freedom, We are FREE”

10. Reach Out, Raise Hope, Change Society
University of Michigan School of Social Work

Reach Out, Raise Hope, Change Society