It would be an understatement to say SDLC changed my life. Not only did it inspire me in ways I knew not possible, but it also gave me practical strategies to express the issue of prejudice that is prevalent in every area of our lives today. It taught me not to focus on the little things, but the whole picture, the complicated mass of “isms” and oppression that so many of us human beings accept each day of our lives. We do not have to accept them, and I know that personally I never will again. Only silence can keep oppression going, in whatever form. By putting me with the most amazing group of people I have ever met in my life, I have realized that silence is not an option. The people that I was with are going to be the leaders of tomorrow, and SDLC taught that I will be one of them as well if I am not silent.
By replacing oppression with empowerment, I am going to battle against prejudice. If you are prejudiced, watch out. I will always respect you and treat you like every human being deserves to be treated, but I will never call you my friend, and I mean that. This feeling of choosing people to be allied with has always interested me because I am naturally open-minded, but SDLC has given the drive, hope, and relationships to do it. There is no time in my short life here on the planet to be with people who will bring me down. There is only time to educate them.
I would like to end this with a song, one of my favorites. My connection to the song grew stronger after SDLC, so here are the lyrics:
In the Beginning, by K’naan
Yiiiiaaaoowww!
*breathing*
So -
In the beginning there was hum
From a poet whose pulse fell
Drum drum drum!
He would perform prayers and all
Till one day he heard a voice call
Come come come!
Suspicious he moved with vicious caution
Dismisses, he thinks it's a little off
People get held back
By the voice inside them
Yo -
The voice said I'm poised to speak inside you
Rejoice and please let me invite you
To evil, greed and lies too
Yeah -
Confusing days he moved in ways he soon became a kuuni
Boom boom boom
And knock on his door his lord is no more
And knock on his door his soul is no more
La la la la- yeah
La la la la- that was in the beginning
La la la la- as the story goes on
La la la la-
So so so -
The poet's got a proposal
He would always hope but never know
What it feels to be free
He would be the frozen imposed as the chosen on all those opposing
But he would be greedy
That's got him there
He's power hungry and proud too
People don't care, people just scared
People don't care, people just prayer
La la la la- yeah
La la la la- that was in the beginning
La la la la- there was a hum
La la la la- and things change
La la la la-
Yeah, yeah, yeah -
Say -
It's better to light a candle than to curse the dark
In the eyes of the youth there are question marks
Like freedom
Freedom for the mind and soul
We don't see them
See them for their worth at all
That's why we lead them
Lead them to these wars and what is it we feed them
Feed them our impurities and who it is we treat them
Treat them like the enemy humanity will need them
Need them like the blood we spill and where freedom
Freedom for the hearts we fill
Mislead them
They hunger for the love we give
But we cheat them
The cops beat them when all he wants is his freedom
So they defeat them
Whatever spirit he's got
Beat them
And they teach them that the rest of the world don't need him
And he believes it's a disease that he's heathen
Put up your fists if all you want is freedom
Put up your fists if all you want is -
La la la la- That was in the beginning
La la la la- And things change
La la la la-
Yeah, yeah, yeah -
And we keep holding on
And we keep being strong
And we keep going on
And on and on and on
And we keep holding on
And we keep being strong
And we keep going on
And on and on and on
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