WE COME FROM PEOPLE
Poem by Shanelle Gabriel
We come from people who know struggle
Who have felt the chill of the outdoor wind
Charging through lightning bolt cracks in window frames
Who repurposed sweaters and coats as pajamas
Ran up apartment electric bills to combat the summer sauna
We come from people who have generations
Rooted on New York State blocks
From Harlem to Poughkeepsie and beyond
Fighting to bloom within shrinking pots
Fighting to make their little feel like a lot
We come from people who have watched
Their communities become the new flavor
For all others to savor
While barricading those who held all the spice
We come from people
Who have used eviction notices to wipe the tears in their eyes
Who sorrowfully signed leases
For rent that doubled in just a year’s time
We come from people whose very lives
Have been shattered by closed door handshakes with promised corporate tax breaks
We come from people who have had to make due
Told lies about improved quality of life
When our paychecks hold the truth
Told we were not brilliant enough
Eloquent enough
That our stories were not worthy enough
That our speech could not break through bureaucracy
For them to receive the worries within our reality
But
We,
We come from people who grew tired
Of decisions being made without our input
Tired of politicians playing roulette with our neighborhoods
Who loved humanity enough to dream of something brighter and better
And 30 years ago
They began their endeavor
Decided to build the megaphone our people would need
To let low income families know they possess the electricity
Community Voices Heard
30 years
And we are
We are those who planted seeds
To grow a radical grassroots collective
Vines that would climb and weave themselves
Into every system of racial, social, and economic inequality
Demanding they be dismantled
Advocating for access to welfare, housing, and pathways out of poverty Teaching that democracy lives within you and me
That we have the right to shape our community’s destiny
We are
The individuals society overlooks
30 years
We are the royal blue ocean rushing Lobby Day
Handing young people their first taste of advocacy
Showing up at Senator Clinton’s house with a special delivery Whether it’s waffles for welfare reform waffling
Or addressing Rent Stabilization and Emergency Tenant Protection in Ossining We are shutting down city council meetings
And raising up candidates who best serve as our representatives Our efforts have gotten the RIGHT people elected
Ain’t we fly
Ain’t we anointed
Ain’t we the wildfire burning in the chest of the oppressed
30 years fueling the flames of equity
A mission community impacted, community driven, and member led They say never underestimate the determination
Of someone who’s underestimated
And we have proven our fortitude over and over again
Even in these uncertain times
As we see the rising tide of polarization and division swell
The waves unraveling progressive policy
Where it feels like we are floating in a sea of inequity in health and wealth We remind ourselves
How those before us bonded together to built ships amidst conflict And found a way to sail
We will sail
No matter who is in office
We will soar ​
No matter how thick and desperate the clouds
That crowd our way
Our history tells us our path to success is preordained
As we shine Shirley Chisolm’s light
Recognizing those who’ve used their hearts and hands to make breakthroughs We know this work will continue
Because CVH isn't an individual or entity
It is you and me
If you are here you are a part of us
As we celebrate the past by
Honor the present
And fashion the generations that will be
Community Voices Heard,
The leading authority on forging a powerbuilding legacy
As our hearts swell at the success of yesterday
We embrace Community Voices Heard as a hope for tomorrow And we know
When the air from the lungs blow through the throat
The vibrations create sound
So when we ALL demand the rights that are rightfully ours
The earthquake of a roar together we make
Has the power and authority to shake off our chains
Here’s to 30 more years of CVH