Chicago shall rise again.This

Chicago shall rise again. This phrase, from ashes rose But I see a city again with flames rising high Not of fire but of hatred, racism and crime. A Chicago whose politicians are varied And one by one they say they will rise to the fight Instead all they do is talk a big talk without any bite. It’s a city being cleared away like the stench of alcohol from W. Madison St. But instead of getting better it seems to be worse Because those with power seem able to ignore the hurt They keep the flames hidden, hard to see from the outside But on the inside the people are pushed out Like the voice of Florence Scala silenced from protest. Or women mourning the deaths of their children Quieting as they’re choked by doubt, Beholding signs reminding them of the men they live without. With their lives filled with violence, we expect them to have risen? Their teachers see the potential they hold But the pull of gangs and violence blinds them as their reality unfolds. A reality of fear, death and low-expectations A group ‘oppressed for so long all they know is oppression*’ Our solution is simple, “Put more cops on the streets.” But everyone knows for young African American men where that leads. Because to Chicago the police do not protect and serve Rather they abuse, torture, and give our most oppressed ‘that which they deserve’ Harold Washington asked Chicago to come together under one city But I have witnessed a Chicago divided as ever. Divided not just by rivers and roads but by race and language with equity ignored We keep hoping that these disparities are soon to be mended And with constant reminders of this oppression… I still hold hope Hope that Chicago shall rise again That one day it will become more than ‘the northern most racist city’ Seen as more than ‘the most segregated city in the nation’ A city which stand for Addams, Cabrini, Despres, and Wells A city active in politics which discusses the hardest of issues: Racism, war and poverty aren’t seen as independent But rather intertwined and interdependent But the fire is strong and its mission is simple Blind those in power with the smoke of the system Politicians work on the 600 billion dollar deficit But continue, to the lives of their citizens, be negligent Years ago the worst places were where poor lived ate and slept To me it’s as if Chicago has hardly taken a step Yes, Thurgood Marshall declared covenants unconstitutional But police torture, racism and ignorance are excusable? On the other hand Chicago had and still has a prosperous story From McCormick and Prairie Avenue to Gold Coast today Chicago may seem, from the outside, the perfect host for the whole world to stay But beneath the exterior are the smoke and the flames A city burning to ashes as the world stands watching without any blame The UN took a stand against the crimes of Police But now Chicago must regain their voice and turn from defeat We must rise like the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters And the laborers who stood in Haymarket Square Like the Race Rioters who took a stand and created a place where black success was apparent and their businesses flourished We must not fear the system For it’s the system that’s seeks to keep us malnourished Seeking more and seeking help but finding those in power only keeping the flames from spreading out But our diversity is our power and our voices our strength We are still here And there is still time So we must rise as one Raising our voices screaming not ‘I will’ but ‘We will’ be freed together from these chains and this pain As one Raising our voices like flames being contained with one breath we will spread and bring change As one Chicago shall rise again -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Line from Spoken Word Poem by Lamar Jorden