Inclusive Songs for Resistance & Social Action

 

These days there are so many things needing resistance:

• separation of immigrant children and parents,
• discrimination and violence against women,
• discrimination and violence against people of color,
• discrimination and violence against LGBTQ persons,
• uncontrolled gun violence resulting in tens of thousands of deaths of children and adults each year,
• voting rights suppression,
• pay inequality based on gender and race,
• denial of basic rights and fair pay for workers,
• uncontrolled pollution of the environment,
• denial of healthcare to millions of people,
• —and many more.

Singing can bring us together and increase our power for resistance. Music empowers action for social change. Music stirs our spirits and embeds words in our memories. Words shape our values that drive our actions. Singing our beliefs in justice, peace, and equality will move us to transform our world.

Inclusive Songs for Resistance & Social Action comes to you with the invitation to empower your justice and peace movements with music. The songs in this collection highlight the intersection of justice concerns, instilling belief in the sacredness of all people and all creation. They name Deity as female and male and more to support the foundational biblical truth that all people are created equally in the divine image.

Here is one of the songs in this collection, sung to the tune of “Wade in the Water.”

Join with the Spirit

Refrain:

Join with the Spirit, join with the Spirit, rising,
join with the Spirit;
She will empower our rising.

See those women’s rights denied,
She will empower our rising;
by leaders who have often lied;
She will empower our rising.   Refrain

See the immigrants abused,
She will empower our rising;
their basic human rights refused;
She will empower our rising.   Refrain

Work for racial justice now;
She will empower our rising;
all those oppressed will show us how;
She will empower our rising. Refrain

We will hold each other fast;
She will empower our rising;
some day we will be free at last;
She will empower our rising.   Refrain

Words © 2017 Jann Aldredge-Clanton                           WADE