Celebration
In the Freedom Church of the Poor tradition, celebration is a moral act of resistance that affirms the dignity, creativity, and leadership of poor and dispossessed people.
In a society that dehumanizes and isolates those in poverty, celebration becomes a revolutionary expression of our right to thrive—not just survive. Rooted in music, dance, storytelling, and prayer, these communal rituals lift up the histories and struggles of oppressed communities, fortifying solidarity and reminding us that another world is possible.
From liturgies marking movement milestones to songs of belonging and joy rooted in Black liberation, celebration connects us to one another and to our ancestors, transforming despair into hope and isolation into collective power.
As we mark victories, mourn losses, and recommit to the struggle, celebration becomes a sacred strategy to humanize, heal, and build a more just society together.
Prayer for a Movement Anniversary: The Litany
"A new way of life, living, and liberty"
Ending Poverty
Dr. Savina Martin wrote and first shared this piece in 2016 in Boston, MA, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign and just before the 2017 launch of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Inspired by the generations of men, women, and children who have struggled for justice, the piece honors their enduring legacy. Their courage and sacrifice continue to light our path forward.
Read Moreancestors watching i know they're watching
Chant of the Ancestors: The Ritual
Ancestors Watching
This song/chant, shared by Jonathan Lykes, was taught to BYP100 members at the Atlanta National Coordinating Council Convening in December of 2015, where CFreedom, the inaugural co-chair of the New Orleans chapter, gave BYP100 the chant/song. Say Her Name was a trans- and femme-led national Movement for Black Lives campaign response to the Sandra Bland police murder that took place on July 13, 2015. This became an outcry chant to lift up the names and voices of Black femmes impacted by systemic violence. “Black girl magic” was a term popularized by Cashawn Thompson in 2013. She created the term to represent the joy, beauty, power, and resilience of Black people living on the margins. This chant declares the importance of Black magic, led by Black women, to be conjured up by movement organizers, tapping into a radical imagination, and created through faith, love, and joy.
Read MoreChant of the Ancestors: The Story
we belong we belong we belong we belong we belong together
Song of Belonging for Community Organizing: The Song
We Belong Together
WE BELONG TOGETHER (2024) is a song by Anu Yadav, produced in collaboration with the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice. Yadav participated in an interfaith study series with artists and cultural workers across the country where they read excerpts of We Cry Justice: Reading the Bible with the Poor People’s Campaign. Yadav wrote this song, drawing from her Hindu faith and experiences of homelessness, and other artists contributed from across the network. In her crisis, Yadav realized she was never just an ally to a poor people’s movement. Her song reminds us that we all can break our isolation and become part of a movement—a movement to end poverty and injustice for all.
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