We Who Believe in Freedom

Poverty Initiative

A Commissioning Liturgy was developed for the First Annual Poverty Initiative Fellows Commissioning and Community Celebration, sponsored by the Poverty Initiative (now the Kairos Center) at Union Theological Seminary, a community committed to raising up religious and community leaders dedicated to building a social movement to end poverty, led by the poor. The Commissioning Litany for Organizers was shared in the book. The following charge was also offered as part of the liturgy.

We Who Believe In Freedom Cannot Rest Until It Comes: A Charge to the Fellows

Poverty Initiative

This charge was offered by the Poverty Initiative Staff and Poverty Scholars (an inter-generational and multi-faith network of low-income leaders from over 250 community organizations fighting on the front lines of the struggle to end poverty). A refrain from Sweet Honey in the Rock’s “Ella’s Song” was taught and sung as part of the charge.

Ella’s Song (We Who Believe in Freedom)

Bernice Johnson Reagon

Tips for Impact

Use this video to open a meeting or share on social media to inspire collective action. Let it spark hope, amplify the call for justice and unite voices in the fight for a world that upholds life and human dignity.

In August 2024, participants from across the nation gathered at the Bethany Arts Community for a transformative cultural organizing retreat hosted by the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice and the NYS Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. This powerful retreat brought together song leaders, musicians, organizers, and media makers from the Kairos Center, NYS Poor People’s Campaign, Highlander Research & Education Center, Dream Defenders, the SSING Network, Black Youth Project 100, and the NYS Media Team—all united in the shared vision of social justice and collective action.

In this video, we came together to sing “Ella’s Song,” a powerful anthem written and composed by the late Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon and inspired by the legacy of Ella Baker (December 13, 1903-December 13, 1986), a visionary leader and organizer in the Black Freedom Movement. Ella Baker’s tireless dedication to civil and human rights, her commitment to grassroots organizing, and her belief in the power of ordinary people to lead and create change are all captured in this moving rendition. The song echoes her fierce critique of the “charismatic leader” model and her unwavering belief in the collective power of the people.

Lyrics:
We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes
Until the killing of black men, black mothers’ sons
Is as important as the killing of white men, white mothers’ sons
That which touches me most is that I had a chance to work with people
Passing on to others that which was passed on to me
To me young people come first, they have the courage where we fail
And if I can but shed some light as they carry us through the gale
The older I get the better I know that the secret of my going on
Is when the reins are in the hands of the young, who dare to run against the storm
Not needing to clutch for power, not needing the light just to shine on me
I need to be one in the number as we stand against tyranny
Struggling myself don’t mean a whole lot, I’ve come to realize
That teaching others to stand up and fight is the only way my struggle survives
I’m a woman who speaks in a voice and I must be heard
At times I can be quite difficult, I’ll bow to no one’s word
We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

Ella’s Song (We Who Believe in Freedom)

Sweet Honey in the Rock

Tips for Impact

Share this video to learn and teach the song, and reflect on how it can be used as a collective call to action—just as it was in this liturgical charge.