We Who Believe In Freedom



"We who believe in freedom cannot rest. We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.” That is the refrain from Ella’s song written by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon of Sweet Honey In the Rock and dedicated to Ella Baker. That is the refrain from Ella’s song to which I awoke this morning. There are no coincidences. 
I have not listened to Sweet Honey in the Rock for years. And years ago I listened to nothing else. What happened? The message needs to be rekindled to blazing.
In these days when we are bombarded with news of oppresssion and injustice and are often paralyzed by our fear, helplessness, and the sheer magnitude of it all, these lyrics which are perhaps and I hope written on my heart came back to me. 
This morning I am going to practice audio divina with this freedom chant. For when words fail, as they do these days, I can close my eyes and feel holy haunting lyrics as sound waves travel. They do not discriminate these sound waves. They are timeless and they soar. Just like freedom. 
I invite you to let this amazing song which represents the deepest beauty and gift get inside your bones today. May this moment of perfect freedom translate into a lifetime of divine inspiration for each and every aspect of creation!
Ella’s Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6Uus--gFrc

Lyrics to Ella’s Song
Refrain:
We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

Verses:
Until the killing of Black men, Black mothers’ sons
Is as important as the killing of White men, White mothers’ sons

And 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 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 hand 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 just one in the number as we stand against tyranny

Struggling myself don’t mean a whole lot I come to realize
That teaching others to stand up and fight is the only way my struggle survive

I’m a woman who speaks in a voice and I must be heard
At time I can be quite difficult, I’ll bow to no man’s word

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