“Rise Up”
The video below is a moving performance of the poem “Rise Up” which is published in Volume 17, Number 1. When asked about the meaning behind her work, Dr. Zoe Spencer had this to say:
“In this critical era of violent patriarchal and sexist domination, that clashes more oppressively at the intersections of race, class, and sexual orientation, women’s voices are being aggressively silenced—be it on the floors of Congress, the halls of the academy, or on the front lines in “these streetz.” Yet, despite the imminent threats against our bodies, the acts of state sponsored violence and repression, or the very visual displays of our deaths that command the spectator’s gaze—we refuse to stop speaking and fighting—standing and dying—for this. Despite attempts to neutralize us—our resilience continues to prove—”and still, We Rise.” So, in the darkest moments, we must be fearless—by finding comfort in the knowing that the boot of the oppressor can’t hold us, because even at our lowest points, we will always find a way to—Rise Up!”
Click HERE to view the full text of Spencer’s poem and to explore all of the works featured in Volume 17, Number 1.