Recap: A Workshop with Southerners on New Ground (S.O.N.G.)
“We are the children of the ones who would not die
We are the children of the people who could fly
We are fearless
We are strong
And we’re ready to carry on.”
On November 20th, 2020, Wendi Moore-O’Neal and D Lilton from Southerners On New Ground (S.O.N.G.) led an inspiring activist workshop for Organizing Stories. S.O.N.G. uses story-based organizing to achieve LGBTQ liberation through intersectional means, and was founded by three Black and three White lesbians who wanted to work at the intersection of race, class, and sexuality.
To begin the workshop, S.O.N.G. organizer Wendi Moore-O’Neal led participants through a rousing, virtual rendition of the above spiritual, proving that even in our current circumstances, many different voices from many different locations can unite as one. Moore-O’Neal guided participants through the song in order to highlight S.O.N.G’s belief that “the work of organizing for justice requires each of us to build muscle to take risks.” This song was based on the story of the people who could fly. Opening their workshop with such a moving melody aligned perfectly with S.O.N.G.’s core values: listening, valuing the presence of being, honoring their roots in Black culture and tradition, working in solidarity, strong democratic leadership, oral tradition, and respect.
S.O.N.G. primarily uses three community-oriented methods in their quest to rectify our current reality: political education, cultural work, and base-building work. Moore-O’Neal’s testimony crystalised the transformative power of working in a way that is always in partnership with like-minded people and organizations. One of S.O.N.G.’s core goals is to build power in order to achieve liberation in our lifetime. Oftentimes, this starts with cultural work. Cultural work is a labor of love rooted in the practices and traditions of those who have survived and resisted the various systems that uphold the “white supremacist, capitalist, heteronormative imperial colonization.”
S.O.N.G.’s approach to cultural organizing rests upon the belief in the power of actively listening to stories shared throughout generations. During the Organizing Stories workshop, Moore-O’Neal and Lilton shared one of S.O.N.G.’s primary methods for encouraging such active listening: story circles. This approach, in which participants sit in a circle and share their stories, is essential to S.O.N.G.’s organizing work as storytelling encourages greater conflict resolution by providing pivotal details through which participants can relate to one another on a deeper level. Story circles generally occur in 30 minute increments with 30 minutes dedicated to sharing stories, 30 minutes to discuss lessons learned, and another 30 minutes to plan out how these stories will inform our future actions. Hence, S.O.N.G. employs story circles in order to distill the fears that must be overcome in order to achieve liberation.
S.O.N.G.’s workshop for Organizing Stories showcased how you can use a story to radically change the present. Organizing Stories thanks Wendi Moore O’Neal and D Lilton of S.O.N.G. for sharing their vast experience of the power of storytelling and collective organizing with the Princeton community.
In an extended interview clip below, Wendi Moore-O'Neal shares her thoughts on what it means to have a political home and to create such homes for others. For more videos from the S.O.N.G. workshop, head on over to the official Organizing Stories Youtube Channel!
