Fifteen years certainly brings cause to pause for reflection as a flood of feelings, a myriad of lessons, and tons of memories rush in. And somehow, it all came together while watching Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance. Not just because of the shoutout to Villas Tacos which I get to frequent here in LA (humble brag), but because of what he embodied. Radical joy. An f-you kind of joy that exists despite the forces acting against you. Rather, not in opposition or defiance, but a transcendent joy existing on its own plane. Over the past 15 years, this is the kind of leader I have aspired to be.
I marveled at his performance because I have learned that joy does not just happen. It emerges when trust exists. It emerges when people feel safe enough to exhale, to be fully seen, to be celebrated for their unique selves. I have been so lucky to experience that kind of joy through the incredible team and culture at LIFT. From “Where Your Fans At,” silly moments at staff Summit, to energizing board meetings, to dinners with LIFT champions, to conference dance parties, to art gallery fundraisers, to giggles shared mid-meeting, or through LIFT Parent Policy Advisors joyfully chanting “Cash + Coaching = Power!” after leading a panel; I am profoundly grateful for the joyful expression found in this community over the years.
Joy is also about impact. Without that, it can be self-indulgent delusion. Unapologetically performing at the Superbowl stage in front of 135 million? Impact! It has been cool to look back and recognize the impact made at LIFT emerging from critical decision points: opening a site in LA, focusing our 2-Gen model, integrating financial coaching, giving cash, centering race equity, going beyond direct service to embark on systems change with members leading the way. These accomplishments were forged by intentional learning to continually refine our approach to bring self-determined economic justice to families. Together, we have built the proof that hope, money, and love are not just niceties, but a strategy to be broadly employed to reach the millions of families — over 14 million children — living in economic insecurity across the country. Impact!
Joy demands authentic connection and activation. Flags proudly flying across the field took courage that opens the door to belonging, especially at a time when so many feel disconnected, vilified, isolated, and intimidated. On the contrary, in the midst of trying times, LIFT members let us know they feel valued and heard as we partner with them in advocating for change, whether it is pushing to include the Child Tax Credit in the D.C. budget, informing guaranteed income strategies in Illinois, holding immigrant rights sessions in NY, or ensuring coaching is included in cash policy agendas in California. I am in awe of our team who continues to care deeply for one another even as they experience both the primary and secondary trauma of the assaults on our communities and transform that suffering into engaged and collective action.
Throughout my tenure, I have strived to uphold joyful action, even through heartbreak. There are no words for the deep disappointment felt as hate is so blatantly interwoven into policies, policing, courts, and systems. It can feel like decades of work dismantled. But no mud, no lotus. This is a muddy time, for sure. But we can’t be stuck in it. We must remember that “the only thing more powerful than hate is love.” Joy is how we move through the mud. Joy is how we water the seeds of love so the lotus can grow.
These days, joy is not easy, but, as we experienced at the Bunny Bowl, it is a reparative, cathartic, and revolutionary practice that can heal generations of oppression. Pulsating drumbeats connect us to the diaspora of creativity born through suffering, remind us of what we have endured, unearth the change yet to achieve, and enliven hope that lifts us up yet another day, yet another year of dancing, singing, moving and shaking things up! Thank you, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, for moving me … and thank YOU, dear LIFTer, for being in this joyful movement with me for the past 15 years!
Michelle Rhone-Collins
LIFT-CEO