Last week, at our Leadership Team Retreat, our swag was a sweatshirt that said, “I am a cycle breaker.” It wasn’t just a statement—it was a declaration and a tribute to my dear colleague who shared how breaking generational cycles of poverty for her family is what fuels her to do the same for others. While together, we had the privilege of catching up with LIFT members in our L.A. office—a husband and wife powerhouse duo who have navigated the storms of homelessness and addiction to step boldly into their power as entrepreneurs, building a thriving business in their son’s name (one that is also employing their community!)
And that same weekend, alongside family members and community, I celebrated LIFT’s entrepreneurship graduates standing in full dignity and pride, their self-determined dreams unlocked because potential, purpose, and possibility were finally given room to breathe.
The American Dream has been a dream deferred for too many for too long. Let us fight for a new American Dream—one that is manifested in the moments when resilience meets opportunity, when the forces designed to hold people back are dismantled, when radical hope can be manifested, and when all people—especially those who have been systematically pushed into the shadows—are seen, valued, and supported in building the futures they so rightfully deserve.
LIFT members have hopes, dreams and plans for themselves and for their children—just like all of us. I am so grateful, that as I go through my weeks at LIFT, I get to witness ample examples that dispute destructive rhetoric on deservedness and narratives on who gets to dream. Their dreams, if actualized, benefit us all, and holding them back has held back the growth of this country.
bell hooks reminds us, “What we cannot imagine cannot come into being.” And here we are—imagining, building, proving what’s possible. This is the work. This is our mandate.
Michelle Rhone-Collins
LIFT-CEO