I used to sing before I became a single mom. The smoke-filled bar scene and getting home at 3 a.m. nights in a row was something that I couldn’t make work alone, so I left the scene, trading Joplin ballads for lullabies.
“Me and My Bobby McGee” was pretty much my claim to fame, and that song still means more to me than anyone would imagine. There’s a line, “Freedom’s just another word for ‘nothin’ left to lose,'” that still brings a smile when I sing it. Why? Because it’s true. Not “freedom” in terms of our constitutional rights, necessarily, but that “nothin’ left to lose?” Facts.
Think about the last big decision you made, whether it was asking for a raise or driving too fast. On some level, you had to weigh the benefit against the risk because, at the end of the day, it had to be worth more for you than it cost you. That’s why I think it’s so hard to organize folks; because the risk is greater than the benefit- or at least they want us to think so. It’s scary to speak against power when you can’t control the outcome. Being labeled as a “troublemaker” isn’t all that fun, especially when it’s people in your own community doing the labeling, but what happens when you realize that you really have nothing to lose? What happens when you realize that nothing to lose means everything to gain?
Take a Dip
I have to be completely transparent here. My first taste of activism was never intended to be activism. I wrote some emails to elected officials asking for help finding grants for repairs to a swimming pool housed in an elementary school and all hell broke loose. I cried. I lost sleep. I even developed flu-like symptoms and had to call off work because of my nerves.
It was the most uncomfortable situation I had ever been in, but, with that being said, over $4 million was given to the school for repairs. And I would do it all over again.
I’m used to being in front of a crowd. Remember, I was a singer, but there’s a huge difference between singing in front of people and asking them to pay attention while you’re laying all of your vulnerabilities on the table in front of them. I stood in front of a crowd the first time at the age of 42 and confessed to being impoverished. My knees were shaking. I started to sweat. My hands and voice were trembling. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Now look at me. A woman at a drive thru window started to cry just the other night because she recognized me from the Congressional video. She said she could never do what I do, but she could if someone gave her the chance. She commented that she would be too scared, so I told her to go back and watch how my hands are clasped on the table in front of me because they were shaking uncontrollably. I pointed out the times that my voice broke. I was terrified, but what I was doing was worth the risk. What did I have to lose compared to what we had to gain?
Tax Plan
I’m saying all of this to point out that I know how scary it is to put yourself out there. What if your family sees it? Your neighbors? Your kids’ friends? But what if you don’t do it? Who will speak up for you? Who else has your best interests in mind?
West Virginia’s governor spoke the other night about doing away with income taxes. This sounds great at first, right? Yeah, until you look at the things he has to cut to make it happen. They all have one thing in common. Take a guess. I’ll give you a hint. Ready? Higher property taxes and increased sales tax. Then cuts to childcare and DHHR.
If you guessed low-income families, you were right! All of the changes to support his income tax idea will be placed on the shoulders of WV’s low-wage earners. We spend more than save, so we’ll carry the weight of the sales tax increase. DHHR is a one-stop shop for poor families. Childcare is a must. So, at what point do we flip the script and decide that the gain from standing up for ourselves would be more than the cost? What, exactly, do we have to lose?
I have a spot for you in the work. You won’t be alone. We’re building a movement here of real folks struggling with all the things that come with being low-income. What do you have to lose? “Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ else to lose.”
Let’s #RattleTheWindows! Together.
Onward,
Amy Jo
