Each morning, just before becoming a shuffling stampede on their way to class, our Hivesmen recite the Power Pledge. In a series of nine posts, I'm going to try to convey what this set of words - beliefs and promises reforged each weekday - means for my students and what it means for me.
Our Power Pledge
Our. Collective ownership. This word implies that we have something in common. Something shared. But how can that be? This "we," this "our," the collective owner is a disparate group of black and white, north and south, rich and poor, young and old, actually grown and think they grown, bloods and crips and clueless, haves, have-nots, hopeful and a hair away from giving up. But there it is - Our. Our Power Pledge. It is a reinforcement of our common mission each day we enter that building; we're here to learn, to teach, to challenge and grow. It is a reaffirmation of the promise we made the first time we walked in the warehouse doors; to leave the outside, outside and transform ourselves within those walls into Team Hive. Collective, community. Our.
Power. Energy, enfranchisement, empowerment, ability, strength, confidence. Power.
Pledge. A promise to self and comrade. A creed. Shared prayer of beliefs and convictions. Failure and doubt have no meaning here. Promises do carry the possibility of being broken or unmet, but there is unfailing trust in good intentions. The path created by the pledge is there, and we know that each may stumble, but not for lack of trying. And each day is a chance to re-pledge, re-commit and promise to try again.
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