Ngo-Okthoba 1, okwashaqisa iningi labangane nabalandeli bakhe, isishoshovu esiqhubekayo nomholi wentsha uLisa Yvette Sullivan washona ngokuzumayo ngenxa yokumelwa yinhliziyo. Wayesanda kuhlanganisa iminyaka engu-40 emasontweni ambalwa ngaphambili. Angigcinanga nje ngokulahlekelwa ngumuntu engangimamukele njengodadewethu futhi engisebenzisana naye kwezombusazwe, kodwa umphakathi omnyama, intsha, nesizwe sonkana silahlekelwe ngomunye wabahleli nabangqondongqondo abanekhono balesi sizukulwane.
U-Lisa wayengumsunguli kanye nomqondisi omkhulu we-LISTEN, Inc., inhlangano enamandla yokuqeqesha ubuholi bentsha ezinze eWashington, DC. Lokhu kwaba umvuthwandaba wokuzibophezela nomzamo wempilo yonke wokuveza isizukulwane esisha sezishoshovu nezifundiswa ezaziyobona ezombusazwe ngokucacile futhi zilwele ukusebenzisa umphakathi onobulungiswa, ongakhethi, kanye nokuchuma kweningi lethu. Yakhelwe kusukela ekuqaleni, le nhlangano idlondlobele yandisa ukufinyelela kwayo e-Europe nase-Afrika kanye nakuzo zonke izifundazwe.
Kodwa lokhu kwakungesona isikhathi sokuqala sikaLisa sokungena ebuholini. Maphakathi nawo-1980, wenza isinqumo somuntu siqu esibalulekile sokushiya iPh.D yesayensi yezepolitiki yaseYale University. uhlelo lokuphishekela umgomo wakhe wokwenza idolobha laseNew Haven, lapho i-Yale ikhona, liphendule izakhamuzi zalo ezimnyama, ezimpofu, nezingabasebenzi. Ukufeza lokhu, yena kanye nabanye bakhe inhlangano emazingeni aphansi eyasiza ekukhetheni amahhovisi amaningana abalulekile, okuhlanganisa ekugcineni nezimeya, abaholi abamnyama abasathuthuka. Lo msebenzi uholele ekutheni athintwe yiSikhwama Sezokuvikela Sezingane ukuze ahole uhlelo lwazo Lwempi Yempi Yezingane (BCCC) olufinyelela ezinganeni ezimpofu kakhulu neziswele kakhulu emiphakathini yabamnyama neyaseLatino. Ngesikhashana nje, uLisa wakhushulelwa esikhundleni sokuba nguMqondisi weField Division weCDF.
Kwabaningi, lo msebenzi uwodwa ubungadinga okungaphezu komzamo wesikhathi esigcwele. Kodwa uLisa akakwazanga ukuzibamba, futhi wasiza ekutholeni, ukuqondisa, kanye nokukhulisa Inethiwekhi Yobuholi Babafundi Abamnyama ngasekupheleni kwawo-1980 kanye nawo-1990. I-BSLN, ngokosiko lweqhawe lika-Lisa, umholi wamalungelo abantu ongenakucindezelwa u-Ella Baker, yakha izikole โzenkululekoโ ezingaphezu kuka-200 lapho izishoshovu zentsha zaqeqeshwa khona ngomlando, ithiyori, amasu, kanye namaqhinga okuhlela ezombangazwe nasemazingeni aphansi. Namuhla, izinkulungwane ezimbalwa zalezi zishoshovu, ezafundiswa uLisa kanye nobuholi be-BSLN, zisatshalaliswa ezweni lonke zisebenza ezinhlanganweni zomphakathi. Akazange angabaze ukubiza amakhanda amadala ukuthi angene enze izinkulumo futhi abelane ngolwazi, kodwa akazange alahlekelwe ukugxila esidingweni sokuzalanisa isizukulwane esilandelayo sabaholi abanohlonze.
Ngemva kokuphothula iziqu e-Rockefeller Foundation, lapho asungula khona uhlelo lokuhlanganyela lwentsha enekhono lobuholi, wanquma ukuthola i-Local Initiative Support, Training and Education Network(LALELA) ngo-1998. LALELA kwakungelona igama lenhlangano yakhe kuphela, kodwa inkolelo yakhe kulokho abenzi benqubomgomo kanye nabaholi bamalungelo abantu okwakudingeka bakwenze uma befuna ukusekelwa endaweni yakhe. Inhloso yakhe yokuhlanganisa abantu abaneminyaka engaphansi kuka-30 ngokwepolitiki yayingapheli. Njengoba asho engxoxweni ekuqaleni kwalo nyaka, โIntsha yasemadolobheni kufanele ihlelwe ukuze ichaze izinkinga zayo futhi izitholele ezayo izixazululo.โ Kuwubufakazi besitayela sakhe somsebenzi nobuholi ukuthi abasebenzi be-LISTEN bayaqhubeka nokulungiselela ingqungquthela yabo yaminyaka yonke noma bekhala ngomqondisi wabo ongasekho.
Yize abaningi bezokhunjulwa ngamakhono akhe okuhlela, uLisa ubebuye abe ngumcabango okhaliphile nonombono. Ubesezinhlelweni zokuqedela incwadi yakhe ekhuluma ngepolitiki nokuhlela ngesikhathi eshona. Ubezimisele ngokuthi isizukulwane se-Hip-Hop sigqugquzelwe futhi sifundiswe ngepolitiki. Ezihlokweni eziningana, amaqembu ezingxoxo, kanye nezinye izinkundla, uLisa waphikisana ngokuqinile nesidingo sokuthi izishoshovu zezombusazwe ezimnyama zidlulele ku-paradigm yamalungelo omphakathi futhi zenze izindlela ezintsha zokufeza ukulungiswa kwezombusazwe.
Ngiyangabaza ukuthi noma yiziphi izimpumelelo zakhe bezingaba yimpumelelo ukube bezingazange zihambisane nendlela kaLisa yokuwina kanye nobuntu obunozwelo. Akazange acele muntu ukuba enze lokho ayengeke akwenze, futhi wayehlale ebonisa ukukhathazeka kwangempela ngokuthi isidingo esiyisisekelo sabantu sokukhuthazwa, ukusekela, ukuzwelana nothando kuyahlangatshezwana nalo. Inhliziyo yakhe yayinkulu njengomhlaba, kodwa ngeshwa akakwazanga ukusekela isimo sakhe somzimba ekugcineni. Emngcwabeni wakhe, uchazwe ngokuqonda njengomuntu omnene, onethemba, ophanayo, ozethembayo, onohlonze, onobuhlakani futhi onesibindi. Sonke salahlekelwa iqhawe elikhulu; Ngiphinde ngalahlekelwa umngane omkhulu.