"""Audacious"" spoken word intro | Asia Greene-Rhodes | TEDxPortland"
Transcriber: Iman Basaif Reviewer: Doris Pop I want to feel great. Not just like M.L.K, Chavez or Parks, But the ones behind the scenes as well, like Coretta Scott. No. I need to feel change, pumping through my veins morphing me into the best me that there can be, so that Every word I utter just flows. And even when I stutter, it’s gold. I need my light to shine brightly within me So that everything’s aligned, speech and walk in sync like NSYNC The harmonies of my words will make butterflies stare. And when I enter a room, they’ll gawk in awe, and whisper the audacity of her. Funny But after lines like this, it makes me wonder Since when did activism become this desire for self-recognition? This isn’t a clown show. I don’t need to be a martyr from some likes, shares, and saves. We need change. And Portland I hope you need me as I need you cause this journey won’t be easy. In fact, to change the world without taking risk is impossible. Unless we’re people pleasing. It wouldn’t even make sense. It would be as if our drives stopped ten years ago with what if. The fear crept in, and we thought to ourselves after the protests and riots This is it. We finally took a mirror and gave it to America. Identified the problem, uncovered the hurt and trauma And realized we like to overcomplicate things. For example, if an equation requires the quadratic formula, We don’t continue to do long division. Our work isn’t adding up Because we’re still trying To market people’s culture and skin for a dollar and trends. Instead of getting to the root of what the actual problem is. Subtraction and multiplication in an area that requires addition, just listen. It is time for something different. For something new. And this is Portland, where we know nothing but to be daring And bleed a boldness so true. It would be cruel to allow fear to cripple our minds Into thinking comfortability is where change lies. So we can’t be content with this reflection that is far from perfection Even though it still functions Cause it’s like staring into a shattered mirror trying to choose a version of us that’s not broken. But it’s still not clear. We can’t stay here paralyzed or satisfied with this idea that change is just gonna draw near. We have to take the first step. And the second, and the third Because no change, no dream, no miracle ever occurred after the first attempt. We have to do more than that to be heard. And I know I said I hope they just gawk in awe, the audacity of her, but that’s probably not the case. Some might support, but many will laugh in our face not understanding the need to be more than good, but great. So no, the journey will not be easy, but we will break through. Yes, making change is a risky pursuit. But for us, for Portland, I ask what dream is too risky to pursue? Thank you.