Fwd: more Articles on Race and Occupy
etta cetera
From: etta cetera <mostpeo...@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 31, 2011 at 5:27 PM
Subject: more Articles on Race and Occupy
To: pghant...@googlegroups.com
more articles...from chris crass
Solidarity Letter from Cairo
A New World in Our Hearts
None of us are winning, yet
Occupying, Organizing and the Movements That Demand Both
Letter to the Occupy Together Movement
<occupy and oppression.docx>Critique, Strategy, Reports and White Supremacy within Occupy Movement
A Black Woman Who Occupied Wall Street: Why I Won't Be Going Back. by Reena Walker on Friday, October 14, 2011 at 4:38pmhttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/17/1027186/-A-Black-Woman-Who-Occupied-Wall-Street:-Why-She-Wont-Be-Going-Back
Race Matters: Liberal Racism and the Occupy Wall Street Movement
Posted by Chauncey DeVega at 3:52 pm October 25, 201
What does healing look like?: To all the white people talking about unity in the Occupy movement - from a white anti-racist at occupy phoenix
Challenging Racism, and Other -Isms, In The Occupy Wall Street Movement
By Charing Ball - atlanta
The Progressive Plantation: Racism Inside White Radical Social Change Movements by Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin on Sunday, October 23, 2011
http://breakallchains.blogspot.com/2011/10/progressive-plantation-racism-inside.html
Reflections on Organizing towards Collective Liberation at Occupy NOLA
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/ph191011.html,
by Lydia Pelot-Hobbs
Poverty, Race and the "Occupation" movements
By Tiny
http://www.poormagazine.org/node/4122
Pittsburgh adopted this statement of internal solidarity that was proposed by the marginalized people's caucus. It originated in Boston and Pittsburgh expanded on it.
http://www.occupypittsburgh.org/content/statement-internal-solidarity
CALL TO ACTION -- Building a Cohort of White Anti-Racist Leadership at OccupySeattle
This is a call to action in solidarity with the People of Color (POC) Caucus of OccupySeattle. From CARW's brief time at OccupySeattle one of the clearest ways we can provide support is by offering white anti-racist leadership for white folks who have consistently been down at Westlake.
Brief History of Anti-Racism at OccupySeattle: Since the beginning of the month, there has been a core group of people of color and white allies as the primary force of anti-racism in the OccupySeattle struggle. This has most consistently been in the form of Outreach and Diversity Working Group and representation from POC-led organizations. Thank you all for your tireless and courageous work. In collaboration with anti-racist POC leaders, CARW co-facilitated an Anti-Racism Workshop this Sunday. Thank you all who were present and spoke! Last night, white anti-racists met as a caucus while simultaneously did work to support the People of Color caucus. The People of Color caucus has called on white anti-racist to continue to be consistent with this powerful work. It is important to note that the POC Caucus is largely made up of representatives from some of the most powerful grassroots, POC-led organizations in Seattle (many of whom CARW has long-term relationships with). And as you know, this history is much deeper and more complex than this short blurb.
CALL TO ACTION -- Building a Cohort of White Anti-Racist Leadership at OccupySeattle
As noted earlier, OccupySeattle is in dire need of white anti-racist leadership with skill & capacity! Many white anti-racists down at Westlake are either spread too thin and/or are in need of intentional training, so there is a very strategic role for individuals like us in CARW. This is not to work in competition with white folks present, but to intentionally collaborate to to develop new white anti-racist organizers and build movements that are accountable to communities of color. We are hoping to build a solid group of 5-7 individual white anti-racist leaders to participate in this cohort. If you are interested in being part of this cohort please email or call me (Sean O'Neill... below) ASAP. Here is what we are looking for in this cohort...
• Open to Taking Risks: We will continue to receive a lot of push-back from other white folks at OccupySeattle, but need to put ourselves out there and engage in those courageous conversations. I have witnessed many people that were hostile and defensive transform as a result these conversations in the past two days. Taking risks in conversations, facilitation, public speaking and learning from mistakes is the foundation of this cohort and work. If we don't, this burden will consistently fall on people of color.
• Capacity & Commitment: It would be ideal if individuals would be able to meet within the next two days as a cohort (time: TBA) in person or conference call, this will allow us to come together to assess & plan. We want this cohort to be made-up of people that can be present at Westlake 2-6 nights (5:30-7:30PM) in the next two weeks, and strong representation at the Police Brutality March on Saturday (Oct. 22nd). One of the critiques of the Occupy movement is that white people are not consistently practicing accountability, we need this cohort to be consistent and disciplined. And we also need you to be transparent and honor our individual needs, boundaries and general well-being (burn-out and urgency will destroy us if we dont create supportive and affirming networks).
• Key Tasks & Roles: As requested by the POC caucus, this group will be engaged in the following tasks -- engage in conversations (one-on-ones with allies & potential allies), discouraging white folks to attend the POC caucus, preparing/facilitating white anti-racist workshop(s), and instill accountability measures between white & POC caucuses. This would largely serve to support an ongoing accountable white anti-racist presence in the Working Groups and the General Assembly of OccupySeattle.
Analysis & Skill: As a white anti-racist leaders, we need people that a very familiar with a racial justice framework, who can hold conversations and have some history of white anti-racist organizing. As this is important, this space is powerful learning ground for us to sharpen our skills and develop our own leadership (so please don't feel like this is too high of a bar).
From Peter Gelderloss who writes from occupy movement in europe.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/14/reflections-for-the-us-occupy-movement/
From Kate Occupy New York
Hello All!
Hope everyone is doing great in these exciting times. I want to say hello from Brooklyn and Occupy Wall Street and let you know how much I think about you all these days, and how to bring the lessons we learned together into the OWS space. I recently wrote an email to Chris in response to his story about his time at Occupy Knoxville that he encouraged me to forward to you. I would really love to hear about any of your experiences with the occupations/calls for decolonization across the country, as well as anything and everything else you're up to! It was so great to read about/see awesome photos of the SF foreclosure on Wells Fargo, especially with so many Bradens present! So inspiring.
An amazing network of white anti-racist allies has sprung up in the past few days in NYC, and we now have a listserv with over 40 people on it! We had our first conference call Thursday night and are going to meet for the first time tomorrow evening. Some things we talked about thus far are setting up a table/booth at OWS with info about racism, white privilege, being an ally, book recommendations, etc. to serve as an intervention into the space/a visible presence/a way for people participating in OWS to interact with issues of race, power and privilege, working in specific supportive/ally roles with the People of Color Working Group, carrying out anti-racism/anti-oppression trainings, and doing some self-education together.
Friday morning was a very exciting victory as thousands of people held the space and received the message that the real estate company who owns the park, Bloomberg and the NYPD were postponing their "cleaning" (eviction) of Liberty Plaza. The sense of possibility and people power that erupted on everyone's faces as the sun rose was incredible! Today there was a march led by the Malcom X Grassroots Movement for Sankofa Day to the African Burial Ground just a few blocks from Wall Street, highlighting the fact that the original wall for which the street gets its name was built by slave labor to fortify New Amsterdam against the native people. We marched loudly and powerfully and then hundreds of people entered the burial ground completely silently, walking single file through the space and around the monuments. In the words of MXGM, "In the Akan language, Sankofa means 'go back and fetch it.' It represents the tradition of infusing the present with lessons from history. The concept of Sankofa reminds us that we must look to our past in order to meaningfully move forward.' I felt this so strongly today-- the deep need to recognize history and the centuries of peoples struggles that we walk behind, and the realities of U.S. slavery, genocide and colonization. And also afterward, as we witnessed a libation ceremony honoring African ancestors, drumming and chanting and marching, the need for celebration and "standing together in light and solidarity until we are all free", as one sign said.
Below is the email I sent to Chris. Thanks so much for reading. I look forward to talking more about how we can bring forward needed anti-racist praxis to the occupations happening across the country, and all of the important movements we are a part of.
So much love to you all,
Kate
-----------
Hey Chris!
Thanks so much for your email. I was so glad to hear about your great experience at Occupy Knoxville. It sounds like the talking points, signage and honoring of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth were really powerful and effective ways to center an antiracist and economic justice praxis. Just wanted to let you know I was really inspired! When I was at Occupy Wall Street on Sunday, I borrowed your language and made signs with really similar messaging, and got into some great conversations with people who were both supportive and curious about the message. At the end of the night as I was leaving a man stopped me and asked me to explain a bit more about what "While the 1% gets richer and richer, we are pitted against one other for the crumbs. Against Racism, against attacks on Immigrants, Muslims and LGBTQ folks, for economic justice" meant. After talking for a little while about the diversity of experiences of people within the 99% based on different histories of marginalization, and the ways we need to recognize and support each other rather than allow ourselves to be divided and conquered, he asked if he could take over holding the sign. I walked away watching him stand at the entrance to Liberty Square holding that message.
This experience, combined with seeing tons of people gathered around to hear the words of Movimiento Por Justicia Del Barrio, their message from the Zapatista Otra Campaña and long time, rooted experience doing work for economic justice in East Harlem, made me so hopeful and excited about our ability to make this the multi multi mass mass movement it needs to be. I have also been in conversation with Betty Jeanne and other folks in NY about the role of white anti racists at OWS and how we can bring a deeper power analysis to the movement and work with the People of Color working group.
Well, that is my update from NY, so glad to read yours from Knoxville! Thanks so much for the inspiration and the excitement, and for the continuous work you do to make this a world full of all of our "shining humanity"!
Love,
Kate (Cardona)
From Chris Crass - Occupy Knoxville
What an incredible time to organize in. I hope you are all well. I'm sharing this below with you all, as part of building momentum in this time for white anti-racists to seriously throw down and do all we can to build this economic justice upsurge into a powerful multiracial, working class based movement.
This is exactly the time for "leading from the center, not critiquing from the sidelines", "loving our people and supporting their development, rather then dismissing people for saying and acting like we did 20 minutes ago" and other themes from Braden.
This below was sent out to the U.S. for All of Us: No Room for Racism national network.
Be well y'all,
-Chris
------------------
To continue our conversation about stepping up and helping build the Occupy movement with anti-racist politics and help deepen the struggle into a broader multiracial movement, here are some quick notes from my experience in Knoxville, TN.
The demonstration was last night and it was so powerful and beautiful. 350 people, majority white, mostly women stepping up to play variously leadership and speaking roles, folks of color who were there stepping up (sharing stories, leading chants), very intergenerational, lots of people who had never been to a protest before. People there with their teenage kids and younger. Union members out at their first protest. Lots of people shared their personal story and overwhelming called out Wall St., the corporations, the bought of politicians as the problem - no big deal some may say, but again, this wasn't a bunch of activists making speeches. These were vets, teachers, parents, people with severe disabilities, speaking out, most of them, for the first time to a large group of people.
What I did:
First off, it is very humbling and wonderful to get off of highly charged, highly "this is what we need to do" internet discussions and actually go for it and work with folks. I loved it, and certainly had moments of "hmmm, I'm not sure what the best way to do this is" and "how do you communicate all these things on a sign and still make sense to people who are walking by".
Below are talking points from Occupy Knoxville. I went to the planning meeting the night before the demonstration. And I volunteered to help with the media working group. I knew one of the main organizers, but was just meeting the vast majority of people involved (both because I am new to Knoxville, and because so many people are involved who haven't been before). In this role, I wrote up talking points, got feedback on them from folks at Highlander, and made copies to distribute widely at the demonstration, as well as gave them to a few people speaking to the media. They were sent to the three other people on media to get feedback and approval - they were excited to have them. My goal wasn't that people would just repeat these talking points, but that in giving them out broadly - as coming from part of the organizing, it would help ground people in a broader politics. They were passed out and lots of people, again showing up to their first protest, were excited to get something to help welcome them and settle into "what are we doing here". They have also been shared with people organizing on-going efforts, to again help give shape to the politics.
I also made a dozen signs that were given out that mostly had anti-racist economic justice messaging - things like "Immigrants are detained, Muslims and Gays demonized, Unions and social services attacked. These are injustices, not solutions. Economic Justice for All" or "While the 1% gets richer and richer, we are pitted against one other for the crumbs. Against Racism, Against attacks on Immigrants. For Economic Justice".
Overwhelmingly, people in the Occupy demonstration, as well as people coming by and reading the signs, had very positive responses to these messages. It was a good experience and experiment and I look forward to more.
The other thing I did at the demonstration. After people spoke about their experiences and we were about to march, I spoke and asked people to take a moment to remember Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, the Civil Rights movement leader (said a few things about him). They said "Let us remember and honor those who have come before us, our ancestors in the Civil Rights movement and the Labor movement who's legacies we build on today as we march for justice." People cheered and the march began.
In closing, it was so powerful to see people fired up. The long-time Knoxville activists I talked to said how amazing this was, how few people they recognized, how they hadn't seen something like this in Knoxville before (so many people out and fired up at a protest).
Let's do all we can to build, be humble, be courageous, and organize from our dreams rather then our fears.
-Chris Crass
ps: It was my 3 month old baby's first protest and it was fantastic.
Occupy Knoxville
Communicating Out Our Message
Talking Points on Why We are Here
From the Media Working Group
Thank you so much for coming out to stand for Economic Justice and Raise Your Voice. Below are talking points to help us communicate why we are here. These are only suggestions to help each of us speak to why we are here. Together we can put forward a powerful message to change our society for the better.
• Hundreds of thousands of people around the country are protesting the gross economic inequality in our country. The 1% control the vast majority of resources and political power. The gap between rich and poor is greater in the US than any other developed country.
• The politicians who work for the rich and corporate elite, cut social services and public education, and they demonize unions and immigrants. These aren't solutions to help working people; these are injustices against working people. Hard working immigrants are being detained in this country, while the corporate elite who created this crisis sip champagne and get bonuses.
• We are everyday people who recognize that we must do something extra ordinary. We must fight for and win economic justice, good social services and education, and come together to stop the 1% from taking everything away from the people.
• While the rich keep getting richer, we are told that working people can’t have good, affordable health care, quality education, living wages and benefits. We are here to expose these lies and fight for economic human rights. They want us fighting over crumbs, pitting working people against one another, while they feast off of our labor, our sacrifices in wars, our hardships. We will not stand by and watch our communities be destroyed by greed.
• In the U.S. the average CEO makes 475 times more than the average worker. This is criminally unjust, and must be ended.
--412-802-8575 landline for phone calls
443-603-6964 cell for texts
--
412-802-8575 landline for phone calls
443-603-6964 cell for texts
--
412-802-8575 landline for phone calls
443-603-6964 cell for texts
Michele James-Parham
etta
i don't have facebook but i encourage you!!
also..the binder with the clear sleavy's works out too. it could sit
in the library with a big
note that says articles on occupy movement or somethin.
i couldnt find privilge binder last night so maybe someone is using
it. privilge binder is just a bunch of printed out
stuffs in clear sleavys...
On Nov 1, 4:40 pm, Michele James-Parham <fierylasir...@gmail.com>
wrote:
Bekka
Organizing Update site was new to me, and there is some fabulous stuff
there!
> http://www.organizingupgrade.com/2011/10/a-new-world-in-our-hearts/
>
> None of us are winning, yet
> *
> *http://www.organizingupgrade.com/2011/09/a-response-to-sally/
> Occupying, Organizing and the Movements That Demand Both
>
> by Rinku Sen
>
> Letter to the Occupy Together Movement
>
> By Harsha Walia
>
> On Oct 30, 2011, at 1:54 PM, etta cetera wrote:
>
>
> *A Black Woman Who Occupied Wall Street: Why I Won't Be Going Back*. by
> Reena Walker on Friday, October 14, 2011 at 4:38pmhttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/17/1027186/-A-Black-Woman-Who-Occupied...
> **
>
> *Race Matters: Liberal Racism and the Occupy Wall Street Movement *
>
> Posted by Chauncey
> DeVega<http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/author/chaunceydevega/>at
>
>
> *What does healing look like?:* To all the white people talking about unity
> in the Occupy movement - from a white anti-racist at *occupy phoenix*
>
> http://bodiesofstory.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/what-does-healing-look-...
> **
>
> * *
>
> *Challenging Racism, and Other -Isms, In The Occupy Wall Street
> Movement*<http://atlantapost.com/2011/10/10/challenging-racism-and-other-isms-i...>
>
> *By Charing Ball - atlanta*
>
> *http://atlantapost.com/2011/10/10/challenging-racism-and-other-isms-i...
> *
>
> * *
>
> *The Progressive Plantation: Racism Inside White Radical Social Change
> Movements*<http://breakallchains.blogspot.com/2011/10/progressive-plantation-rac...>
> * *by Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin on Sunday, October 23, 2011**
>
> http://breakallchains.blogspot.com/2011/10/progressive-plantation-rac...
>
> *Reflections on Organizing towards Collective Liberation at Occupy NOLA***
> *Poverty, Race and the "Occupation" movements*
> By Tiny
>
> http://www.poormagazine.org/node/4122
>
> Pittsburgh adopted this statement of internal solidarity that was proposed
> by the marginalized people's caucus. It originated in Boston and Pittsburgh
> expanded on it.
>
> http://www.occupypittsburgh.org/content/statement-internal-solidarity
>
> OccupySeattle *
> This is a call to action in solidarity with the People of Color (POC)
> Caucus of OccupySeattle. From CARW's brief time at OccupySeattle one of
> the clearest ways we can provide support is by offering white anti-racist
> leadership for white folks who have consistently been down at Westlake.
>
> as the primary force of anti-racism in the OccupySeattle struggle. This
> has most consistently been in the form of Outreach and Diversity Working
> Group and representation from POC-led organizations. Thank you all for your
> tireless and courageous work. In collaboration with anti-racist POC
> leaders, CARW co-facilitated an Anti-Racism Workshop this Sunday. Thank
> you all who were present and spoke! Last night, white anti-racists met as
> a caucus while simultaneously did work to support the People of Color
> caucus. The People of Color caucus has called on white anti-racist to
> continue to be consistent with this powerful work. It is important to note
> that the POC Caucus is largely made up of representatives from some of the
> most powerful grassroots, POC-led organizations in Seattle (many of whom
> CARW has long-term relationships with). And as you know, this history is
> much deeper and more complex than this short blurb.
>
> OccupySeattle *
> As noted earlier, OccupySeattle is in dire need of white anti-racist
> leadership with skill & capacity! Many white anti-racists down at Westlake
> are either spread too thin and/or are in need of intentional training, so
> there is a very strategic role for individuals like us in CARW. This is
> not to work in competition with white folks present, but to intentionally
> collaborate to to develop new white anti-racist organizers and build
> movements that are accountable to communities of color. We are hoping to
> build a solid group of 5-7 individual white anti-racist leaders to
> participate in this cohort. If you are interested in being part of this
> we are looking for in this cohort...*
>
> • *Open to Taking Risks: * We will continue to receive a lot of
> ourselves out there and engage in those courageous conversations. I have
> witnessed many people that were hostile and defensive transform as a result
> these conversations in the past two days. Taking risks in conversations,
> facilitation, public speaking and learning from mistakes is the foundation
> of this cohort and work. If we don't, this burden will consistently fall
> on people of color.
>
> conference call, this will allow us to come together to assess & plan. We
> want this cohort to be made-up of people that can be present at Westlake
> 2-6 nights (5:30-7:30PM) in the next two weeks, and strong representation
> at the Police Brutality March on Saturday (Oct. 22nd). One of the
> critiques of the Occupy movement is that white people are not consistently
> practicing accountability, we need this cohort to be consistent and
> disciplined. And we also need you to be transparent and honor our
> individual needs, boundaries and general well-being (burn-out and urgency
> will destroy us if we dont create supportive and affirming networks).
>
> with allies & potential allies), discouraging white folks to attend the POC
> caucus, preparing/facilitating white anti-racist workshop(s), and instill
> accountability measures between white & POC caucuses. This would largely
> serve to support an ongoing accountable white anti-racist presence in the
> Working Groups and the General Assembly of OccupySeattle.
>
> and have some history of white anti-racist organizing. As this is
> important, this space is powerful learning ground for us to sharpen our
> skills and develop our own leadership (so please don't feel like this is
> too high of a bar).
>
>
> http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/14/reflections-for-the-us-occupy-...
>
> *From Kate Occupy New York*
> Hello All!
>
> Hope everyone is doing great in these exciting times. I want to say hello
> from Brooklyn and Occupy Wall Street and let you know how much I think
> about you all these
>
>
> read more »