Harlem Activists: The Occupy Movement Is NOT Just A “White Thing”

Check out this fascinating article about Occupy Harlem, and why the Occupy movement ain’t just a “white thing.”

There are definitely prominent Black voices in the movement. Activists and scholars like Angela Davis and Cornell West have been major supporters of the movement since practically day one; Dr. West was even  arrested on October 21st with 30 others in Harlem, protesting that racist “stop and frisk” program.

And by now I’m sure you’ve heard of Occupy The Hood.
The 99% percent is made up of a variety of people from a variety of backgrounds, with a variety of priorities. What unites them are a few common enemies; namely greed, corruption and economic inequality.

But will it be possible for such a complicated, motley collective to build a coalition strong enough to affect change in a way that will benefit everyone involved?

From the Huffington Post:

“Occupy Wall Street is not a quote-unquote white thing. It is a white thing that the 1 percent and the bankers are representing white oligarchy and white plutocrats for the most part,” Bailey said. “But this is an organic movement from the bottom up. Now we have to take advantage, seize the time and the moment … and it is time that we become part of this landscape so we can begin to highlight our issues.”

As Occupy Wall Street has spread to cities across the country and the world, the collective face of the movement has remained largely white and youthful, at times shunning or crowding out old-school activists and civil rights leaders. But as the movement has continued to grow, more people of color have gotten involved. There is Occupy The Hood, started by a single mother in Detroit and a substance abuse counselor from Queens. Rappers and entertainers have joined Occupy protests in New York, Oakland, Chicago and Houston.

On October 21, more than 30 people, including the scholar and activist Cornel West, were arrested in Harlem while protesting the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy, a practice that critics and community activists say unfairly targets blacks and Latinos. Many of the protesters made their way uptown from Zuccotti park.”

Read more at HuffingtonPost.com

From: http://www.blackyouthproject.com/2011/11/occupy-harlem/