January 12, 2012 — vol. 47, no 23
Letters to the Editor
Occupy Boston needs volunteers
As someone who is active with Occupy Boston’s Ideas Working Group, I would like to say how much I appreciate Occupy Boston being recognized by the Bay State Banner (“A fight for the middle class,” editorial, Jan. 5, 2012) as being part of a “new coalition to confront the income disparity that is annihilating the middle class.”
I would like to add my voice to the Banner’s call for “African Americans to join the battle to assure that the world’s greatest economy benefits all its citizens.” And, of course, I would like that involvement to mean flooding Occupy Boston with volunteers!
Right now the Ideas Working Group is in a “collect and reflect” phase of outreach to many communities to hear and discuss all of our concerns and ultimately craft political objectives for the Occupy Boston movement that are intended to represent the highest aspirations of the 99%.
Many objectives, such as ending corporate personhood, outrageous wealth inequality and political bribery, are hot topics within the Occupy Boston community. However, the only goal that has actually been endorsed to date by our governing body, the General Assembly, is “prioritizing the needs of the many before the profits of the few.”
While I personally believe that only economic justice can end racial injustice, my sentiments are not that of the entire Ideas Working Group, which encompasses the entire political spectrum — yes, we even get an occasional Republican. Ideas Working Group conversations are exciting, passionate and crucial to the future of this new coalition.
I hope your readers will consider participating in the conversations that will create a new world. The Ideas Working Group can be reached at: Ideas@lists.occupyboston.org.
Aria Littlhous
Via e-mail
| Jan 24 11:29am by Amazing that people still think this way ... [206.40.160.42] | |
It is astonishing to me that white 'activist' still think this way. I mean there are resources out there for you folks to learn about anti-oppression, anti-racism, and how to build solidarity. And just in case you missed it, this letter is not the way to build solidarity.
Check out this like for starters:
http://www.cwsworkshop.org/pdfs/Sharon_Martinas_PassingItOn.pdf
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| Jan 19 21:25pm by Someone that will not be "flooding" Occupy Boston. [76.23.158.58] | |
http://www.peopleofcolororganize.com/analysis/opinion/10-conversations-racism-im-sick-having-white-people/
and
http://www.peopleofcolororganize.com/analysis/opinion/white-activists/
Y'all white folks should do some reading to learn about yourselves. Education is a good thing. And racism is a problem that exists with you all not with us. We are just the victims of it. We really wish you all would try addressing it, and sometime soon.
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| Jan 18 21:46pm by One those black folks [76.23.158.58] | |
Dear M. Littlhous, There are several reasons why people of color in general and black folks specifically are unlikely to answer your call. Let me list a few out for you: 1. We have heard it before from white liberal/progressive/radical groups before. 2. We as people of color have been doing the work for 500 years on these issues, not since last September. 3. We have organization and groups that we like and trust (Vida Urbana, R&S, ACE/TRU/REEP, BWA, JwJ, etc) 4. Occupy Boston has not embraced an anti-racist/anti-oppression position in any real way. 5. A white person writing an article in a Black paper to call on Black folk to join? Com'n, could you at least find a sista' or brotha' to have written it? 6. Occupy Boston has no outlined strategy to achieve its goals. 7. Your "statement of occupation" addresses few if any real issues of concern to people of color in the US in general and in Boston specifically. <http://wiki.occupyboston.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Occupation> 8. You have the typical white liberal/radical/progressive view of racism and classism, which not surprisingly makes racism just a part of classism. (Tim Wise can explain is to you here < http://www.timwise.org/f-a-q-s/ > read point #7.) 9 Your assumption that people of color need to join white people and whatever an "Ideas Working Group" is, is inherently problematic. 10. "Flooding with volunteers" ?! Whoa, I saved this one for the end. We don't work or volunteer for you! Why don't you flood the State House and tell YOUR white Reps and Senators to get rid of this 3-Strikes legislation. We already got our Reps. to vote no, so we'd like YOU and Occupy to join the movement. <http://bit.ly/wByOop>
Dealing with race is difficult for white folks, I know this. I know this is hard. I know that you put some work in this and you probably care about the work you are trying to do, but you can't just come stumbling up in here. You need to education yourself. You need to talk with some anti-racism folks, some anti-oppression folks. There are a lot of resources in Boston. Seek them out. <http://www.communitychangeinc.org/> When you do, we will be waiting with open arms to welcome you (and some of the folks from Occupy) to the movement.
Solidarity.
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