Whiteness and the 99%

[SerenaHimmelhoney]

This is a conversation we need to have at Occupy Chicago, but I'm not sure we currently have anyone in our midst who could facilitate. I don't know. A teach in on issues brought up in this article is urgently needed. 

http://www.bringtheruckus.org/.....de%2F146 

"Occupy Wall Street and the hundreds of occupations it has sparked nationwide are among the most inspiring events in the U.S. in the 21st century. The occupations have brought together people to talk, occupy, and organize in new and exciting ways. The convergence of so many people with so many concerns has naturally created tensions within the occupation movement. One of the most significant tensions has been over race. This is not unusual, given the racial history of the United States. But this tension is particularly dangerous, for unless it is confronted, we cannot build the 99%. The key obstacle to building the 99% is left colorblindness, and the key to overcoming it is to put the struggles of communities of color at the center of this movement. It is the difference between a free world and the continued dominance of the 1%." 

[andreperez]

I agree that we need to have this conversation, and strong facilitation is needed to help steer it away from defensiveness and white guilt. It's scary to think about because the overwhelming amount of whiteness in the space makes it difficult for people of color to effectively and safely voice concerns. Additionally, I think this is a conversation we need to have among white people (people of color can come but shouldn't be expected to do all the educational work around making the space less racist).

If we are going to effectively address this, then there needs to be an ongoing educational series around issues of colonialism and racism.  In a city as racially and ethnically non-white as Chicago, the biggest barrier to growing the movement will be our inability to be racially inclusive. Furthermore, It is a central pillar of how neo-liberal global capitalism works, and without a critical analysis that includes anti-colonialism, we cannot create a more equitable system for sharing resources. What's the point of launching this attack on Wall Street if we can't do better? I believe we can.

[marymcmahon@clear.net]

You are inserting a division I don't see on the streets.

The divisions you are talking about could also be characterized another way. (I for one am exhausted of "white history" argument, it's a shortcut too often taken.) 

As a life long City dweller (Detroit-Cleveland-Chicago), I find that race can be substituted by urban v.s suburban/rural and you find similar divisions

Language is key to communication and building empathetic dialogue. We are all one race, human. If we could think this, we could challenge each others on the deficiencies of our education. Knowledge is power, use your power, speak from your power. Call people out when they spout nonsense, this is what we spent the last sixty years fighting for, for your voice. The barriers exist only in ourselves. You are the 99%. We are the 99%. Believe it.