Stand for Something or You will Fall for Anything: On Occupy THIS Movements

Admittedly, this may ruffle some feathers, but when the spirit calls me to write I cannot ignore the will. My intention is not to chastise anyone or any group of people. If anything let this be the tool broaden the discussion of liberating spaces and minds for African people by African people. Let us be critical of our engagement, diligent with our research and study, and adamant about demanding more from ourselves than from other people. Responses are more than welcome and dialogue is passionately encouraged. Hotep.

The goal of this impromptu treatise is to bring an (albeit, mine) African consciousness to the current discussion on trends in political movement building. All too often, speakers and leaders over current movements parallel action taken against particular issues with that of the coordinated and (arguably) purposefully organized actions of the 1960s civil rights movements. I write this to express my concern for the blind participation and coalition building efforts on behalf of African people with movements such as these that are not aligned with the plight of their reality nor aligned with their historical or cultural self-concept.

I call on the great historian and classroom teacher Baba John Henrik Clarke as a reflection of how crucial it is to tie our involvement and any calls for solidarity to something stronger than fleeting emotions or flavor of the week causes to protest. Baba Clarke said, "All of history is a current event. The events which transpired five thousand years ago; Five years ago or five minutes ago, have determined what will happen five minutes from now; five years from now or five thousand years from now.” If we do not heed these words as we organize we will fall privy to same pseudo-liberation movements that have further served as political and economic entrapment for African people in America over the last five centuries.

The goal of this essay is three-fold. First, we must clearly identify and label Occupy Wall Street and its bastard children throughout the nation as a white liberal political movement not acting in the interest of African people. Secondly, we must admit and accept that American democracy is a fraud. Actions put forth assuming that we live in a democratic state that responds to the people are ill-conceived and detrimental to the progress of Africans in America. Lastly, we must re-issue and improvise upon the call of African unity against economic, political and cultural imperialism. Our intellectual and spiritual ancestors have paved the way for the fight for African solidarity to continue. In the words of African scholar Waziri Junayd, written over 500 years ago, "Whoever does not inform his children of his grandfathers, then has destroyed his child, marred his descendants, and injured his offspring the day he dies. Whoever does not make use of his ancestry, then he has muddled his reason. Whoever is not concerned with his descent, then he has lost his mind. Whoever neglects his origin, then his stupidity has become critical. Whoever does not cause his ancestry to be abundant, then his incompetence has become great, Whoever does not increase his place of descent, Then he has abolished his honor.” We cannot forget on whose shoulders we stand, what legacy we have to live up to.

Admittedly, I have been shying away from the Occupy Wall Street movement. I am not one to believe any of the lies purported by the mainstream media so I am not influenced by the right wing agenda’s attempt to nullify the momentum of this movement. It is indeed real and something to pay attention to, but it is not the movement that requires the solidarity of African people. Many political commentators have criticized Occupy Wall Street for lacking diversity or unity with minority peoples, but it is not with the proper frame of mind that these criticisms are reported. The reasons for the lack of participation in the majority movement vary from the bitter reality of not having time or resources to be away from their home or work for any amount of time to the absurdity of the majority to think this is something NEW happening in American political economics. This leaderless movement neglects to present clearly outlined objectives about the intentions of the occupiers and the purposes of aligning with this movement. Lest we not forget what we were all taught when we were young, “Stand for something or you will fall for anything”. Joining in solidarity with a movement that refuses to list concrete demands means that your alliance is for empirical data recording (tokenism!) and ultimately may end up with you acting as a sacrificial lamb in the salvation of your oppressor. The OWS movement rises from the complaints of the majority that they are not benefitting from the wealth of the 1%. If this was a noble cause, these individuals would have been preaching “solidarity” for the last 400 years Africans in America have been living with an economic and political foot on their neck. Know this… if there is redistribution of wealth among the 99%, let’s check where the black people will fall… oppression is still oppression even if it is equalized through the classes of the oppressor.

After attending Occupy Milwaukee meetings, I was reminded of precisely the cultural and political frameworks, which this movement is propelling. For one, the majority (read: white) led aspect of this movement is not for socialist or communal economics. Understand that their interest is in joining the 1%, receiving the benefits of an oppressive and exploitive regime and once their needs (and wants) are met, they too will go back to paying no attention to what is happening to African people, let alone any minorities in the City of Milwaukee.

Now, understanding that the OWS movement is not in the interest of liberating African or non-white peoples in America. We must critically analyze our political engagement with the system. Occupy the Hood has risen up in cities across the country as an attempt to bring people of color into the conversation. I’m reminded of the Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and the Suffrage Movement. African women were not included in the picture, however, when sheer numbers were needed, these women who were fighting to be as strong as their oppressive counterparts took in African women and then readily marginalized them once their numbers were achieved. Be cautious African people, the suffragist/feminist movement is just an example of being bamboozled, hoodwinked and lied to in the name of solidarity against your liberation.

Here in Milwaukee, there is a drive for the community to politically engage against SB 207 which relates to permitting an employer to refuse to employ or to bar or terminate from employment an individual who has been convicted of a felony and who has not been pardoned for that felony and preempting cities, villages, towns, and counties from adopting provisions concerning employment discrimination based on arrest or conviction record that prohibit activity that is allowed under the state fair employment law. On the surface, it makes perfect sense to fight against further disenfranchisement of those who have paid their debt to society and are attempting to become productive (tax-paying) members of the American workforce. However, there are two things that must be consider. First, according to the statistics, Milwaukee’s unemployment rate is slightly under the national average, ranging from 7-8% month. However, the Atlanta Post reported this summer that black male unemployment was near 34% and in the black community as a whole, joblessness fluctuates between 40-50% annually. Let’s be very clear, having a felony is not the problem with job attainment in the city. I would like to know in what household are you going to convince two unemployed non-felons that they should be marching, protesting and carrying on the behalf of some white felons that are currently employed? Secondly, this bill is not an arbitrary attack on felons nor an action for corporations to protect themselves from lawsuits, this is a blatant attempt to attack wage labor. By passing this law, the scramble for wage labor jobs will become all the more intense and through the scramble for jobs wages can be lowered because felons (and others) with no job would rather have A JOB even if its paying less than they have ever made before. This isn’t about the felons, this is about creating a consistent pool of cheap labor. Not to mention, if felons can’t find work, there is an increased chance or recidivism thus requiring more jail time. More jail time would mean more people in jail. More people in jail would mean more space in jails. More space in jails would require more jails. More jails would mean more arrests to fill the jails and the cycle of the prison industrial complex not only rears its ugly head but makes its presence the focal point of this government tactic.

If this is the reality, no democratic action by the people will prevent this from happening. If a law is going to be passed, it is going to be passed, with or without the support of the people. It is my hope and prayer that I’m proven wrong. Until then, directing our energy in using the democratic process to stop the chain of oppression from strengthening its chokehold on the black community is an utter and complete waste of time.

With that being said, the prescription has already been called for by our ancestors and elders. We recall the words of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey when he said, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.” We can not expect our liberation to occur through the efforts and organization by others. We must INDEPENDENTLY create the physical, intellectual, and spiritual space for us to liberate our entire African community. Further, we must admit that our causes are not the same as others and that we must critically examine what the intentions are behind calls for solidarity. Yes, relationships must be built with movements of other oppressed racial groups but it must be understood that Africans need to work in the best interest of Africans. Until we have built a liberated state, we cannot afford to divert any energy beyond restoration and healing of a people from this tragedy we are in called the maafa. In addition, occupations are valuable tactics to employ depending on the demands of the group employing them. What are we occupying? What are we trying to get? For whom does this matter? If we must discuss a potential occupation we have already to venues we should readily address as a community. First, we cannot ignore that black men and women are already in a full out occupation of the US penal system. We currently account for 30% of the prison population. How do we leverage this issue towards liberation? (Occupy our minds for minute, huh?) Secondly, the public education system was the FIRST institution to be attacked by the right wing agenda and we still have not mustered by the courage to OCCUPY SCHOOLS. It may be cliché to assert that the children are the future, but without them we will not survive this. We will not survive. In fact, the quest for liberating education should go beyond an occupation but resemble a full on TAKE OVER similar to the Freedom Schools Movement in the 1960s and propelled by independently OWNED and OPERATED schools that educated African children TO BE AFRIKAN without question or concern. It would be remiss to not recognize the institutions in DC, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, St. Petersburg and throughout the continent that doing precisely THIS! Building a movement (reform?) and building institutions (revolutions?) are not the same thing and as African people, institution-building is currently our call.

Pardon the long diatribe but the grave and imminent danger we are putting the community in by participating, coalitioning, and supporting a mass movement that ultimately will further strengthen the oppression against African people is too great to ignore. We owe it to ourselves, our ancestors, and the BEAUTYFUL ONES not yet born to fight for liberation on behalf of our own SELF-DETERMINED demands. Let us fervently educate, agitate, and organize on behalf of African people for African people.

ABIBIFAHODIE!