Room for Race in White Based Movements?

 

I have had a love/hate relationship with the "Occupy" movement. I've read and read and read about their cause until I felt like I understood it. There are plenty of things I agree with, the fact that there is so much economic disparity in the United States and no one is doing anything to fix it is something I can definitely get behind. But there have been more things than not that have just rubbed me the wrong way. This poster struck a chord with me. I admittedly don't know as much about this movement as I would like but just reading this makes me feel a whole lot better about them. These are the things I have yet to see Occupy address, and I've been waiting for it. And it's not like there aren't people of color in the movement, so why is this not more at the forefront of their mission? It puts me in mind of the Slut walks and how when that incident happened surrounding someone waving a sign that said "women are the niggers of the world"  black women had their throats jumped down by others in the movement and were told to not make it a "race issue". Made me wonder how long or how many times people of color have been/are/will be expected to put their race and "race issues" on the back burner to support essentially what has started out as or turned into a "white movement". 

I can remember bringing up the Occupy and Slutwalk movements to people of color back home and all they say is that it's nothing new. Economic injustice, strife and disparities are part of their family history--it is the norm for them. Being called a slut/hoe/bitch/bustdown/bussa/etc.-- being sexually disrespected-- is nothing new. Police violence and brutality? It's a warning given to children, tales passed down as bedtime stories. They look at these movements with confusion because they don't understand why "all of a sudden" people want to be outraged by it.  Some look at these movements with frustration because they are still not being included in the conversations, their struggles are still not being recognized or acknowledged, and they still don't have a place at the table. They look at these movements with anger, because the way they see it, it took a large percentage of whites to be effected by an issue they've been dealing with for them to get any real attention. They look at these movements with cynicism, because if they haven't changed yet, what would change them now? And will it change for them?

I'm glad to see a group of people of color raises their voices in protest and making an effort to force the world to see and recognize them. Good luck....