Martin Luther King’s dream of an inclusive, equitable, fair and just transformation of American society is being fulfilled today by the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement.
The tenacity, perseverance, and courage of the mostly young participants in OWS deserve our unrelenting encouragement and support.
I am so pleased to join the ranks of OWS with Russell Simmons and millions of others who are conscious and who have been inspired by this growing movement to end poverty, economic injustice and inequality.
We know that OWS as a grassroots, transformational movement for change has already been successful in reawakening and galvanizing masses of people to more openly challenge the contradictions of our society.
Effective movements for change move people out of complacency into social action.
Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) were strategically successful in bringing together the African American church community with organized labor together with other diverse and progressive forces into a unified, multiracial, ongoing sustainable effort that came to be known as the Civil Rights Movement.
SCLC worked with the NAACP, National Urban League, Congress of Racial Equality, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the AFL-CIO.
But it was Dr. King’s vision of the “Beloved Community” that served as the transcendent guide and point of solidarity amidst the diversity of opinions and interests.
There were, however, clear national goals and objectives that were articulated and acted upon over a period of time.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 all were ultimately passed by the Congress of the United States as a result of the countless protests, massive jailing, protracted struggles and sacrifices of the Civil Rights Movement.
The point here is that peoples’ movements take time to build. They do not happen overnight or in just two to three months to realize legislative and societal structural change results.
Yes, there is a sense of urgency today to get something more accomplished. But, my caution is that we should not let the hourly demand of established media news cycles force some to believe that the success of OWS is to be measured solely by the judgments of those who are institutionally cynical or who routinely represent the interests of the status quo.
[pagebreak]
Occupy Wall Street is now evolving into a similar but different ongoing social change movement.
Rather than one identifiable national leader like Dr. King, there are literally thousands of talented and gifted young leaders of OWS spread across the nation.
Over last week, some of the key activists, working group members and leaders of OWS met together to continue to discuss the vision, mission and objectives of the movement.
Last night I receive an open letter from Michael Moore who attended some of those planning meetings about the progress of OWS.
The following is a brief quote from Moore’s letter:
“We Envision:
[1] a truly free, democratic, and just society;
[2] where we, the people, come together and solve our problems by consensus;
[3] where people are encouraged to take personal and collective responsibility and participate in decision making;
[4] where we learn to live in harmony and embrace principles of toleration and respect for diversity and the differing views of others;
[5] where we secure the civil and human rights of all from violation by tyrannical forces and unjust governments;
[6] where political and economic institutions work to benefit all, not just the privileged few;
[7] where we provide full and free education to everyone, not merely to get jobs but to grow and flourish as human beings;
[8] where we value human needs over monetary gain, to ensure decent standards of living without which effective democracy is impossible;
[9] where we work together to protect the global environment to ensure that future generations will have safe and clean air, water and food supplies, and will be able to enjoy the beauty and bounty of nature that past generations have enjoyed.”
It was also good to hear from the OWS working group members that one of the stated movement objectives being contemplated is what Uncle Rush recommended a couple of weeks ago: a constitutional amendment that would ban private donations for U.S. politicians running for federal office.
Having publicly financed federal elections would seriously make these elected officials more accountable first to the interests of the people.
Getting a constitutional amendment will take a lot of work, organizing and mobilizing in every state. Yet that will be a good strategy to further engage and involve more and more people in every community throughout the country.
We are rolling up our sleeves to help do this work. We are going to reach out to our churches and to the labor unions. We still believe in Beloved Community.
Dr. King’s dream in being renewed now everyday and everywhere Occupy Wall Street is active. When we saw the police at the University of California recently spray pepper-tear gas at point blank range in faces of students who were occupying the college campus, it reminded us of the brutality of Selma, Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama forty-six years ago. But you cannot kill the dream of freedom and equality.
You cannot jail the movement for justice. You cannot tear gas away the spirit of the people united for change.
Thank God for the opportunity to stand up for what it right. Thank God for Occupy Wall Street.
