The American Spring - Occupy Our Hood

 For those who are concerned with the direction that America is taking or who are interested in actually getting involved with the growing mass movement emerging throughout the Nation. Dr. Ben Chavis offers an insightful article on the Occupy Consciousness. I believe this article expresses the spirit that most of us felt as the various groups came together and made possible the election of Barack Obama to the position of President of the United States. I personally believe, that it was as much a question of diverse portions of our society, wanting to come together to move forward as a nation, as it was anything to do with Barack Obama the politician. The fact of Obama being a "Black man" coupled with the promise of "Change" is what I believe led to his election. It was a brilliant campaign that sold the idea, of what greater change could we have than to change the "race" of the President. The 1% knew that we truly wanted (and still do want ) change and they spent a whole bunch of millions of dollars in order to convince us that Barack Obama represented "that change we could believe in".

 Well, as our civil rights continue to be eroded, the rich continue to get richer, the foreclosures haven't slowed pace, the labor unions are under attack the prisons are still overflowing with African Americans, the wall is still under construction between Mexico and the US plus the "undocumented alien" problem is still with us, the cost of health and education is spiralinging out of reach, the war budget is as outrageous as ever, all the while Wall Street and the Banks are raking in the dough like never before and Americans are being turned against one another as much or more than ever, I don't believe these were the changes we  had in mind. I also don't believe that we can leave it completely up to politicians and lobbyists to decide which direction it is that we are going to take. We had all hoped that Obama was going to lead us in bringing the changes we wanted but that is clearly not working out. It won't help if the other political party comes back into power either. In my mind at least, it's coming clear, that if we don't get involved directly, the changes we want will not be forthcoming. Things may not be as bad as they look on the surface because it all just might cause, those in America who feel in their hearts that the right thing has to be done by the people, to coalesce and realize the full potential of the 99%.  Forget the Tea Party, let's assemble the 99% and form "The We Party"




Occupy Consciousness: The American Spring arrives

By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
24 MARCH 2012