Who Are The 99%?

with a subtitle of: "A suggestion on how to build radically inclusive movements"

inthesetimes.org...

by ASHA RANSBY-SPORN

Who characterizes herself as a

a radical Black, anticapitalist, feminist, anti-racist, prison-abolitionist

and is:

Asha Ransby-Sporn, 19, a sophomore at Columbia University, works with Students Against Mass Incarnation and is a former In These Times intern.

A consise well written concept of solidarity:

Rather than “picking up where previous generations” left off, as it is often put, I see our generation as presented with a project of going back into history and diving in deeper where our predecessors did not. In order to extract silenced narratives from beneath the surface in histories of resistance, our analyses must be intersectional— we must create a culture of solidarity that recognizes nuance and difference.

I have come to understand a model for organizing distinct from that of Occupy. Rather than being defined by or representing “the masses,” the growing mass incarceration movement begins with the most marginalized. We place ourselves in relation to those in prisons and detention centers, who are removed from society entirely, in an attempt to render them invisible. From there, we attach solidarity, recognize our own privilege, and trace our experiences under the web of oppressive structures in our analytical and organizing work.

It is 'the least among us' who is the most important.

As with the Vulcan IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination) we must seek solidarity in diversity rather than in comformity.

A great Thanksgiving read.