We Are the 99% – A Flyer

Below is a flyer one of us wrote and a friend laid out.

Here is the flyer text:

We met them long ago. We hope soon to meet them no more.

In 1492 they stole our lands, murdered our loved ones, and compared us to animals. In 1619 they stole us from our homes, chained us among the dying in the stinking hold of their ship, and sold us to pick tobacco and cotton under the overseer’s whip. In 1865 they put on hoods to burn crosses in front of our homes, shot us, and hung us. In 1882 they refused us entry to the country, calling us Yellow Peril. In 1963 they attacked us with firehoses, clubs, and dogs, for daring to demand equal rights and to assert our humanity. In 1996 they stole our benefits and called us lazy because we wanted to care for our children. In 2001 they called us terrorists and imprisoned us for our skin color and our religion.

In 1675 we struck their towns in Massachusetts to stop their encroachment on our lands. In 1791 we rose up in Haiti and took back our freedom. In 1859 we rode to Harpers Ferry in the name of equality for all. In 1890 we marched worldwide in honor of those martyred for the 8 hour day. In 1965 in Watts, in 1967 in Detroit, in 1992 in Los Angeles we rose up against racist police. In 1999 in Seattle we stood up against the dominance of world trade over global humanity. In 2003 we rose up worldwide against their wars. In 2011 in Tahrir Square and Madison we demanded democracy in government and in the workplace.

Today they stand everywhere for the old world of greed, corruption, and brutality in service of profit. Today we stand here for our new world of equality, freedom, and solidarity in all walks of life.

6 Responses to “We Are the 99% – A Flyer”

  1. There are four dates listed that may confuse people who read it. On the “they” side 1619 is when the first slave ship arrived in the
    British N American colonies. 1882 is when the Chinese Exclusion Act passed. On the “we” side, 1675 was Metacom’s Rebellion, also called King Philip’s War, American Indians trying to expel English
    colonizers. 2003 was the huge world-wide antiwar day of action, quite possibly the largest world-wide demonstration in history.

  2. This is useful. I think it could work to bridge a gap with the identity politics folks, who are trying to hijack the local movement by making it about undoing colonialism. The result: a two-week long, multi-hour consensus discussion that ended up terming the thing (un)occupy Albuquerque! On second thought, maybe that gap can’t be bridged.

  3. […] London SolFed have written a good statement, and Self Negation, some IWW comrades in Minnesota and the excellent recomposition blog have all made attempts to influence the movement’s politics in a positive direction. The flyer […]

  4. […] and tactics – while others have pushed on the movements goals in terms of demands. I wrote this thing about the implied We in the milieu – this is part of why Adam’s points on universals […]

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