Author Archives: sshafik

Early 21st Century Activism

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As we finish the semester, we have finally arrived to the 21st Century activism movements. Luckily, our generation has been able to see these movements come into fruition and spark change. The movements of our time have been monumental in the masses of people that have gathered for causes, and brought together all types of people.

Jaffe begins by discussing the “Occupy Wall Street” (OWS) movement that took place in 2011. Occupy Wall Street emerged in a time period where activism was taking place domestically and internationally. In Spain, young people protested against job cuts and the government’s budget decisions. In Madison, Wisconsin, people protested the Republican tax and budget plan that would invade on the public sector of labor. In Cairo, Egypt, millions of people gathered in Tahrir Square to protest the sitting President Mubarak. The idea of having millions of people gather to strike change like the one in Cairo inspired the same movement across the Atlantic. OWS began in Lower Manhattan to express their distress and dissatisfaction with the direction of the US economy. Many were still triggered by the financial meltdown that occurred in 2008 that resulted in the saving of the banks but sinking of employment rates, rising in homeless people, and of course, the raising of salaries of executive members. OWS also brought several other problems to the table such as college loans, outsourcing, and environmental problems that were blamed on irresponsible corporations and a reckless government. The people united on the fact that life for middle class and working Americans was getting harder and the lives of the rich was becoming significantly easier. They utilized the slogan “We are the 99%!” to emphasize that such a small percentage is benefitting from the decisions made by corporations and the government.

OWS struck NYC harder than most protests. The movement persuaded thousands of depositors to move and estimated $4.5 billion dollars out of large banks, and into non-profit credit unions and community-based banks. Also, because social media was beginning to peak, OWS used platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to rapidly inform, persuade, and gather people. Something that was different about this protest is that it gathered people of all genders and races under the idea that it was the “people’s mic” not only one type of person’s turn to speak. As the protest carried on, facilitators had to ensure that women, people of color, and LGBTQ groups were receiving the same right to express their grievances as the straight white males that made up the majority of OWS. It is rather unknown what OWS accomplished with regards to the economy, however, the movement set the precedent for all the movements that were to strike New York City; #BlackLivesMatter, racial profiling, Women’s March and gentrification.

As seen in the articles we were given, several movements followed OWS. Black Lives Matter is a member-led organization whose mission is to build local power and to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. After the deaths of two men in Louisiana that were killed by forms of police brutality, the people of New York did not stay silent. Thousands on thousands of people gathered in Times Square and Union Square to grieve the innocent lives that were taken. Immediately after people began to arrive, the NYPD began to aggressively arrest people and detain them. Videos, photos and recordings went viral on social media which spread support for the movement even faster. When the public found a common enemy, people united and kept protesting even more.

Another movement is the WE ACT movement which builds healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of environmental policies and practices. This organization mainly works in the low-income neighborhoods of New York City that do not receive the same access to cleaner air, healthy homes, and sustainable and equitable land. WE ACT conducts campaigns including their Uptown Chats which Uptown leaders networking and engaging with leaders and public officials on topics such as energy, economic development, and transportation.

The final movement that was mentioned was the New Sanctuary Coalition. The New Sanctuary Coalition has been led by and for immigrants to stop the inhumane system of deportations and detentions in this country. They work to provide person-to-person support to many hundreds of immigrants facing detention and deportation. With the help of donors and volunteers, the coalition is able to expand and continue to provide safe spaces for people in churches, businesses and homes. There are around 20 “safe spaces” designated as sanctuaries for immigrants and these places have managed to rescue thousands of immigrants from the grasp of ICE.

Movements like the one listed above are the stones that have set the base for activism in this century. People began to find common grounds and understand that change needed to be made. With inspiration from a movement like OWS, people have used platforms on social media, public performances, and gathering of thousands of people to get the awareness needed for their cause. The activism of this century is still continuing and our generations and the generations to come will be the sparks that ignite the activism in New York City because of the rich history ingrained here.

Sarah S.

ACT-UP

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ACT-UP is an international advocacy group working to impact the lives of individuals with AIDS to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease. The group has been known to enter into areas defined as “sacred spaces” to carry out their messages to the public. As shown in class, the sacred spaces included City Hall, the White House, and St.Patricks Church. The motive behind utilizing these sacred spaces was to generate any form of attraction to their cause from the biggest audiences. The effectiveness of such actions, however, in my opinion, is a little obscured. The protests and gatherings in City Hall, appeared to be effective because the space they were in permitted for voices to be heard and government officials to hear. Moreover, in a place like the White House, the area is a public area where any human being has rights to walk, run, protest etc. Therefore, I do believe that using the White House front lawn as a sacred space was effective because such a prominent building was challenged by a group that is being betrayed by the people who run that building. An image like that in the public’s mind put the AIDS epidemic into perspective for people who are part of ACT-UP but also bystanders. However, I believe the use of the church as a sacred space was ineffective. As seen in the video, there was a service being carried out and the groups stormed in and began shouting, interrupting what was going on. In my opinion, no matter what group you are advocating for or the cause, there must be respect to what is actually sacred. Also, I believe that because it was in a church, the group pushed people away and intensified the conflicts between the church and the organization.

The movements for police brutality and criminal justice can learn from ACT-UP because their methods of protesting did change the dynamic of the problem. The movements should push towards educating the ignorant and finding areas where they can truly reach their surroundings and ignite real change. 

Sarah Shafik

Extra Credit: Young Lords

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  1. What is the legacy of the Young Lords Party?

The New York City Young Lords Organization, was founded by a group of mostly Puerto Rican students from SUNY-Old Westbury, Queens College and Columbia University. They were inspired by the Black Panther Party  and a group called the Young Lords in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Young Lords were a former street organization that had gained national attention when they took over a local church in order to provide child care, a breakfast program and other community-oriented programs. Many of the original Young Lords had been involved in the student and anti-war movements and wanted to apply the skills gained in that work to creating a community-based revolutionary organization. The Young Lords organized both on campuses and in their communities. They continued to build an autonomous student movement, while at the same time training students to be community organizers. They recognized that the community needed to feel ownership over institutions of higher education, and fought for colleges that served their needs. And the Young Lords realized that building a revolutionary organization means investigating the issues that the community is already struggling with in some way. As revolutionaries they sought to make tangible gains on the issues the community found important.

2. Why do they matter for today?

An impactful organization such as the Young Lords is important for today because the generations that have come after and will come are ones that mirror the actions and progression of this party. As a group that advocated for their fellow Puerto Ricans, they generated a sense of optimism for a better future for the current generation. The Young Lords’ devotion and zeal towards their fight for change is something that people with a desire for a change will see as inspiration and echo it. Moreover, as a group that has a forgotten legacy, it is difficult to grasp their value but in the Latino communities, this party serves as a way out of the political, economic, and social wrongdoings carried out against them.

   3. How does the film frame the answers for those questions? NOT PRESENT IN CLASS. 

Sarah Shafik

 

Caution! “Gentrification In Progress”

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For the last 40 years, any individual that has a pair of eyes will notice the tragic difference and dynamic change between 20th Century New York City and  21st Century New York City. With solely a commercial mindset, the government along with “culture” seeking leeches have infiltrated and annihilated the 5 boroughs. Jeremiah Moss compares this mindset to Manifest Destiny, where settlers continue to justify their placement wherever they desire. Throughout the readings, the gravity of gentrification is demonstrated across New York City using statistics, personal stories, and activism.

The dictionary definition of gentrification is to “renovate” and “improve” districts or areas so that they can adjust to the upper class taste. We begin in Brooklyn in the 20th Century; a place where people from Manhattan never visited, a place for people of color and the working class. Norman Podhoretz, a 1930’s blue-collar worker states, “there were no Americans. There were Jews and Negroes and Italians and Poles and Irishmen.” Brooklyn was never meant to be an Anglo-Saxon borough, then came the 60’s and 70’s. Artists, hippies and mostly white middle class individuals began to filter through the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, rehabbing deteriorating brownstones. These “creative” individuals would enter into “all-negro” neighborhoods in search for the ultimate experience of an authentic community experience. In efforts to create this utopian melting pot, the poor were displaced, but the municipal corruption that existed reduced because the benefits of middle class whites improved the conditions of those areas. The spread of gentrification began with Williamsburg, and expanded because of the Internet and social media.

Not long ago, the waterfront of Williamsburg consisted of nothing but low buildings, factories, church steeples and the famous Domino sugar factory. Now, churches have been changed to condos, glittering glass towers hover over the churches left, and “Williamsburg looks like Miami Beach.” Unfortunately in 1999, Williamsburg was discovered and became the new East village filled with hipsters and with them came their yoga, art books, and record shops. Mark Grief identifies hipsters as a “subculture of people who are already dominant,”  “rebel consumer[s],” and artists who create no art. Instead of creating an environment that fosters art, culture and benefit for most, hipsters bring overpriced coffeeshops, rooftops, “neoprimitive” designs and a plethora of chain stores. It is evident that the openings of  Starbucks, Duane Reade, and J.Crew in neighborhoods like this, completes a step in the cycle of gentrification. This is because the bodegas, fresh produce carts, and small businesses are wiped out for the fulfillment of the hipster culture. From 2000-2013, the Latino population declined 27% and the white populations increased by 44% in Williamsburg. It did not end in Williamsburg, other neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, Greenpoint, and Crown Heights have become and are becoming victims of gentrification.

In Greenpoint’s Manhattan Avenue, individuals barely used their cellphones, people said “excuse me” and held doors for each other. A block over on Franklin Street, the opposite occurred and the “Manhattan” culture seeped in. In Bed-Stuy, the African American culture used to thrive with roots dating back to the 1830’s. In 2001, it was 75% black and its first gentrifiers were middle class African Americans. Unfortunately, after Bloomberg’s marvelous rezoning of 200 blocks, the black population immediately declined to 60% as the white population between 2000-2010 skyrocketed 633%. Ephraim, an individual who moves rent-regulated African Americans, explains how unwanted they are by the upper class whites. He explains that when people move into the buildings in Bed-Stuy they ask if black people were residing there. “If they see one black person in the building they call him and complain about how they aren’t paying money to have black people in their building.” South of Bed-Stuy lies Crown Heights, a neighborhood that used to be affluent but became a predominantly African-American neighborhood. In 2010, the black population shrank from 79% to 70% and the white population doubled to 16%. Statistics like the ones shown above put numbers to the horrors of gentrification and demonstrate the major effects of it on predominantly colored people.

Massive efforts from local church within the boroughs have attempted and succeeded in the past to slow down and remove the efforts of gentrification. In Jaffe’s chapter “Don’t Move! Improve!,” communities in the Bronx and Brooklyn came together, partnered with churches and organizations, and attempted to higher the standard of living in struggling areas. Organizations like the NBCC, SEBCO, and the East Brooklyn Congregations all decided to stand for their ground and take matters into their own hands.

As people walk through the streets of Brooklyn or Queens in search for their “ultimate culture experience” with their $5 coffee, it’s important to understand the culture that actually resided in those places before; understanding just that is what will provide them with the experience they’re looking for. We should follow the paths of the New Housing Activists and push to preserve communities rather than annihilate and gentrify.

Sarah Shafik