Occupy Memphis and Black Farmers: Odd Couple

The mission of equality and justice for all played out in Memphis, TN this week, all part of the usual fare found on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.  But, observers could not help but notice the new alliance between Occupy Memphis and the Black Farmers.

Occupy Memphis protesters near the federal building in the city were met with support from the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association on Monday. Other vocal groups also showed up to back the cause. At a minimum, it was a symbolic show of force between two organizations (both loosely organized) fighting for similar rights with different approaches.

Ironically, Memphis is the site of Dr. King’s assassination nearly 44 years ago. It was there that he was on a similar mission of bringing together a mixed group of sanitation workers to fight for their economic rights.

The combination of the Occupy Memphis protesters and the Black farmers may initially seem like an odd match. However, the two groups are more alike than they are different. National Occupy leadership is making a concerted effort to integrate the Black community into the protests, particularly through the farmers’ link with Memphis. Critics have said since September that when the original New York protests started, the presence of African Americans was scarce despite the messaging being focused on issues that impact them the most.

So now we know that some black farmers are empathetic to the Occupy movements. They have long been at odds with the federal government over decades of discrimination over capital and funding. The complaints were settled in a class action lawsuit under the Obama Administration in 2011. But, Black farmers still complain about not receiving their payments from the government.

The Occupy protesters feel similarly slighted from the economic system they feel has allowed the upper one percent of income earning Americans to win against the rest of the nation.

However, the concern of Black farmers for the cause may not necessarily translate into sleeping in frigid temperatures and adverse weather to see the type of change Occupy is looking for.

The larger issue still remains about the Occupy movement as a whole and its effectiveness. When the weather was much warmer, Americans saw a strong show of force in some cities in favor of Occupy. However, as soon as the temperature dropped, so did the outdoor activity in many cities. With a mission that has not been clearly defined at times, it seems that people have not stuck by some of the protests as planned.

When you drill down into the Black community, we honestly don’t see many people occupying a local protest site and sleeping outdoors for economic equality. Occupy as a whole will need to show how they are affecting change for everyday people.  Camping out in a tent won’t translate into anything meaningful.

Matt E. Stevens is the creator and chief blogger of Prune Juice Media. The site takes a sarcastic and informative look at the issues of the day – namely politics and current affairs. The goal of the site is to share information and make people laugh, or at least think. Matt is a contributing writer for Politic365.

• Coach Inc. Sues City of Chicago Over Knockoff Goods
• President Obama Tells Town Hall — Both Sides Must Compromise
• DSCC Gives Balderas the Shaft

3 Responses to Occupy Memphis and Black Farmers: Odd Couple

1. Pingback: Occupy Memphis and Black Farmers: Odd Couple | Occupy News

2. Pingback: Occupy Memphis and Black Farmers: Odd Couple | The Memphis News Press

3. source says:

   3:00am January 23, 2012 at 3:00 am

   je me recherche cette enfer est-ce familier d’

   Reply