Why We Occupy
I know why the protesters continue to occupy
We have grown weary of a system gone awry
Where no matter how hard you strive to try & get by
You may work continuously until the day you die
That's if you have a job which is not the case for I
And I that refuse to sit at home trying to stifle a cry
Wall Street hear our cry, your thoughts we will occupy
Some voice concern over the convoluted reasons why
We occupy, inequality is a reality that we no longer deny
Far too many cannot get even a morsel of that American Pie
That is why across the nation their has been a collective sigh
Too ourselves we can no longer lie, that is why we occupy
Written by Tamu Harper
I wrote this poem today because I wanted to make some sort of contribution to a cause that I totally agree with. Because I have two African-American kids who are in school, I have not been able to be at the protests in person. Their education is one of the responsibilities I have undertaken as a stay-at-home mom. Especially since the narrative is that Black & Hispanic kids are failing school. Both of my children are refuting that narrative by excelling in school. It is important that they attend every day in order to keep up the momentum. As a parent, I have to put my kids first by finding a different way to express my activism.
I can't afford to go to jail since my husband is the only one who is employed in our family. I empathize deeply with the protesters since they share some of the same concerns that I do. I also reject the idea that I should continue to accept the fact that I live in a unfair society. Like so many out there, it has been proven to me time & time again that working hard to achieve your dreams doesn't always equal success.I have worked hard in the food & customer service industry. Oftentimes, I have taken the very jobs that the media claim only illegal immigrants will do.
In fact, I was paid less than the illegal immigrants that were paid cash to do less work than I had to do as an apprentice butcher. All they did was wash dishes & clean the butcher shop for a few hours. I had to do those very same tasks plus the job I was hired to do. I was paid $10 per hour to perform the duties of a butcher,dishwasher & janitor. The dishwasher,who was an illegal immigrant, got paid $11 per hour to wash dishes & clean up the butcher shop at closing.On top of that, I was ordered to start using a meat slicing machine that could have taken off one of my fingers if the slightest mistake was made. Did I mention that I was never properly trained to use this dangerous machine? If I would have gotten hurt, there were no medical benefits for me to utilize.
I was berated on a daily basis by the owner/manager who I had to work alongside. For some reason, it never occurred to me that I might face racism as the only black person at this establishment. Lo & behold, that is precisely what happened. It soon became apparent to me that I was a token black. The real reason this small business owner hired me was because he needed to diversify his staff. I was never properly trained to do anything there. He stuck me on the cash register & had me wait on customers. You see, these were the two tasks the rest of his staff had trouble with. He hired me under the premise that I would be a butcher-in-training. Instead of showing me how to cut meat, he humiliated me in front of both his staff & customers for not already knowing how to do so. It was a horrid experience. But since I am a hard-working American, I was willing to do pay my dues in order to excel in the job.Sadly,it wasn't about paying dues.
Every day I went to work, I faced more animosity from my co-workers than the illegal immigrants did. The staff was condescending towards them, but it went over the illegal workers heads because they barely understood the language. When the staff mocked their English,the condescension didn't register with them. But, when the entire staff made the assumption that I couldn't read a recipe & execute it properly before ever giving me the chance to prove them wrong, I realized what was really going on. It was searingly obvious. All of these assumptions were being made simply because I was black. They didn't believe I could do the job because of a stereotype that they held about the capability of African-Americans.
Years after the civil rights movement, the same issues still persist in our society.
For me, the Occupy movement is about unfairness in general. It is unfair that a 21st century black woman still has to endure blatant racism and sexism in the workplace. Why is this still the case for me? When will I get a chance to just be an American without having my race & gender shoved down my throat? Will my children ever get the opportunity to live in a fair society? Or will they have to face condescension simply because they have dark skin? People like me are no longer willing to tolerate intolerance. The poor will be silent no more. As a person with deep roots in America, why would I accept the fact that I may never get a slice of the American dream. I must speak out in some fashion.
As a rapper, I became very adept at writing lyrics that pertained to relevant issues. Unfortunately, the sexist music industry didn't see how a politically conscious female rapper would generate revenue. Simply put, they wanted me to represent sex on wax. As a result, I tried to release my own music. That didn't work because I spent all of my budget on studio time & production costs. You need money to make money. I just didn't have enough of it. Sometimes I have regrets about not compromising my integrity in order to get a record deal. Especially after the aforementioned jobs that I had.
Even though I never achieved fame & fortune, I still have the initial gift that propelled my brief foray into the rap industry. My ability to compose a rhyme. Maybe I haven't been gainfully employed for a reason. Although I can't find a job, I can find the words to express the general feeling that people have across the world. For 99%, Life has become too unfair to bear because 1% have taken more than their share.
