On January 16th, 2012, at 6pm, about 200 Occupy Boston participants and supporters gathered at the Arlington Street Church for Martin Luther King Occupied: An MLK Community Gathering hosted by the People Of Color Working Group (POC). The event was emceed  by Jimi Two Feathers. This event was kicked off by a performance by the Earth Drum Council Drummers, a group founded by Jimi and Morwen Two Feathers in 1990 which focuses on drumming as a tool for community-building, cultural awareness and personal growth, located in Concord, MA.

The next speaker was Wanjiku Mwangi, of United for a Fair Economy, who presented State of the Dream, based on the demographics regarding

Wanjiku Mwagi presenting 'State of the Dream' /Photo by Matthew J Shochat

income disparity, population growth, and debt comparison by race to paint a picture of the harsh realities people of color face regularly in society. Lizard Lounge poetry slam winners Janae Johnson and Porsha Olayiwola then shared passionate poetry addressing economic inequality and families in pain due to poverty and racism.

Brian Kwoba, a member of the People Of Color Working Group, next presented an excerpt and open discussion from a partial speech of King’s, dated April 4, 1967, which included:

 It is with such activity in mind that the words of the late John F. Kennedy come back to haunt us. Five years ago today he said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable.” Increasingly, by choice or by accident, this is the role our nation has taken, the role of those who make peaceful revolution impossible by refusing to give up the privileges and the pleasures that come from the immense profits of overseas investments. I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin… we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

Fishbowl of POCcupiers /Photo by Matthew J Shochat

The next line of speakers were as follows: Kwame Somburu, 1968 vice-Presidential candidate of the Socialist Workers Party, presented us with “Reflections on MLK”; Optimus of the Foundation Movement whom lead the crowd through a wonderful hip-hop performance, where 2 audience members got to take part on stage, and the entire audience got to participate; and Carl Williams who gave an introduction to the 3-Strikes Law, a proposed piece of legislation that that targets habitual offenders which incarcerates our communities, and burdens our taxpayers.

Afterwords, legendary activist and Boston native Mel King spoke to the delight of the audience for 10 minutes on the significance between Occupy and MLK as movements at different times with similar importance. Two special performances from New England’s Dream Girls came immediately following. By 8:30pm, the event winded down with a massive cheer, and the crowd then dispersed.

On Saturday, February 4th, the Action for Peace Working Group (APWG) of Occupy Boston led an inspiring day of action to demand “No War On Iran!” The day included a march, a rally at the Israeli consulate to urge Israel not to act as a proxy for oil interests in starting a war with Iran, and a speakout at Copley Square.  Saturday’s Boston action was one of fifty-five demonstrations taking place in the United States and in six countries to demand, “No War! No Sanctions! No Assassinations! No Intervention!”

Marilyn Levin of APWG spoke first, and noted how the current situation mirrored the run up to the war in Iraq. She added, “The War Against Terror has led to endless war, and an assault on both our Constitution and democracy.”

Alex Shams, a Harvard student with the Palestine Solidarity Committee at Harvard, was excited by the march and the turnout:  “This demonization does not make sense. I am just so happy to see how many are against bombing more people.” Shanes who is Iranian, described how living under sanctions has been devastating for the people of Iran.  He also said people in believe it is inevitable that the United States will attack them and destroy their homes and country. He urged the crowd not to let that happen.

Shawn Golden from ISA said that as the U.S. threatened to start yet another war, they have yet to held accountable for what the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have done to civilians, and the hundreds of thousands who died.

Steve Kirschbaum, Chair of United Steelworkers local 8751 spoke, noted the devastating economic consequences of endless war: “Every bomb means no money for a school. Every bomber means roads and bridges that are neither repaired nor maintained. Solidarity with Indiana. Children go hungry due to this endless war, the 1000 bases. We lure our young people who cannot find jobs into the killing machine. We lure them to study for jobs that they will never have, and to take on a trillion dollars in debt so bankers profit. It is time for the people to occupy everything.”

The Smedley Butler Brigade of Veterans for Peace were there in force, and Pat Scanlon spoke at the speakout. Scanlon invited everyone to the Saint Patrick’s Peace Parade for March 18. For more information, contact Info@massvfp.org

The next meeting of the Action for Peace Working Group is on February 5, 2012 at E5, 33 Harrison Avenue, Boston at 3 PM.