Open Letter to Our Colleagues in Philanthropy

Why We Must Support the Occupy Efforts

Around the country Occupy efforts have been a gift to those who have dedicated their lives and their work to social justice. It has brought together long-time community organizers with a new generation of activists, inspiring new hope and possibilities. It has raised public awareness and concern about our inequitable economic system to an extent not seen in the United States since Dr. King’s Poor People’s March or Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. This moment and the issues and struggles Occupy has helped to elevate need our support.

No one could have predicted that a small group of people gathered in Zuccotti Park would in a few short months grow to occupations across the country to capture the public imagination and contribute so significantly to an international movement. No one could have predicted that these gatherings would receive such incredible attention from the media, and from candidates across the political spectrum. No one could have predicted that thousands of people around the globe would be willing to sleep out in the cold, join the fray, devise creative responses and sacrifice so much for fundamental fairness and justice.

We in the philanthropic community cannot let this moment pass. We have for so long wanted this kind of mass mobilization for justice. We have held conferences, gatherings, phone meetings, and spent countless sums in an effort to support the creation of a movement that is broad based in scope and calling for systemic change. Occupy presents a unique opportunity for the philanthropic community to creatively respond to these efforts and to the long standing and prior work of community organizations and leaders to promote economic equality for the 99%.

Occupy is driven by nothing other than people who are dissatisfied with the status quo and are willing to get involved to help change things for the better. We understand that it may or may not succeed in all its ambitious aims. Issues of race and gender divisions and inclusion need to be addressed.  Questions remain about how to fully embrace and support the transformational leadership of people who come from diverse communities with complex identities that include sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, faith, ability and other identities that have been historically marginalized and will undoubtedly offer leadership that will look different than the status quo.  In this context, their leadership and that of people of color and women must be honored and promoted as central to the movement.  But we cannot fail to seize this moment

There are many ways to support Occupy and the efforts emerging from and connected to it. There is no right way to support this moment – some of us may fund Occupy directly while others may choose to fund increased connectivity and infrastructure development with those who have long been engaged in movement building and grassroots organizing. This unique opportunity calls for creativity and diversity in the ways we engage with it. From funding physical space for meetings among Occupiers to supporting training for activists to funding organizations advancing important goals that intersect with Occupy, we have an opportunity to encourage movement building for progressive social and economic change. Similar and allied movements exist around the world. Each of us needs to find what works best for our particular situations. But engage we must.

We invite you to join us in supporting this effort, in any way that you can. Please sign on to this letter calling on philanthropy to engage the movement as one measure of support, and circulate it widely. Join the Occupy Philanthropy mailing list and share your thoughts and suggestions. Please take advantage of the moment.

This is our chance, and our Occupy Movement too.

Signed,
(organizational affiliation for identification purposes only)