The original 99 percent

By Shannon Mouton

The 99% are frustrated, fed-up and downright angry.

They are angry for several reasons,

We are the 99 percent. We are getting kicked out of our homes. We are forced to choose between groceries and rent. We are denied quality medical care. We are suffering from environmental pollution. We are working long hours for little pay and no rights, if we're working at all. We are getting nothing while the other 1 percent is getting everything. We are the 99 percent. [from We Are The 99 Percent]

And while they are entitled to their feelings, many people of color, especially Blacks and Latinos, have had these feelings for decades or longer. People of color are the original 99 percent. For the majority of the 20th century, we were locked out, kicked out, held down, beat down, pushed aside, put asunder and so on, while a majority of the American majority prospered under the guise of the American Dream.

It isn't that people of color don't agree with the movement or support its principles, we're wondering what took you so long to join the fight? So when people wonder and speculate why the #OccupyWallStreet movement isn't more the diverse, for many of us the answer is simple..."It's your turn, I'm taking a break."