“What do we want?” “15!!!” “When do we want it?” “NOW!!!” Protestors at the Fight for 15 yelled this, among many other chants, on the afternoon of April 14 as they marched from Northeastern University to the AMC Loew’s movie theater in the Boston Common. The main demand focused on increasing the minimum wage in the state of Massachusetts to $15 per hour, but many other demands arose. Multiple workers unions were present to state the case for unionization in low-wage sector jobs. Fast food workers were on strike for the march, shutting down establishments like the the McDonald’s on Tremont Street. Community organizing groups presented the case of a Hispanic man fighting for $30,000 worth of unpaid wages from a previous contractor he worked with. The 5,000+ people present stood for labor conditions across different sectors and with multiple demands beyond the minimum wage ask.

Along the route of the march, the demonstration stopped in front of key locations: Northeastern, Chinatown, AMC Loew’s. The eight stops were designated to directly protest against workplaces and institutions that oppress low-wage workers, either through unjust compensations, or costly living in gentrified neighborhoods. This demonstrated the well-thought out intention of the march, as well as the large scope of the plight Boston families face.

As participants in the march, our objective remained to lift our voice in solidarity with the people facing these issues. While many of our youth demand the same $15 per hour wage that was presented in this demonstration, the voice for youth jobs was not as strong. One of our youth leaders, Mary, specifically mentioned how much a wage increase would help her save money for college with her summer job. The role of youth employment needed a little more strength in this demonstration. Either way, we lifted our voices through chants and megaphones, listening intently to the stories shared at each stop.

The march is only the first major action hosted by WageAction.org in Massachusetts, but it stirred momentum to bring to light the multiple issues Boston-area workers face in all sectors, from fast food to adjunct professors in universities. Each of these areas now have weight, and hopefully they can continue to grow until action is taken.

Youth leader Kavya and I both felt that Robert Reich’s “Inequality for All” movie was a big eye opener. It really awoke us to just how bad decades of problematic economic policies have widened the gap between rich and poor in the US. The movie did not just tell us facts, but showed us numerous graphs that displayed the shocking findings about the income stratification in the United States. One in particular was the graph showing how income inequality was in the seventies vs. today. In the late 70s, the richest people in the US made, on average, 400,000 dollars, while the average worker earned an income in the mid-30,000 range. Today, however, the 1 percent makes 13,000 times that of the worker occupying the lowest position. That means that the middle class is being completely wiped out today.

The movie outlines several explanations for this current state of affairs. Each of them could be the topic of several blog posts (even books), but a couple stood out as particularly jaw-dropping and outrageous. For instance, the progressive decline in labor unions paralleled the decline in wages. Another is the drastic decline of the rich’s taxation during the Reagan administration. Previously, the tax rate hovered around 70 percent, but the policies referred to as “Reaganomics” decreased that rate to around 50. Currently, that tax rate sits closer to 35 percent with most corporations paying closer to 15 percent after tax breaks and credits. When Obama stated that he would like the rich to pay the same rate of taxes as everyday Americans, Fox News began accusing this president of being a socialist. This situation made it obvious how fox news is controlled by corporations simply because they interpreted a call to just payment as a direct attack on corporation.

This influence led by corporations undermines the rule of democracy by favoring the voice of the rich through a series of plutocratic Supreme Court decisions over the last forty years. The biggest one in recent memory was the overturning the Citizens United. Said ruling granted corporations unlimited power to fund political candidates for elected office positions. Robert Right lambasted this decision as a complete betrayal of democracy to the big corporations.

People (not corporations) were not happy about this decision. Many went to DC, protesting the Supreme Court decisions. It was really refreshing to see people awakened to the emerging culture of oligarchy that these decisions have created and witness how passionate they were about getting their rights back. The movie described the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements as liberal and conservative populist uprisings in response to this changing climate. One wanted a reduction of corporate power and increased access to social benefits; the other wanted to keep government as small as possible. Regardless of these seemingly contrasting goals, this social division led to corporations continuing to be the real rulers of the American empire instead of the Federal government.

This is a really important movie that exposes how much we do not live in a democracy. It can lead to an awakening that can, in turn, shape a movement for economic reform in this country. I think we have allowed this country to be stolen from us and we must try and get it back.

Last Thursday, March 26th, Sub/urban Justice youth leader Mary and I went to see a documentary showing at the Harvard Law School. The movie, called this Little Light of Mine, illustrated the life and significance of Fannie Lou Hamer, one of the many unsung female heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. Although there were numerous Harvard students, alumni, and faculty in attendance, most of the people in attendance were locals from the greater Boston area, many of whom were involved in the Civil Rights activism in the city. The filmmaker, Robin Hamilton, was present as well and was featured on a panel of Harvard professors after we watched the movie.

The general audience consensus was that This Little Light of Mine was an excellent film. But its greatness is not in the biological elements of her life that she captures: Hamer’s leadership of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, her experience with police brutality, or her being one of 20 children in rural Mississippi. It is in the fact that Fannie Lou Hamer’s spirit really shines throughout the film’s 30-minute long duration. Her passion for justice, her humility, and her zeal are captured so spectacularly in this documentary that when the credits started rolling, we all felt like Fannie Lou Hamer was in the room with us. We got to be very intimate with Hamer, bearing witness to her ability to command the attention of the media and president Lyndon B. Johnson in the segments where she faced off with him. Her confronting LBJ during the 1964 Democratic Convention and her sharply stating “we ain’t come all this way for just 2 seats” was the heart of the movie and incredibly haunting. Her powerful speaking was so undeniable that LBJ was a complete nervous wreck in her presence.

Another of the movie’s strength is that it is honest about the pushback she received. It displays ample courage, not shying away from showing her scars from the brutal beatings she received at the hands of the police. That moment further illustrates how much she was able to make the personal political and vice versa. She really lived the struggle and witnessing that was truly inspiring for me, as someone who is engaging in anti-racism work in my day-to-day.

The post-movie discussion was filled with universal praise for the movie. It really reenergized people to engage with the struggle to preserve our voting rights. We must register to vote, but also have something to vote for.

Mary (left) receives the Courageous Love Award 2015 from Rev. Fred Small

At Boston Mobilization, we believe in recognizing and affirming the gifts of heart, leadership, community building and justice-making that we see in each other. So we are so thrilled that this past Sunday, Sub/Urban Justice Youth Leader Mary was honored with the Courageous Love Award by First Parish Cambridge, UU. Congratulations, Mary!

Mary is not the only member of our community whose work over the past months and years has helped to transform our world. Hers is not the only voice that has called for more justice; she is not alone in acting out of courageous love. Part of what makes her leadership so powerful is that she empowers others in their own leadership. We honor Mary’s work and also the work of so many others in our community.

Here are some of her remarks upon receiving the award:

I was volunteering at our school’s open house for incoming 9th graders when the dean of students pulled me aside and told me I had to go to her office the next day. When the dean of students tells you that you have to go to her office, most of the time, it’s not a good thing. But she reassured me and said that it was nothing bad. When the dean of students tells you that you aren’t going to her office for anything bad, especially after you led a walkout of about 400 people, you kind of end up having to figure out what “nothing bad” actually meant.

Mary, at a protest in Boston after the non-indictment of the police who killed Eric Garner, an unarmed black man.

Turned out, she put me through all that nerve racking stress to tell me that I would be receiving an award called “Courageous Love.” I want to be real with you all, I honestly believed she had the wrong person in the room. Never in a million years would I have thought that courageous love could describe me or any actions I’ve helped organize.

Nevertheless, I am quite grateful for receiving such an award, I accept it on behalf of all the people who are fighting in the struggle everyday. I accept this award, I do it on behalf of the communities that have been so alive and willing to support the message “Black Lives Matter.” I do it on behalf of black people everywhere who struggle everyday against this racist system, who do it with such courage and love. I accept this on behalf of all my brothers and sisters and siblings, who take to the streets peacefully and nonviolently, who take to the offices with passion, and who take to their communities with love….

We are a community of seven billion + people in this world. We are all mirrors of each other and we must love each other if we want to progress and really see the dismantling of systems.