Penn profs declare solidarity with Occupy Wall Street movement

Dozens of professors from the University of Pennsylvania issue a statement of solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, a movement that "expresses widespread anger with the economic and political disenfranchisement of the great majority of the American people."

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Penn profs declare solidarity with Occupy Wall Street movement

POSTED: Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 2:46 PM
Filed Under: News | Protest

Dozens of professors at the University of Pennsylvania declared their support for the Occupy Wall Street movement in a letter posted in yesterday's edition of The Daily Pennsylvanian student newspaper.

(It should perhaps be noted that they neglect to mention Occupy Philly in particular, a revolt that has broken out right down the street.) The first sentence clearly mentions the movement "underway in our city"--my bad.

**

Statement of solidarity from University of Pennsylvania Faculty

As faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania, we wish to express our solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement now underway in our city and elsewhere. This movement expresses widespread anger with the economic and political disenfranchisement of the great majority of the American people. Occupy Wall Street is protesting a system that provides increasingly few opportunities for the majority –– the 99% –– while generating vast profits for a tiny minority. Along with the demonstrators, we are demanding an end to the extreme inequalities that structure our society.  We share with many Americans acute anger at the government's unconditional bailout of bankers and Wall Street firms that drove the economy to disaster. Our country urgently needs to address not the problems of Wall Street but the problems of the 99%:  massive unemployment of the American people, the erosion of our social safety networks, our decaying infrastructures, social and education programs, and workers' wages, rights, and benefits. We oppose the undemocratic collusion of big business with government at all levels. We join Occupy Wall Street in calling for urgent action to increase employment and to protect programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, in part by requiring the wealthy, the investment bankers, and the large corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. We also join the protesters in decrying the disastrous effects of the costly, unjustified wars that the United States has been conducting overseas since 2001.  Only by identifying the complex interconnections between repressive economic, social, and political regimes can social and economic justice prevail in this country and around the globe. We applaud the efforts to keep the protests peaceful and democratic. As teachers we express our conviction that without social justice, education is a shell game. And as scholars we celebrate the creative and intellectual work of Occupy Wall Street as an essential partner to our own efforts to facilitate the emergence of a better social order and a smarter commitment to its lively perpetuation. We join our colleagues in the labor movement, especially teachers unions, and at other universities and colleges, in supporting this movement. We call on all members of the Penn community to lend their support to this peaceful and potentially transformative movement.

Ania Loomba, English

Suvir Kaul, English

Anne Norton, Political Science

Charles Bernstein, English

Toorjo Ghose Social, Policy and Practice

Robert Vitalis, Political Science

Zachary Lesser, English

Deborah Thomas, Anthropology

Max Cavitch, English

Andrea Goulet, French

Jed Esty, English

Timothy Corrigan, Cinema Studies, English, and History of Art

John Richetti, English Emeritus

Marcia Ferguson, Theater Arts

Chi-ming Yang, English

Nicola M. Gentili, Cinema Studies

Eve Troutt Powell, History and Africana Studies

Katie L. Price, English

Rita Barnard, English

Lisa Mitchell, South Asia Studies

Salamishah Tillet, English

Thadious Davis, English

Kathleen Hall, Graduate School of Education

Amy Kaplan, English

Herman Beavers, English

Jim English, English

Phyllis Rackin, English Emerita

Jean-Michel Rabate, English

Heather Love, English

Marie Gottschalk, Political Science

Bob Perelman, English

Andrew Lamas, Urban Studies

Karen Beckman, History of Art / Cinema Studies

Nancy Bentley, English

Nancy J. Hirschmann, Political Science

Demie Kurtz, Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies

Shannon Lundeen, Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies

Michelle Taransky, English 

David L. Eng, English

Michael Leja, History of Art and Visual Studies

Tsisti Jaji, English

Yin-Ling Wong, Social Policy & Practice

Mark Stern, Social Policy & Practice

Dennis Culhane, Social Policy & Practice

Tukufu Zubeiri, Sociology

Nina Auerbach, English Emerita

David S. Roos, Biology

Tulia Falleti, Political Science

Projit Mukharji, History and Sociology of Science

E. Ann Matter, Religious Studies

Jamal Elias, Religious Studies

Toni Bowers, English.

Devan Patel, South Asian Studies

Julia Lynch, Political Science

Ezekiel Dixon-Roman, Social Policy & Practice

Roberta Iversen, Social Policy & Practice

Michele Richman, French

David Kazanjian, English

Tamara J. Walker, History

Christopher Nichols. History

Andrea Doyle, Social Policy & Practice

Sharon Ravitch, Graduate School of Education

Cheikh Babou, History

James Ker,  Classical Studies

Emily Wilson, English

Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, History of Art

Nuzhat Ahmad, Medicine

Bethany Wiggin, German

Josephine Parks, English

Steven Hahn, History

Devin Griffiths, English

Lydie Moudileno, French

Virginia Chang, Medicine

Margreta de Grazia, English

Emma Dillon, Music

Rahul Mangharam, of Electrical and Systems Engineering

Damon Freeman, Social Policy & Practice

Karin Rhodes, Social Policy & Practice

Posted by Daniel Denvir @ 2:46 PM  Permalink | 3 comments
Comments  (3)
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:23 PM, 10/12/2011
    Please note that the first sentence of the statement expresses solidarity with Philly's occupation. In fact, the statement was crafted by several professors attending the occupation in City Hall. Occupy Philly is definitely not being ignored here. "Occupy Wall Street" which the statement refers to, is the name that has emerged from the movement, and as the statement mentions, refers to the movement in "our city and elsewhere". Just a clarification.
    tjnow
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:47 PM, 10/12/2011
    Fair enough--that was a stupid misreading on my part. Thanks.
    daniel.denvir
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:17 AM, 10/13/2011
    As an alumnus and one-time Philadelphian, I feel total Quaker pride.

    "In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." -Mark Twain.

    I expect more bravery from more of you on the faculty soon.

    In solidarity,

    Greg Goodman,
    College '07, South Asia Studies, Religious Studies (BA)
    GSAS '09, History (MA)
    Presently occupying Chicago
    gregrgoodman


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