_
Decolonize
PDX Statement
Decolonize PDX is a collective of radical people of color in Portland, Oregon. We are dedicated to creating sustainable radical liberatory communities of color outside of the interlocking systems of oppression that our civilization is built upon. We bring a radical and visionary intersectional analysis that centers people of color.
We gather our ideas of decolonization from a history of indigenous struggle and resistance. Decolonization is the process of decentering whiteness and capitalism within our selves and our communities. Decolonization draws upon narratives of rebellion and liberation, past and present, to create our future. We link our analysis of decolonization to what is happening here in Portland’s communities of color, and connect that to global communities of resistance.
The system is not broken; it is working exactly as intended.
* This land is already occupied, and has been for centuries. Urban and rural areas of every city on this continent are occupied indigenous land. The attempted genocide of Native peoples and the theft and privatization of indigenous land is the foundation of how the United States built its wealth and power. We see this in the Northwest with the termination of tribes, and the poverty that many tribes and Native peoples live under to this day.
Communities of color here and globally have been on the front lines of the 99% for centuries.
We have the power to create the world we want to see; we are doing it every day.
Much of this language was lovingly borrowed or expanded on from other collectives and statements, including:
http://disoccupy.wordpress.com
http://www.smithpolitics.com/?p=92
http://unsettlingamerica.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/decolonize-wall-street/
http://occupyseattle.org/resource/declaration-decolonizeoccupy-seattle
http://hiphopoccupies.com/
Decolonize PDX is a collective of radical people of color in Portland, Oregon. We are dedicated to creating sustainable radical liberatory communities of color outside of the interlocking systems of oppression that our civilization is built upon. We bring a radical and visionary intersectional analysis that centers people of color.
We gather our ideas of decolonization from a history of indigenous struggle and resistance. Decolonization is the process of decentering whiteness and capitalism within our selves and our communities. Decolonization draws upon narratives of rebellion and liberation, past and present, to create our future. We link our analysis of decolonization to what is happening here in Portland’s communities of color, and connect that to global communities of resistance.
The system is not broken; it is working exactly as intended.
* This land is already occupied, and has been for centuries. Urban and rural areas of every city on this continent are occupied indigenous land. The attempted genocide of Native peoples and the theft and privatization of indigenous land is the foundation of how the United States built its wealth and power. We see this in the Northwest with the termination of tribes, and the poverty that many tribes and Native peoples live under to this day.
-
The growth of capitalism has always centered white supremacy,
colonialism and genocide. The wealth of Wall St and of global
capital is rooted in oppression of communities of color, through the
theft of our labor, land and resources.
- The
global working class, largely people of color, generate the wealth
that Wall St. is built on. Capitalism always has and always will be
a method by which resources are converted into wealth to the
detriment of the earth and those who are not a part of the mainly
white ruling class. This has been called “corporate colonialism.”
- We
see capitalism and its everyday functioning as a violent assault on
all peoples, but especially communities of color. In a city that is
home to corporations like Nike and Intel, we see the reliance on
global exploitation to create the profit seen at home.
-
The only way that
resources can be managed and distributed ethically is by making sure
a critique of white supremacy and colonialism is at the heart of any
radical movement.
- Any
lack of acknowledgement that we are on stolen land built by
exploited slave labor only reinforces and replicates these current
and historic systems of oppression.
Communities of color here and globally have been on the front lines of the 99% for centuries.
- The
terms “occupy” and “occupation” echo our experiences under
colonial domination. Using these terms normalizes U.S.- supported
military occupations like Iraq, Palestine, Libya, Afghanistan,
Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Phillippines and many other countries.
-
Colonization and
occupation are still active forms of violence in our communities.
Lack of quality housing and jobs that pay a living wage, failing
school systems, predatory military recruitment, cuts to social
services, the explosion of the prison industrial complex,
criminalization of our identities as brown and queer and trans and
woman and poor and disabled and young and immigrant – these are
all violent mechanisms of maintaining control.
- Our
communities, our bodies and our minds are policed. Our neighborhoods
here in this country exist under a police occupation, from South
Central ,to the South Bronx, to North Portland.
-
Gentrification is
colonization under a new name. This has happened in Portland with
the historically Black community in North and Northeast, and now we
see it happening in East Portland, where immigrant and non-immigrant
communities have been displaced.
- We
recognize borders maintain violent systems of oppression, and
control communities of color. We know those who are forced to
immigrate do so because of global capitalism’s exploitation of
their native lands, and we recognize immigrants as economic refugees
of globalization. We believe in a world with no borders, and honor
the courageous folks, especially youth, who are coming out as
undocumented and unafraid.
- We
see both the oppression and the privilege we as communities of color
in the United States receive, unwanted and unasked for. We recognize
that in a global context, we are part of the 1 percent.
- We
look to global communities of resistance for leadership, solidarity
and inspiration - from Egypt to Tunisia, South Africa to Mexico,
Puerto Rico to Venezuela and every spot in between. This absolutely
includes indigenous communities of the Americas, who have been
resisting for over 500 years.
We have the power to create the world we want to see; we are doing it every day.
- When
we imagine decolonization, we do not believe that reforming the
current system is enough. We believe in fundamental change rooted in
the self determination and empowerment of our communities.
- We
create communities that accept our intersecting and multifaceted
identities as people of color.
-
We believe in creating
power and alternatives rooted in our communities. The continuous and
often unacknowledged history of resistance to exploitation in our
communities, here and globally, can be built upon and expanded.
- We
believe in nonhierarchical communities where all are heard and
heeded.
-
Decolonization means
connecting to the land and each other by growing and sharing food.
-
Decolonization is
connecting to the traditions of our ancestors in order to create new
forms of authentic interpersonal engagement.
-
Decolonization is a
practice of healing from institutional and systemic violence.
-
Decolonization means telling stories that emancipate
our minds and dreams. It is education as a practice of freedom.
Much of this language was lovingly borrowed or expanded on from other collectives and statements, including:
http://disoccupy.wordpress.com
http://www.smithpolitics.com/?p=92
http://unsettlingamerica.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/decolonize-wall-street/
http://occupyseattle.org/resource/declaration-decolonizeoccupy-seattle
http://hiphopoccupies.com/