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Magic City’s 99% tied to UAB

Posted on Jan 31, 2012 in News

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Like many cities across America at the moment, Birmingham is host to the 99%

The Occupy movement began on Wall Street last year and has since become an international movement protesting economic and social inequality.

Birmingham’s movement is a small but vocal group involved in several protests, boycotts and educational events within the city and on UAB’s campus.

Diamond Dave, 74, holds a still wet silk screen done on his jacket by art student Katrina Herman at the Occupy S.F. camp in Justin Herman Plaza on Tuesday, November 29, 2011, in San Francisco, California. Some of the campers had begun to break down their tents as the city has provided a new location for them to camp in the Mission District. Karl Mondon/Contra Costa Times/MCT

In January, more than a dozen events pertaining to Occupy Birmingham were held on campus. Most of these events are education sessions organized by Occupy member Erick Forsyth.

“Since our beginning we’ve had UAB students involved in protests, general assembly meetings, and planning,” said Forsyth. “We’ve also had some good involvement from the Faculty and Staff of UAB.  While some of them are a bit weary of becoming too visibly involved, many of them support our goals and try to help in various ways,” In addition to these education sessions UAB students have been involved in several Occupy Birmingham sponsored protests against the Shepherd Bend Mine, HB56 and Wells Fargo. February promise many more events on or near campus sponsored by the movement.

“This Thursday, Occupy Birmingham will be joining with the Black Warrior Riverkeepers (which includes UA and UAB students) to protest a possible deal between the University of Alabama and the coal industry that could have disastrous effects and at the very least will cost everyone through rising utility costs.  The protest will be held on the UAB campus where the board of trustees are meeting,” said Forsyth.

According to Forsyth, several UAB students within the movement are organizing a week of action that “involves a march to Wells Fargo to protest their investment in private prison companies, many detaining undocumented immigrants,”
Forsyth says that students and young people are integral to protest and revolutionary movements throughout the world.

“any recent large scale social movement has involved students or student age involvement; from the civil rights movement and the protests of the late 60’s to the “Arab Spring” revolutions,” says Forsyth. “.  I think having student involvement should be an important goal for Occupy groups around the country,”

Forsyth says there were no conscious plans for the movement to target UAB students or host events on campus.

“There was really no event or catalyst.  Naturally students and faculty are part of the community and share the concerns of the larger movement.   In fact, some issues, like rising tuition, student loans, and the decreasing value of a degree, are even more salient with students,”

Occupy Birmingham’s ideals relate back to the very first Occupy movement on Wall Street and there is some contact between the local movement and others across the country. However Occupy Birmingham is more focused on issues related to the local area.
“At the moment we are working hardest to prevent wrongful foreclosures, the pollution of our public lands, to support small, local businesses, and to stand up against HB56,” said Forsyth.

“…our potential to improve the political culture is dependent upon us growing.  So as a movement, the priority is to stay relevant and build participants and allies,” says Forsyth who directs any interested parties to the movement’s website OccupyBirmingham.org.

Let us know what you think of the Occupy Birmingham movement on our website at studentmedia.uab.edu. If you are a student or faculty member involved in the movement, we want to hear from you. Contact the editor at editor@insideuab.com or visit HUC 135 to share your story.

Alex Headley
Editor in Chief
editor@insideuab.com




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