By Sanashihla
On Sunday, March 8, the New Orleans Peoples Assembly will host its 2nd Annual International Working Women’s Day demonstration, rallying at Congo Square at 1:00pm, followed by a march to the steps of City Hall. The purpose of the demonstration is to build local and international solidarity of working class women to end what causes us harm, while building toward the new society that we so urgently need and want.
This year’s theme is anchored in a demand for higher wages. The minimum wage in New Orleans, and the entire state of Louisiana, remains unchanged since 2008 at $7.25, with no current signs of rising above that amount. This is despite the constant increase in the cost of housing, healthcare, childcare, food, water, etc.!
New Orleans blames Baton Rouge and says that it cannot raise wages without the state’s cooperation. The state of Louisiana, primarily run by white conservative Republican men, caters to the greed of the rich ruling class of Louisiana and refuses to concede to the demands of the people. Yet the local government (currently led by Democrats) is not actively challenging the dictates of the state. Ever wonder why?
All of this is a problem. However, WE ARE THE SOLUTION! Our revolutionary sister Assata Shakur said, “People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave.” Now, in 2020 nobody wants to think of ourselves as enslaved. Yet, if the material conditions demonstrate that forces are placed upon our people that are oppressive, we need to work actively to change those conditions.
Though we are no longer facing literal chattel enslavement, we face enslavement by new names and in new ways, from mass incarceration to the reformed exploitation of labor called “wage enslavement.”
Just as our ancestors who resisted chattel enslavement fought back, and won to move the needle forward, we must continue to the struggle toward complete liberation. When we fight, we win! Join us in the streets on Sunday, March 8 at 1:00pm!