The Oligarchy requires an indoctrinated population to maintain an economic system that screws them. Race is the catalyst that they use to divide and conquer. Only multiracial organizing will liberate us.
Multiracial organizing to beat the Oligarchy
Podcasts (Video — Audio)
In the fight to build a truly democratic America, multiracial organizing stands at the heart of the struggle. The existing racial and economic divides, entrenched in systems of power, wealth, and privilege, have long served the oligarchy at the expense of the masses. As discussed in the video commentary on Reverend William J. Barber‘s work on poverty, and in particular his focus on white poverty, it becomes clear that systemic racism has been intentionally used to keep the working class fragmented. A united front—crossing racial, cultural, and economic lines—is the only means to challenge the oligarchy and advance the interests of “We the People.”
The video narrative’s reflection on an article about Barber highlights the necessity of multiracial coalitions. Barber, a progressive religious leader and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, has consistently advocated for a fusion movement that unites the poor, working-class, and marginalized communities across racial lines. His focus on white poverty in his recent book, White Poverty, is critical, particularly because it challenges a popular misconception that poverty is predominantly a “Black problem.” This notion is a byproduct of a system designed to racialize poverty, a convenient narrative for the corporate elite who have long used racism as a tool to divide and conquer.
Poverty in America does not discriminate along racial lines. Statistically, while Black and other people of color disproportionately experience poverty, white Americans make up the largest number of impoverished people in the country. This fact often goes ignored, which perpetuates the myth that poverty is solely a problem for people of color. The deliberate racialization of poverty has fostered a culture where white Americans, particularly those in working-class and poor communities, are discouraged from seeing their struggles as interconnected with the struggles of Black and brown people. This division has allowed the economic elite to control the narrative and maintain their grip on wealth and power.
Barber’s work emphasizes that this division is no accident. Corporations and the elite benefit from keeping the masses fragmented. Racial divisions are weaponized to keep white working-class Americans from recognizing that they, too, are victims of the same economic exploitation that harms communities of color. This is a deliberate strategy that has its roots in America’s history of racism and segregation. The corporate elites, or the “plutocracy,” maintain their power by ensuring that racial divisions overshadow the class solidarity that could otherwise dismantle their stronghold.
The concept of race is a social construct. It is a tool designed to create artificial hierarchies, dividing people along visible lines, such as skin color, to uphold an unjust economic system. This system requires racial divisions to prevent unity among the masses because a united working class—regardless of race—would pose a serious threat to the oligarchy. The elites have perpetuated stereotypes and racist ideologies, ensuring that Black and brown people are seen as the face of poverty, crime, and social decay. This not only fuels racial animosity but also distracts white Americans from the systemic forces that are exploiting them as well.
This fragmentation is most apparent in how social programs are framed and discussed in the public sphere. Welfare, unemployment benefits, and other social safety nets are often stigmatized as programs that disproportionately benefit people of color. This misconception is deeply ingrained in the American psyche, even though, in reality, white Americans benefit from these programs just as much, if not more. This distortion allows the corporate class to undermine support for social welfare programs, pitting poor whites against people of color rather than fostering solidarity.
Barber’s multiracial organizing efforts, including the Poor People’s Campaign, seek to dismantle this racialized narrative. By advocating for the poor and working class across racial lines, he challenges both the corporate elite and the political establishment, which often markets itself to the middle class while ignoring the needs of the poor. This strategy is vital to advancing a progressive agenda that includes healthcare for all, a living wage, affordable housing, and an end to mass incarceration. These issues cut across racial lines, and it is only through solidarity that real change can be achieved.
Race and class are deeply intertwined, and to focus solely on one without addressing the other misses the bigger picture. Bernie Sanders, for example, has often been criticized for emphasizing economic issues without addressing race explicitly. While his focus on economic inequality is valid, it must be understood that economic oppression is often racialized. Addressing poverty, healthcare, and labor rights without confronting the racial divisions that undergird these issues limits the effectiveness of any progressive movement. Multiracial solidarity is essential.
To truly challenge the oligarchy, Americans must recognize that the system’s divisions are designed to keep them oppressed. The corporate elite thrives on chaos and division, but a united multiracial coalition has the power to break the chains of this exploitation. Barber’s fusion movement, rooted in a moral revival and the principles of justice and equality, offers a roadmap for building a nation prioritizing human dignity over corporate profits.
America has long been a land divided—by race, by class, by gender—but these divisions are not insurmountable. The task at hand is to build bridges, to foster understanding across these divides, and to create a unified front that can confront the real enemy: the oligarchy that benefits from our disunity. The path forward is clear: multiracial organizing is not just a strategy for winning progressive victories; it is essential for creating a true democracy, a country that lives up to its ideal of “We the People.”
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