Generation Occupy : reawakening American democracy

On the ten-year anniversary of the Occupy movement, Generation Occupy sets the historical record straight about the movement's lasting impacts.

Far from a passing phenomenon, Occupy Wall Street marked a new era of social and political transformation, reigniting the labor movement, remaking the Democratic Party and reviving a culture of protest that has put the fight for social, economic, environmental and racial justice at the forefront of a generation.

The movement changed the way Americans see themselves and their role in the economy through the language of the 99 versus the 1 percent.

But beyond that, in its demands for fairness and equality, Occupy reinvigorated grassroots activism, inaugurating a decade of youth-led resistance movements that have altered the social fabric, from Black Lives Matter and Standing Rock to March for Our Lives, the Global Climate Strikes and #MeToo.

Bookended by the 2008 financial crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, Generation Occupy attempts to help u