Myra Kuo Territo

Occupy Wall Street 6 Month Anniversary, March 17, 2012, Liberty Square

Photo: Stacy Lanyon

The Occupy Movement is something that we had been waiting to happen for a long time. The seeds of dissent and frustration about living in an unjust society were planted 20 years ago when my husband and I attended the University of Colorado. Back then, it was just a small group of us hanging out on campus discussing Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent, the marginalization of communities of color and their untold history, the economic disparity of wealth in America, and a whole slew of like-minded, never-discussed topics from my very upper middle class Chinese immigrant upbringing. The American Dream was a reality for my father, and he clearly believed that any one that did not achieve the greatness he found in business was just lazy. 

Fast forward 20 years later, despite my parents disappointment, my husband and I are still together along with our 9 year old daughter and 5 year old son watching the news coverage of Occupy Wall Street. We went to Zucotti Park together as a family on Columbus Day, October 10th 2011. Immediately, we were drawn into the movement. It felt as if our small on campus community had grown and we were enjoying discussions with other like-minded people that we had not had in years! It sure beat arguing with the TV and trying to find a way to insert this sort of dialogue into a play date, while other moms are chatting about nonsense. We immediately were drawn to Parents For Occupy Wall St and have been organizing direct actions, marches, and discussions with them ever since. 

The reason why we started to protest was because we wanted to show our children what it means to participate in a Democracy and for them to have first-hand experience in lifting their voices when they believe injustice is being served. My children look forward to these events and continue to grow and learn about complex issues. My daughter has developed a stronger voice as a result of “speaking for those that do not have a voice.” She is able to articulate why something is wrong and come up with reasons how to make it better. She has created amazing artwork that merges real heroes with her imaginary heroes, together fighting for the 99%. My son, at 5, was there when we delivered 5,000 paper hearts to Major Bloomberg representing each peaceful protester that was wrongfully arrested. He watched the NYPD pull down and rip those hearts right in front of his eyes. He understands that there are good and bad cops – the good ones make sure we are safe when we march, and he saw the bad ones rip apart our hearts. He told me just yesterday, that when he grows up, he wants to be one of the good cops, so that he can tell the bad cops when they are wrong. 

We continue to Occupy because it has become a regular part of our lives, much like the art classes, Girl Scout meetings, T-ball, and all the other extra-curricular activities that enrich my children’s lives.  As parents, we feel it is a necessary learning process to help them become well rounded citizens in their communities and continue the dialogue in our household that was taboo when I was their age.  I am a strong believer that change occurs on an individual and personal level, and we are doing our part in hopes of creating a better future for our children.  My hope is that other “regular” families will see that being Occupiers doesn’t make us any different from them and that we have the same aspirations as they do, and hopefully they will join us in our crusade for the 99%. 


Interview by Stacy Lanyon

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