by Christopher Woo and Shaun Bailey

We, as Occupy Springfield, IL., believe firmly that one of our top priorities in the movement is EDUCATION. We’re not saying education in the sense that we stand for reform of the U.S. educational system as a group (though, we’re not saying we’re against that either!), but education in the sense that we ourselves and the greater community we are a part of could always use more knowledge. From social and economic issues, down to how to put together your own computer or knit a scarf, knowledge is, in every sense of the cliché, power.

With this in mind we put together what we, and others, call, “Teach-Ins.” This is not a new idea, but one we feel is a very powerful tool for any movement. Hell, it’s a powerful tool for no movement at all. We track down people, from Professors, Lawyers, Philosophers, Poets, Authors, Experts on various subjects, and every day people with specialized hobbies or professions, and ask them to do a teaching for us. We set up a date and time and location for them. These teachings are open to the public. Even our staunchest of critics could come and take part.

•

With that introduction I bring to you our first Teach-In on video. Here we have Gwen Jordan, J.D. PhD. giving us a presentation on how our legal system today brings focus to the non-violent crimes committed by the poor and minorities, while at the same time downplaying the severity of white collar crime’s vast effect on the public. She helps us trace the roots of our current mass incarceration system back to slavery, and offers a bit of progressive insight as to how we can bring about change for the sake of equality and true justice.

Please, enjoy our presentation, and then click the photo following it for information on our next Teach-in event. Note that this video is in three parts, and if you click the link on the video at the end of each one, it will automatically lead you to the next.

—–

—–