"Alot of people talk about what they are going to do, we actually make this urgent change happen, said Aunti Frances Moore, POOR Magazine/Homefulness poverty skola/builder and founder of the Self-Help Hunger Program
On July 21, 2020, after years of marching, walking, protesting, teaching, praying, working really hard and writing, the poor peoples at POOR Magazine launched their second "land liberation" move. After launching co-launching the Bank of ComeUnity Reparations with conscious wealth-hoarders in 2019, poverty skolaz at POOR Magazine set about the project of what they call "UnSelling Mama Earth"
"Homefulness is about creating hope and following the guidance of our ancestors, to live in community to remember our responsibilities to one another so our children and the next seven generations can live on the land in reciprocity, free of the chains of capitalism. The #2 homefulness land is a reminder of the promise from our ancestors.", said Corrina Gould, Ohlone/Lisjan land liberator, co-founder of Sogorea Te Land Trust, Indian People Organizing for Change and Spritual Guide/co-founder of Homefulness.
"We made herStory today, we launched the long journey to unSell another piece of Mama Earth" said the circle of houseless, indigenous, immigrant, displaced, formerly incarcerated youth and elder founders of POOR Magazine and Homefulness as they stood inside a small stretch of land in deep east Oakland
"Our actions are making our words become real, said Minister King William , POOR Magazine family member and formerly incarcerated co-founder of KAGE brothers.
"We have been "writing" the poem called liberation since we launched Homefulness #1. said Lisa Tiny Gray-Garcia, formelry houseless mama, co-founder of POOR Magazine and author of Criminal of Poverty: Growing Up Homeless in America. "UnSelling Mama Earth means spiritually and legally taking land off the commodities market and giving it back to the people, so we can grow healthy food and build homes not tied to the lie of rent, speculation and profit.
"This wasn't made possible because of a grant or a loan, this was us teaching folks with race and class privilege about the idea of ComeUnity Reparations and then working together with them to liberate Mama Earth, said Leroy Moore, founding member of POOR Magazine and Krip Hop Nation.
This new site is 8 blocks away from the site of Homefulness #1 - the first "occupied land" this revolutionary group of landless peoples liberated in 2011.which with guidance from 1st Nations Ohlone/Lisjan elders have diligently worked to liberate that land and have launched a school for children in poverty, a radio station, a truly community garden supplying fresh fruit and vegetables to the whole neighborhood and provided rent-free housing 5 very low-income, formerly houseless families, youth and elders with the goal of housing 11 houseless families, when they have completed the project in 2021.
"This land was slated for development into 12 "luxury" condominiums. That is the violence of gentrification and removal that has been attacking poor communities for generations, and causing us to be homeless and landless, now that will NEVER happen in one more part of Mama Earth"., concluded Tiny Gray-Garcia.
"We are demanding as poor and very low-income people that violent speculation end in our neighborhood and that these developers and wealth hoarders give this Land Back to the people.". states the report. This address was one of the addresses the youth and families uncovered in their extensive Wesearch. East Oakland is already the site of intense and ongoing removal and gentrification. As formerly homeless youth and elders at POOR Magazine uncovered in 2019 in the "Hoarded Mama Earth Report" due to real estate speculation and redlining Black and Brown Working class communities have already suffered the violence of removal from their long-time communities.
Homefulness and POOR Magazine community is focusing on cleaning, praying with ancestors and remediating this sacred land and then beginning the process of pulling up the asphalt and poison that covers this land as it has been used for a gas station, car repair and then left for years while the land-stealers watched the "property values rise". Their next steps will be to write the "MamaFesto" for the land's life-long liberation from the speculative real estate industry, so that the land can be UnSold ask the community at 76th and Blackarthur what they want to see and need in that block as well as begin growing healthy food for the neighborhood. "It is a long process to move the right way with stolen land when you are poor folks like us , but we will not give up, "MamaFesto"
Stay tuned for the release of the "Mamafesto" by all the founding members of Homefulness #1 & 2 as well as a "commitment to comeUnity Reparations" by conscious wealth-hoarders to continue to make UnSelling Mama Earth Possible. These are both radical, actual statements of commitment to protect more of Mama Earth from speculation and the violence of gentrification and continue to activate the emergency need for ComeUnity Reparations in these times of increasing poverty, landlord abuse and poLice terror.
See below some of the POOR Magazine houseless and formerly houseless youth and elder poverty skola family members speaking about this herstoric day. Pictures, stories and testimonies of the Multi-nationed prayer ceremony that launched this land liberation work are attached.
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The Theory and medicine that launched this work- Poverty Scholarship- Poor People-led Theory, Art, Words and Tears Across Mama Earth-
Stories by Formerly Houseless Youth Poverty Skolaz on this herstoric day here:
Homefulness #2 - A Formerly Houseless child helps to build the future
CLeaning up the Land So More Houseless Families Like Us Can Be Safe
More information on the Background of Homefulness-a homeless peoples solution to homelessness- click here
Media inquiries please contact poormag@gmail.com or call 510-435-7500