Public sector cuts also fall heavily on women. Overall, women are 50 percent more likely to work in the public sector than men.

That means, naturally, that black women are feeling public-sector cuts the most. Twenty-three percent of employed African American women work in the public sector,  compared to 19.8 percent of employed white women, 18 percent of employed black men and 14.2 percent of employed white men.

President Obama’s jobs bill would have provided help for unemployed public sector workers in the form of aid to state and local governments. That money would have help prevent the public sector layoffs that have devastated so many families and communities.

But so far, Congress has rejected the proposed legislation and the president is struggling to pass some of sub-components of the bill as separate pieces of legislation. Earlier this month, Congress approved Obama’s tax credit for veterans who want to start their own businesses.

Congressional Republicans are even fighting Obama on an extension of the payroll tax cut holiday, which would put an estimated $1,000 into the pockets of a typical family. This tax break targets working people, who are likely to spend the extra money quickly and stimulate the economy.

But the fact is, that these strong women and these women’s groups didn’t seem to raise the issue of male dominance within the OWS structure itself. Any woman who spent any time in any of the work groups or GA’s had to recognize the signs of male dominance — leadership is still mainly young, white, male.  Women tend to cede space to men and, when we do speak up, except for the “big names”, we are not taken seriously.

I really believe much of the problem stems from young women at the Square not having been raised in a feminist environment and having to relearn the lessons of the 70s all over again.  And women from previous generations who have gained some individual power do not use our voices to point this out.

So I was delighted to see that women, people of color and other marginalized people are beginning to speak out.

It’s been over a month since the Occupy Wall Street Movement began. Like many others; despite my active involvement and overall support, OWS has both inspired and enraged me. It’s made me remember why I became an organizer. And it’s made me realize why sometimes, I want to quit.

A lot of us have reasons for feeling enraged. At my first GA, several young white men who identified themselves proudly as those who had been at Zuccotti Park since “Day One” shouted disagreements with a Black woman who voiced legal concerns about the risks of arrest for undocumented protestors.  The men used their self-proclaimed “veteran” status to silence and ridicule the legitimate concerns of some of the most economically disadvantaged and historically marginalized of the 99%–undocumented workers.

A few days later, on indigenous people’s day, a white man who identified himself as “one of the OWS organizers” physically and verbally attacked a female jaranera who was performing son jarocho music. Apparently, she was “standing on the flower bed.”

The unemployment rate for black women is 12.6%.