A 2011 email said, “On September 17, we want to see 20,000 people … set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and” these 3 words

On the September 24, 2025 episode of Jeopardy!, the Final Jeopardy category was The 21st Century, with a clue that transported viewers back to the early days of digital activism. The clue read:

A 2011 email said, “On September 17, we want to see 20,000 people … set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and” these 3 words.

What is “Occupy Wall Street”?

This clue references the genesis of the Occupy Wall Street movement, an influential protest campaign that would formally emerge a decade later in 2011. While the modern Occupy movement became widely known for its encampment in New York’s Zuccotti Park and its slogan “We are the 99%,” the roots of its tactics—specifically the idea of setting up physical camps as a form of protest—can be traced back to earlier calls for economic justice and anti-corporate demonstrations that circulated online in activist circles during the early 2000s.

The Origins Behind the Phrase

Although the full-scale Occupy Wall Street movement gained international attention in 2011, this Final Jeopardy clue highlights that the core idea—physically occupying space to protest financial inequality—was already circulating years earlier. The specific email from 2001 predates the more organized movement and was part of a broader push for global justice, particularly aligned with the anti-globalization protests that had gained momentum following events like the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle.

The three words “occupy Wall Street” encapsulated not just a geographic goal, but a strategy of peaceful, sustained presence. Protesters weren’t simply gathering for a march or rally. The vision was to literally create an alternative society—complete with kitchens, tents, and communal spaces—in the heart of the global financial system. This approach would later be central to the 2011 movement’s visual and strategic identity.

From Email Chains to Mass Movements

The 2001 call to action may not have led to an immediate large-scale event, but it planted a conceptual seed. The idea of using public occupation as a protest tactic was revived in earnest a decade later by the Canadian magazine Adbusters, which issued a call in mid-2011 for activists to gather in lower Manhattan on September 17 of that year—exactly ten years after the 2001 email.

The 2011 Occupy Wall Street protest quickly grew into a major movement, with thousands of participants and widespread media coverage. Demonstrations spread to other cities and countries, with activists setting up encampments in parks and public squares to protest economic inequality, corporate influence in politics, and systemic injustice. The movement was notable for its decentralized structure and use of consensus-based decision-making.

Cultural and Political Legacy

While the physical encampments of Occupy Wall Street eventually dissolved, the movement had a lasting impact on political discourse. It helped popularize the “99% vs. 1%” framing of income inequality, influencing politicians, activists, and scholars alike. In the years following, its language and concerns were echoed in a range of progressive campaigns and debates over wealth distribution, housing, student debt, and healthcare.

The clue used in Final Jeopardy calls attention to how the movement’s language—and even its name—had already emerged long before it reached the mainstream. It also underscores how early internet-based activism laid the groundwork for more visible protest actions, showing how digital communication helped shape physical movements.

Why This Clue Matters

This Final Jeopardy clue bridges the gap between historical documentation and modern protest culture. It challenges contestants and viewers to recognize how significant phrases like “occupy Wall Street” didn’t appear out of nowhere—they were part of a longer continuum of activism and digital organizing. By referencing a 2001 email, Jeopardy! not only tested players’ knowledge of 21st-century history but also highlighted the enduring power of grassroots messaging in the digital age.

Understanding this moment in context reveals how modern social movements evolve—and how ideas can simmer for years before catalyzing widespread action