We are the 99% is a political slogan widely used and coined during the 2011 Occupy movement. The phrase directly refers to the income and wealth inequality in the United States, with a concentration of wealth among the top-earning 1%. It reflects the understanding that "the 99%" are paying the price for the mistakes of a tiny minority within the upper class.
Occupy Wall Street poster, September 2011
Protesters with the "99%" T-shirts at Occupy Wall Street on November 17, 2011 near the New York City Hall
Joseph Stiglitz
Occupy protesters in Oakland holding "We are the 99%"-themed signs
The Occupy movement was an international populist socio-political movement that expressed opposition to social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of real democracy around the world. It aimed primarily to advance social and economic justice and different forms of democracy. The movement has had many different scopes, since local groups often had different focuses, but its prime concerns included how large corporations control the world in a way that disproportionately benefits a minority, undermines democracy and causes instability.
Worldwide Occupy movement protests on 15 October 2011
Occupy protesters with "We are the 99%" signs in Bennington, Vermont
Protesters with the "99%" t-shirts at Occupy Wall Street on 17 November 2011 near the New York City Hall.
The General Assembly meeting in Washington Square Park, New York City, on 8 October 2011