About – WOPS

WOPS is a collective of activists, researchers and filmmakers documenting the work of grassroots movements and revolutionary subjectivities across the country. Our mission is to amplify their voices and act as a catalyst for social justice.

The term wop originates from the Southern Italian dialect term guappo, meaning thug, pimp, or swaggerer. It was used as a pejorative slur referred to people of Italian descent in the U.S.A. at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as an acronym for “With Out Papers”, “With Out Passport” and “Working On Pavement.”