( CNN ) -- A group of African-American church leaders announced Wednesday their intention to join ranks with the Occupy movement in the nation 's capital , bolstering what some consider a mutual message of condemning income inequality and social injustice . The move comes against the backdrop of evictions of Occupy protesters encamped in city parks and squares across the United States , raising questions about whether the two groups can capitalize on momentum gained by the months-long movement . `` We are occupying until poverty is eradicated , '' pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington , near where a core group of activists remains encamped . The two groups plan to gather during a national `` day of action '' scheduled for January 16 , set to coincide with the commemoration of former civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr . But could Wednesday 's announcement signify that Occupy is now shifting toward more established forms of influence ? `` Every successful movement begins with a grievance and turns into an agenda , '' said Bill Galston , a senior fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution . By linking up with black church leaders , he said , the group can tap into a community with years of experience in social movements . Since September , activists have gathered to draw attention to corporate greed and the excesses of the so-called 1 % , a reference to the nation 's elite , who protesters say wield disproportionate influence over the rest of the country . Their message , though popular , has also been criticized for its lack of focus . But on Wednesday , church leaders outlined a more specific call to lawmakers , asking for a moratorium on foreclosures , an increase in federal Pell grants to students and added national funding for job training . In past months demonstrators have largely shunned established political figures , wary of being co-opted by outside influence . And yet outside groups have largely been involved , swelling demonstrator marches with union ranks in cities like New York , where activists first encamped in a lower Manhattan park . `` When they had physical spaces , then the point was to be there , '' added Galston of the encampments . `` But the movement has to move from occupation to something else . '' Last month , authorities in New York , Los Angeles and Philadelphia dismantled tents and arrested protesters who refused to leave city parks and squares . On Saturday , police arrested 46 people in Boston , sweeping through a downtown square to evict people rooted there since late September . `` I think there is a danger '' the movement could lose momentum without these physical spaces , said Elisabeth Jacobs , a Brookings fellow in governance studies . `` But I 'm not sure that it 's a foregone conclusion . `` There 's a pretty lively Web space for this community . '' But whether the movement can evolve into an `` Occupy 2.0 '' could be key to its survival as a relevant social movement in the months and years ahead . That evolution may also require adopting more institutional forms of influence , such as lobbying and use of the courts , which protesters have often labeled corrupt . `` People might be a little frustrated that the movement is taking a new shape , '' Jacobs said . But with the loss of landmark encampments in places like Manhattan 's Zuccotti Park and Boston 's Dewey Square , `` I 'm not sure what they 're actually trying to accomplish if they do n't adapt . '' The group 's Twitter feed , meanwhile , remained abuzz with online activity on Wednesday . `` How do we take back our govt from corrupt and incompetent elected officials ? '' read one post . `` Keep the dream ALIVE , '' read another . CNN 's Stacey Samuel in Washington contributed to this report .
A group of African-American church leaders announce they 'll join the Occupy movement . `` We are occupying until poverty is eradicated , '' says pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant . The two groups plan to gather during a national `` day of action '' scheduled for January 16 .