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A review by kevin_shepherd
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis
4.0
“I fear that if we don’t take seriously the ways in which racism is embedded in structures of institutions, if we assume that there must be an identifiable racist—the bad apple type who is the perpetrator—then we won’t ever succeed in eradicating racism.”
A nice collection of essays, lectures, speeches and interviews in which Angela Davis challenges us to think harder, to reason more, and to question the status quo. I made over seventy notes. Here are five of them:
Intersectionality
It is not a question of whether or not one should prioritize a movement, be it a feminist movement or a black freedom movement—there should be BOTH. The real emphasis needs to be on the strong and coherent connections between the two.
We Were Eight Years In Power
Although there were a lot of disappointments with the presidency of Barack Obama we would NOT have been better off with Romney in the White House. It's not that we needed a better black president, it is that we lacked an organized movement.
Systemic Racism
Racism is extant not necessarily because of individual actors but because it is so deeply ingrained in the system. We cannot assume that the worst is over just because white people are no longer burning crosses or screaming the n-word.
Systemic Violence
Institutions such as the police, the prisons, and the military hold the vast monopoly on violence. You cannot claim support of the establishment and simultaneously disavow their modus operandi.
Gaza
When talking about the Middle East, why is Palestine held more accountable and liable for violence than Israel? Why do people assume that the oppressed are responsible for the safety of the oppressors?
Davis asks the tough questions. She comes down hard (and rightly so) on the Bush administration. I am dying to read anything she published post-November 2016, after the election of a POTUS that made Bush look like Jane Fonda. That will be an interesting read.
A nice collection of essays, lectures, speeches and interviews in which Angela Davis challenges us to think harder, to reason more, and to question the status quo. I made over seventy notes. Here are five of them:
Intersectionality
It is not a question of whether or not one should prioritize a movement, be it a feminist movement or a black freedom movement—there should be BOTH. The real emphasis needs to be on the strong and coherent connections between the two.
We Were Eight Years In Power
Although there were a lot of disappointments with the presidency of Barack Obama we would NOT have been better off with Romney in the White House. It's not that we needed a better black president, it is that we lacked an organized movement.
Systemic Racism
Racism is extant not necessarily because of individual actors but because it is so deeply ingrained in the system. We cannot assume that the worst is over just because white people are no longer burning crosses or screaming the n-word.
Systemic Violence
Institutions such as the police, the prisons, and the military hold the vast monopoly on violence. You cannot claim support of the establishment and simultaneously disavow their modus operandi.
Gaza
When talking about the Middle East, why is Palestine held more accountable and liable for violence than Israel? Why do people assume that the oppressed are responsible for the safety of the oppressors?
Davis asks the tough questions. She comes down hard (and rightly so) on the Bush administration. I am dying to read anything she published post-November 2016, after the election of a POTUS that made Bush look like Jane Fonda. That will be an interesting read.