Black Lives Matter- research and awareness

The Anti Racism of Angela Davis

There's this thing called anti racist. And that is exactly what Angela Davis is.

Since the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s and 70s, Angela Davis has been working hard to fight the over incarceration of black people. In 1971, after officers shot two inmates, a judge, and the defendant Jonathan Jackson, they accused Davis of the crime. That's right. They said the gun belonged to her.  And after making a run for it, Angela Davis was arrested. At one point, she was on the FBI's Top Ten Most  Wanted. 

The words "Free Angela" became popular, and Davis went to trial. If she lost, she would have been put to death. It was 1972. 

Angela Davis won. 

Angela Davis has been a leader in the fight against the over incarceration of people of color. She worked to free women and poor people stuck in the prison system. Davis made sure that women were involved in the conversation about race. She defended those who needed it the most, even when others wouldn't defend them. Angela Davis has taught at Stanford University, UC Berkley, Claremont Colleges, Vassar, UCLA, San Francisco State University, and Mills College. Angela Davis is Distinguished Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness, as well as a Feminist Studies professor. She has lectured in Asia, Australia, South America, Europe, and Africa. She also wrote nine books. (Freedom is a Constant Struggle; The Meaning of Freedom; Abolition Democracy, Are Prisons Obsolete?;Women, Culture, Politics; Blues Legacies and Black Feminism; Women, Race, and Class; Angela Davis, an Autobiography; and If They Come in the Morning).

Critical Resistance is an organization founded in part by Angela Davis that works towards dismantling the prison system. Sisters Inside is an Australian program to help out women in prison, an organization Davis works with. 

Now in this modern world, Angela Davis continues to fight for racial equality and the abolition of the prison system. She wants us to "begin the hard work of building new institutions." She wants us to do the work that will "allow us to envision of a society that is free from racism an sexism and homophobia and transphobia." 

"The work we do does make a difference," Davis said in an interview with Ruptly, "even though it might be ten years, twenty years, thirty years, forty years, fifty years, before we are able to witness the fruits of that activist labor." 

She also explained her stance on this upcoming election. Davis believes that Biden is problematic, has a problematic past, and is not pro defund the police, however this election is more about who of the two is more likely to be pressured into anti racist acts. It's a sad truth that we face. Neither candidate is perfect, as a matter of fact both are problematic. Davis doesn't like Biden nor is she happy with this candidate, yet she's voting for him. Why? Because unlike Trump, Biden can be pressured into anti racist actions. He can be pressured into being pro Black Lives Matter. He is much more likely to be pressured into this direction as opposed to our current president, Trump. 

The subject of the importance of voting (and why not voting because you just don't like anyone isn't exactly helpful) is one for another day. I was interested in what she had to say about this upcoming election in the states, because I totally agree with her. I think Davis made excellent points in this interview. Anyways, more on politics later. 

For now, let's just appreciate the steps that Angela Davis has taken towards abolition. Towards a just world. Towards a world free of the systemic racism fueled by the prison system. Towards a world were black lives really do matter. Let's appreciate the fearlessness of Angela Davis to not back down and keep her anti racist fight going. Let's appreciate how unapologetically antiracist Davis is and how she's acted on it. 

Thank you, Angela Davis. Thank you for fighting. Thank you for being a feminist. Thank you for being an antiracist. Thank you for being fearless. Thank you. 

RESOURCES

https://www.speakoutnow.org/speaker/davis-angela

https://time.com/5793638/angela-davis-100-women-of-the-year/

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/06/19/angela-davis-protests-anti-racism

https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/books/g32803115/angela-davis-books/