She has been a seminal figure in the civil and women’s rights movements for decades, but educator, feminist and human rights activist Dr. Angela Davis still remains deeply involved in movements for social justice globally.
Davis, Distinguished Professor Emerita of History and Consciousness and Feminist Studies at the University of California, Santa Clara, told a standing-room-only crowd at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., that democracy cannot work if it’s confined only to a small segment of the population.
Throughout her more than hour-long lecture on February 14, Davis linked the social, racial and political environments in the United States in the 1860s, the 1960s and the present day, showing the continuous thread and threat of racism, violence, sexism and discrimination to women and people of color.
“Affluent, White, straight, hearing men used to control this country,” she said. “But the recent election showed that, even though the majority of White men voted for Mitt Romney, they did not get their will. Ninety-seven percent of Black women, 87 percent of Latina women and the majority of White women voted for President [Barack] Obama. This means that it’s a new day in America for the US.”
Davis, the author of nine books, was invited to the campus by the Gallaudet University Office of Diversity and Inclusion as a part of Black History Month. Her presentation, titled “The Indivisibility of Justice,” is part of the Diversity Lecture Series. The Birmingham, Ala., native signed books at a reception following the lecture.
She reminded the audience of the importance of Black History Month, tying it to struggles for freedom everywhere.
“Black History Month is the history of the quest for liberation and belongs to all of us who cherish history and ongoing struggles,” she explained. “It is infused with the spirit of resistance and the activist spirit of protest and transformation. It’s important to acknowledge these firsts, but we celebrate Black history because it’s a centuries-old struggle to achieve and expand for all. Black History is American history. Black history is world history.”
