Angela Davis speaks out against racism
Chris Edwards
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: News
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Davis started her lecture by discussing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She said that most of America only knows his name and that he had a dream. Many Americans think that he was behind the bus boycott.
"In Birmingham, women thought of the boycott, a non-violent protest. In those times, women did not have a voice and the people who did have a voice in the African-American community were the ministers," said Davis.
Davis went on to say that there was so much competition among the ministers, that none of them would listen to the women. She said that a young pastor named Martin Luther King Jr. listened to the women's ideas.
"Ordinary people have the power to change the face of this country," said Davis.
According to Davis, although the Civil Rights Movement helped the progress of this nation, racism still exists.
"People have become color blind, meaning that just because we don't see racism like it was in the past, but the racism isn't forgotten. Racism is still as strong as it ever was, just not as much is shown in public," Davis said.
She also discussed disfranchisement in the prison system. Disfranchisement is the loss of the right to vote. According to Davis, only 6 percent of the African-American population voted during the 2004 presidential election because of this.
"Some 5.3 million people lost their right to vote; 2 million African-American men lost the right to vote; and one fourth of African Americans lost their right to vote. Felon disfranchisement is institutionalized racism."
She also discussed affirmative action.
"Lots of people feel that it's unfair for people who are less qualified to get a position of any kind, like a job or scholarship, over a person who is more qualified just because of the color of their skin or income level.
"Affirmative action was never meant to help individuals, but it was designed to help communities."
Davis said that when someone gets a scholarship from a lower class communty and graduates, they give hope to people in that community that they can do the same. She said that one college degree can be the difference between a life with a job and a house and a life of crime.
Davis, 68, was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. She has been connected to the Black Panther Party and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She is currently a professor at UC Santa Cruz.
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