We live in a society of an imposed forgetfulness, a society that depends on public amnesia.
Angela DavisRead
We have been basically persuaded that we should not talk about racism.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the societal pressure to avoid discussing racism.
Angela Davis highlights how society has conditioned individuals to refrain from engaging in conversations about racism, suggesting that this avoidance perpetuates ignorance and hinders progress towards a more equitable society. The quote serves as a call to action, urging people to confront difficult topics rather than silence them.
Themes
RacismSocietyConversationIgnoranceAwareness
In practice
Example use cases
In a seminar about social justice, one might say, 'As Angela Davis points out, we have been basically persuaded that we should not talk about racism.'
More from Angela Davis
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Racism is a much more clandestine, much more hidden kind of phenomenon, but at the same time it's perhaps far more terrible than it's ever been.
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Imprisonment has become the response of first resort to far too many of our social problems.
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It's true that it's within the realm of cultural politics that young people tend to work through political issues, which I think is good, although it's not going to solve the problems
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Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root.'
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