We live in a society of an imposed forgetfulness, a society that depends on public amnesia.
That's true but I think the contemporary problem that we are facing increasing numbers of black people and other people of color being thrown into a status that involves work in alternative economies and increasing numbers of people who are incarcerated.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Angela Davis highlights the issues faced by Black individuals and people of color in alternative economies and the prison system.
In this quote, Angela Davis discusses the pressing social issue of how contemporary society marginalizes increasing numbers of Black individuals and other people of color. She points to the struggles they face as they are pushed into alternative economies, which often lack stability and opportunity, while also addressing the troubling rise in incarceration rates among these communities. Davis's insights call for a deeper examination of the structural inequalities that lead to such disparities.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about systemic racism and its impact on the economy.
More from Angela Davis
All quotes →Well, we see an increasingly weaker labor movement as a result of the overall assault on the labor movement and as a result of the globalization of capital.
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.
Imprisonment has become the response of first resort to far too many of our social problems.
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
Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root.'
Similar quotes
The thirst for liberation and equality can never come at the expense of dehumanizing other marginalized groups - especially at a time when hate crimes against Jews have increased significantly.
Being a woman, we talk about equal pay all the time. We're not talking about if you're black or if you are Latina. I would like to get back to that and improving the relationship between the police community and the community of color. I don't know exactly all the right things to say, but I want to engage in that conversation.
My father was at the forefront of the economic justice movement - fighting for and with Black women who were on welfare for dignity and for enough support to feed their families, shelter their kids.
There is no reason why a nation as rich as ours should be blighted by poverty, disease, and illiteracy.
When poor people get involved in a long conflict, such as a strike or a civil rights drive, and the pressure increases each day, there is a deep need for spiritual advice. Without it, we see families crumble, leadership weaken, and hard workers grow tired.
The default of our society is the reproduction of racial inequality. I mean, that's what it does; that's what it's been doing for hundreds of years.