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 βWell, 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 caste systems of sex and race are interdependent and can only be uprooted together.
Poverty, the racial divide and social injustice do not impact only those who suffer most visibly. Alleviating poverty and injustice is a responsibility we must never forget or abandon.
Racism has its boot squarely wedged on the neck of black communities, and we don't want to be told that hard work and responsibility are the answer.
Hence I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight.
Do not presume, well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed, to criticize the poor
We are lagging far behind comparable countries in overcoming the disadvantages Indigenous people face.