We live in a society of an imposed forgetfulness, a society that depends on public amnesia.
Angela DavisRead
The work of the political activist inevitably involves a certain tension between the requirement that position be taken on current issues as they arise and the desire that one's contributions will somehow survive the ravages of time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Activism requires a balance between urgent action and the hope for lasting impact.
Angela Davis highlights the inherent tension that political activists face: the need to respond to immediate issues while also striving for a legacy that withstands the test of time. This duality requires not only passion and urgency but also foresight and reflection on how one's actions will resonate in the future.
Themes
ActivismPoliticsLegacyTimeTension
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about the importance of civic engagement and the need for activists to think beyond immediate issues.
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.
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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.
Angela DavisRead
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
Angela DavisRead
Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root.'
Angela DavisRead
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