On August 13, we heard from long-time activist and educator, Dr. Angela Davis, for our “Courage for the People” virtual fundraiser. She reflected on the progress we’ve made over centuries of movements and where we still need to go to collectively imagine freedom for all Californians and people of this nation and world.
Quotes from Dr. Davis from the evening.
“”I think the two party electoral system that exists in this country has to change, although of course the Republican Party provides no hope for it especially given its current state. But, the Democratic Party has connections with corporations and I don’t see much fundamental change coming from the democratic party. Change comes from movements. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t participate in the electoral process or vote. Too many of us have died for the right to vote.”
“These are the dramatic moments, but they’re not necessarily the moments that bring about the change. They are the moments that we become aware of our collective strength and the possibilities that lie before us. The work has to happen in different arenas and different spaces.”
“Intergenerationality is so important. It is infused with egalitarianism. Because oftentimes it is assumed that elders are in possession of all of the knowledge and it is their responsibility to share that with the younger generation…What is so exciting about radical movements and the participation of younger generations is that young people are willing to take risks in ways that older people are not. Young people have fresh ideas and this is what moves us forward.”
We all have a responsibility to do what we can to make an impact in the November election and sustain a movement to continue to strive for freedom. Here are a few ways to directly engage in the election and beyond:
- Sign up on our new Courage California Institute website to register young people, people of color, poor, and working class people, and people from other marginalized communities to vote. We need to make every vote count, and that starts with making sure everyone has access to the ballot.
- Subscribe to our Courage Voter Guide to find out how to vote your values in local, state, and federal races and ballot measures. Find the candidates on your ballot who have a proven track record of representing all of our communities instead of corporate interests.
- Donate to our Courage California State PAC and help us mobilize voters for a racial justice slate of candidates and ballot measures. Let’s elect Holly Mitchell as Los Angeles County Supervisor in District 2. Let’s restore $12 billion annually to our schools and communities through Proposition 15, and reinstate affirmative action through Proposition 16.
Donate to Courage California Institute (our 501(c)(3)) and help us organize with partners around the state to continue our movement forward and achieve equity and justice for all.
Join us as we imagine a world that works for all Californians and people across the nation and globe and empower our communities to make those changes, starting with the ballot.
Courage for the People Resource Library
Speakers/performers (in order of event appearance)
Land acknowledgement by Cheyenne Phoenix, Youth Organizer of California Native Vote ProjectPoem by Samuel Getachew, 2019 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate
Dr. Angela Davis, long-time activist and educator
Freedom is a Constant Struggle, Dr. Davis’ most recent book of essays, interviews, and speeches that “illuminates the connections between struggles against state violence and oppression throughout history and around the world” (cover copy).
“‘An Extraordinary Moment’: Angela Davis Says Protests Recognize Long Overdue Anti-Racist Work,” WBUR interview and profile of Angela Davis from June 19, 2020.
Democracy Now! Interview — Part 1 and Part 2 — from December, 2018
Nourbese Flint, Executive Director of Black Women for Wellness Action Project
Follow on Instagram @BWWActionProject + @BW4WLA
Thandiwe Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Youth Vanguard
Jazzy Morgan, co-founder of Young Justice Advocates of the Desert
- Rorri Burton and Brianna Barber of Pro Bono Interpreters @ProBonoASL
Other Resources:
Native Land website with a searchable map and other resources to learn more about the territories, languages, and treaties of First Nations around the world.
The official website of Octavia Butler, the speculative fiction writer Dr. Davis cited as an inspiration and whose writing was prophetic. Butler’s writing is a common source of imagination and hope for movement actors around the world.
The official website for Terri Lyne Carington, jazz musician and bandleader Dr. Davis referenced for her Waiting Game album
- Link to registration for a virtual reading from “Black Freedom Beyond Borders: Memories of Abolition Day,” a new speculative fiction anthology from PolicyLink and Wakanda Dream Lab, including Walidah Imarisha (Octavia’s Brood), Ayize Jama-Everett (The Liminal Trilogy), and Shawn Taylor (Nerds of Color). Virtual reading August 24, 5-6:30pm.