A moderated discussion with Angela Davis
Photo of moderated discussion with Angela Davis courtesy of The Lamron Photo Editor FP Zatlukal
On Feb. 9, 2024, the Geneseo Student Association (GSA) collaborated with the Office of Diversity and Equality to engage the Geneseo community in a moderated discussion with Angela Yvonne Davis.
Davis is a feminist, political activist, author, educator, scholar, and philosopher. For over five decades, Davis has worked to combat all forms of oppression in the United States and beyond. Davis is the author of ten books and has shared her knowledge on social issues worldwide. Some of Davis’ most striking novels include Women, Race, and Class, Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement, and Are Prisons Obsolete? She is one of the most prominent activists of our time. Davis was introduced to the Geneseo community by Director of Multicultural Affairs, Clifton Harcum and Assistant Professor of English, Dr. Olaocha Nwabara.
Some of the pressing topics Davis discussed included the incarceration system, Palestine, education, technology, and social media. If you happened to miss this event, here are some of the highlights of this discussion with Dr. Angela Davis.
Through activism and scholarship, Davis has been involved in social justice for as long as she can remember. Davis was born on January 26, 1944, in one of the most racially segregated cities in the country at the time, Birmingham, Alabama. Due to this severe segregation, Davis was exposed to both racism and activism at a very early age. She was a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) which aimed to recruit and organize young people interested in civil rights. Davis takes pride in her upbringing, as her parents’ resistance to racism and segregation gave her the power and motivation to fight for social justice.
Davis reflected on her eighteen-month prison sentence in 1970, where she was charged as an accomplice to conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder. In 1972, Davis was acquitted on all charges by an all-white jury. She is a major figure in the abolishment of prison systems and was one of the founders of the Critical Resistance, a national grassroots organization dedicated to abolishing the prison system.
Nearing the end of the discussion, Davis was asked to comment on the ongoing war in Palestine and how social media and technology play a role in educating media users. “The new technologies of communication are just that. They are technologies of communication.” These new modes of communicating and educating others have been overridden with a fear of being ‘canceled’ or labeled as anti-Semitic. Davis emphasized the danger of not speaking out and encouraged the audience to be unafraid in their attempts to shine light on social issues.
After the discussion, faculty and students made their way to the Multicultural Center where they were provided with food and a chance to get a picture and an autograph by Davis. Her presence on Geneseo’s campus was an inspirational and rare occurrence that sparked a large amount of support from the Geneseo community. Davis may be seen as having the ability to effortlessly educate her audience, and her presence on campus was a privilege and a moment those who attended the event will not soon forget.