Afro Pessimism v. Multicultural Freedom Struggles - Angela Davis
Angela Davis on the primacy of anti-Blackness as a critique of racial inequity
We are sharing this brief video of Angela Davis in Germany as she considers Anti-Blackness, Afro-Pessimism and Black Nationalism as categories of exclusion. We share this as another voice to consider in these conversations.
Questions worth considering include the following. When African descended people have used the term “Black” as a socio-political location and shared history, how have non-African people used the same term to address their concerns such as the Southeast Asians in Britain?
And, when they used this term for solidarity, as in this article from Open University, what has been the development over a period of say 20 years? Does the South East Asian community (SEA) equally obtain academic posts and funding when compared with African descended people? Or, has SEA community benefitted from using this space on the margins while African descended people continue that struggle without significant improvement?
Is it possible for non-White people who are not African descended, to use the structures created by African descended people, only to later distance themselves? If so, why is this the case? What is it about anti-Blackness that, statistically, seems to be more prevalent, more pernicious and a more obstinant form of hatred? Solidarity struggles are absolutely important (see the Brookings report linked here).
Many African Americans, on Twitter, continue to post “Stop AAPI Hate.” It is worth considering - how many people who stand with “Stop AAPI Hate” are told they need to advocate for Black lives? Are advocates for Stop AAPI Hate able to raise their own voices without being told that they must shoulder the burden of the struggles raised by Blacks? And, when Black Americans stand with the AAPI community, is there any recognition of this solidarity?
Should all non-White people collapse their identity into “Black?” If so, what is the impact for the respective groups? If such measures make Black progress even less likely, then it would appear that Black persons are being critiqued for actually analyzing and addressing concerns in their communities unless they shoulder the burden of all other communities - something we do not demand of others. Why would this be the case?
If the racism is equal across all races, then why are we seeing primarily Black and Brown people being shot in cold blood for knocking on the wrong door, responding to a summons from the neighbor (AJ Owens), playing their music too loud (Jordan Davis), walking down the street (such as with Freddie Gray), or running from police (who often use deadly force). How can we form alliances while also addressing the unique challenges of anti-Blackness? When “decolonial” endeavors are explored within UK universities, are the leaders solely from White British and SEA communities, and if so, how can the solidarity suggested by Davis become a reality? Click here to read more.
Listen and let us know your thoughts.
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