We live in a society of an imposed forgetfulness, a society that depends on public amnesia.
Angela DavisRead
In a sense the quest for the emancipation of black people in the U.S. has always been a quest for economic liberation which means to a certain extent that the rise of black middle class would be inevitable.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The pursuit of freedom for Black people is inherently tied to economic empowerment, suggesting that the emergence of a Black middle class is unavoidable.
In this quote, Angela Davis emphasizes that the struggle for Black liberation in the United States is intricately linked to economic freedom. She argues that the fight for equality is not only about social and political rights but also about achieving economic stability and prosperity, which will inevitably lead to the development of a Black middle class as a symbol of progress and self-sufficiency. This reflects a broader narrative that real emancipation encompasses not just civil rights but also the eradication of economic disparities.
Themes
EmancipationEconomic LiberationBlack Middle ClassSocial JusticeProgress
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech advocating for economic reforms, one could use this quote to underline the connection between social justice and economic empowerment.
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.
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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
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Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root.'
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