Week 13

    "The Meaning of Freedom" is such a moving collection of essays and speeches from Angela Davis. There are so many things that I could discuss regarding these essays that it is hard to know where to start. One of the things I like most about reading these speeches was looking at the time period in which she gave them. A majority of speeches towards the end of the book were given around the time of the 2008 presidential election. I especially enjoyed reading her speech titled "Democracy, Social Change, and Civil Engagement" that she gave at Bryn Mawr during Black History Month in 2009, right after Obama had been sworn in. After Obama was elected, it was very common to hear that "we are in a post-racial society" or "the last barrier of racism has been overcome". However, people who say that clearly don't understand the current society that we live in. That is not to say that the election of Obama was not a huge event in America's history, because it was - but that does not mean that all of a sudden all issues regarding race have been resolved and aren't an issue any more. The quote that stood out most to me in this speech was "Racism has not ended because one black man now occupies the highest office of the land, or because one black family is in the White House. As we celebrate their ascendancy, let us not forget the millions of families that have been disrupted because of the institutional racism that structures the criminal justice system.

It's also very interesting that in this speech, Angela Davis discusses the anti-Islamic rhetoric and racism, based on the many issues that we are having today with the same problem. Again, this was in 2009. If this was such a big issue that she could identify 6 years ago, why has nothing changed? Moreover, why have these issues gotten worse in our society? It is concerning to me that, as a society, we seem unable to address these issues of racism in a way that enacts change. I know that systematic change seems to take a long time, but does it have to?

  I have always been interested in doing clinical work with patients, but the more systematic social issues that I read and learn about, the more part of me thinks that I might want to be involved in macro-level social work by helping to change policies and so on. It's hard for me, however, to completely change my frame of mind for what I envisioned in my future. For better or for worse, this book confused me more regarding my future, because I can see all these huge issues that I can't completely address on a societal level as a clinical social worker.