Honor Dr. Angela Davis
This February, join USCPR and the Dream Defenders by showing solidarity with all the radical voices that continue to be silenced for speaking up against injustice, from the US to Palestine.
On January 4, 2019, bowing to pressure from Zionist members of the Birmingham community, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) voted to rescind its decision to bestow its highest honor, the Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award, on renowned Black scholar and activist Angela Davis. Dr. Davis is the latest in a long line of Black internationalist voices to be attacked for their support of Palestine.
Leaders like Dr. Davis are targeted because they articulate the connections between global systems of oppression bearing down on Indigenous, Black, brown, queer, and other marginalized communities. They recognize that white supremacy, settler colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, and heteropatriarchy all reinforce each other and cannot be fought in isolation. Work for justice for one community must be part of a vision of justice for all.
“Black solidarity with Palestine allows us to understand the nature of contemporary racism more deeply.” – Angela Davis
Since the BCRI’s decision to revoke the Shuttlesworth Award was announced, there has been an outpouring of support for Dr. Davis from progressives and activists across movements. The BCRI has reconsidered its decision, and a diverse, intergenerational cross-section of grassroots and community leaders in Birmingham announced an alternative public event to honor Dr. Davis on February 16, the day she was supposed to receive the BCRI award.
Join us in honoring Dr. Angela Davis and the uncompromising ideals with which she has fought injustice.
Here are some actions you can take this February to show your solidarity with Angela Davis, Black internationalists, and the Palestinian people:
- Learn about the connections between the Palestinian struggle and Black, Indigenous, Latinx, anti-gentrification, feminist, and queer struggles in our digital political education curriculum Freedom Bound: Resisting Zionism and White Supremacy.
- Visit Freedom-Bound.org, an artistic and historical account of the shared, interconnected struggle for collective liberation inspired by the rich legacy of Black-Palestinian solidarity.
- Read Freedom is a Constant Struggle, in which Angela Davis reflects on the importance of Black feminism, intersectionality, and prison abolitionism, contextualizing these struggles within the framework of global struggles, from the Black Freedom Movement to the South African anti-Apartheid movement, from Ferguson to Palestine. Better yet – start a book club! We’ve got two free chapters and a study guide to get you started.
- Get involved! Find local actions and organizations geared towards decriminalizing Black youth, demilitarizing law enforcement, and abolishing prisons as we know them, through the Movement for Black Lives. Check out Stop Urban Shield and No Cop Academy for examples of actions that you can take to oppose the police militarization which aims to repress Black youth and other marginalized communities.
- Bring the conversation of Palestinian justice to your congregation. You can plug into a collaborative project designed to train congregations on how to implement a learning plan at Journeys Toward Justice.
- Attend or host a Shabbat in solidarity with Angela Davis on February 15. Read from the Torah of Angela Davis and commit to reinvigorating a vibrant spirit of Black and Jewish solidarity. Share your event with #ShabbatWithAngelaDavis and favorite quotes with #TorahOfAngelaDavis.
- Host a watch party to honor Dr. Davis on February 16! The event to honor her will be streamed live by the Birmingham Committee for Truth and Reconciliation.
- Print out and share this beautiful “Palestine is a Racial Justice Issue” flyer at any events that you host.
- Show your solidarity on social media by downloading and sharing the graphics below. Sample language that you could use: #IStandWithAngelaDavis because she stands for Black liberation, Palestinian rights, and freedom, justice, and equality for all.
