What is the meaning of freedom? Angela Y. Davis'' life and work have been dedicated to examining this fundamental question and to ending all forms of oppression that deny people their political, cultural, and sexual freedom. In this collection of twelve searing, previously unpublished speeches, Davis confronts the interconnected issues of power, race, gender, class, incarceration, conservatism, and the ongoing need for social change in the United States. With her characteristic brilliance, historical insight, and penetrating analysis, Davis addresses examples of institutional injustice and explores the radical notion of freedom as a collective striving for real democracy - not something granted or guaranteed through laws, proclamations, or policies, but something that grows from a participatory social process that demands new ways of thinking and bei
Trade Review
"This document of contemporary thought by a major world-historical figure, Davis' first full-length book in almost a decade, makes it timelessly clear that while no freedom fight will ever be easy--'We can't rely on simple categories'--every real triumph, however small and short-lived, will always be worth it." -- Todd Steven Burroughs, Ebony.com "The 12 speeches delivered between 1994 and 2009, and collected here for the first time, provide as good an entry point as any into the radical life and ideas of the political activist and thinker Angela Davis." -- San Francisco Chronicle "In this collection of 12 previously unpublished speeches, the longtime activist asks readers to imagine a social landscape devoid of institutional and cultural injustice. Freedom is a process of becoming, she asserts; it can't be fully realized without collective participation by a demanding society."--Ms. Magazine "Angela Y. Davis proves that it's still possible to find a new, refreshing way to discuss race, gender, class, and sexuality. In this heartfelt examination through previously unpublished speeches, Davis discusses these issues with simple language and challenges us to think about how feminism and racism relate to our everyday lives."--Bust Magazine "This book is a collection of Davis' lectures from 1994 through 2009, interweaving themes of freedom and bias based on race, gender, and sexual orientation. Davis is at her best linking these perceptively separate segments into a broader concept of freedom across all the lines that separate us."--Booklist "As always, Davis is particularly concerned with the prison-industrial complex, yet her thoughts on marriage equality, immigration and globalization are just as thought-provoking." -- San Jose Mercury News "Angela Davis has devoted her career to this fundamental question of freedom, and its seemingly inherent other, oppression. The need for social change in America is great, but constantly thwarted by institutional injustice. Davis is calling for real democracy, which comes not from any law or proclamation, but by participatory social process."--Alexis Coe, SF Weekly "Davis is careful to bring current, pressing, and local issues into each of her speeches. The same undergirding of what the Combahee River Collective called 'interlocking' oppressions organizes not only her speeches but also her responses to audience members included in the book, providing some of the richest moments in the collection." --Alexis Pauline Gumbs Make/Shift Magazine
Table of Contents
Contents Foreword by Robin D. G. Kelly 1. Report from Harlem September 9, 1994 2. The Prison Industrial Complex May 5, 1997 3. Race, Crime & Punishment November 16, 1999 4. Race, Power, and Prisons Since 9/11 March 1, 2002 5. Radical Multiculturalism March 1, 2005 6. Abolition Democracy December 2, 2005 7. Racism: Then & Now April 17, 2007 8.The Meaning of Freedom February 15, 2008 9. Justice for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities February 24, 2008 10. Recognizing Racism in the Era of Neoliberalism March 18, 2008 11. Black History Month February 2, 2009 12. Difficult Dialogues November 12, 2009 About the Author
