As soon as she began speaking it became obvious that Angela Davis was used to speaking to motivate her audiences. Almost immediately she had me feeling a tad uncomfortable and already questioning myself as a culturally diverse and accepting individual. She began by looking out at all the people present and simply asked "What color is my skin?" As I glanced around at the others around me, I discovered that there were about 70% whites, 7% Latinos and 23% African Americans in the audience. It was a really interesting moment. I saw many of the White individuals afraid to say the answer. They looked down, seemingly every single one of them was too uncomfortable to respond. However, the Latinos and African Americans looked up and seeming very proud stated "Black!" It was a cheer. It was an affirmation of skin color. So, why did the Whites in the audience feel so uncomfortable? I know that I personally felt afraid to respond. As a person who tries to be consciously politically correct around many issues, I found myself afraid that if I said "Black" it would somehow come out as offensive. I realized quickly that it was not. It was a source of pride to Ms. Davis. She was proud of her skin color and wanted everyone in the audience to know this. So, why was I so uncomfortable? Perhaps it is the huge history that surrounds how African Americans have been oppressed by whites. I was afraid by saying the word "black" I might offend someone. Really, I feel as if I should have been confident enough to shout "black" as a compliment. Because that's what it was, and that's what it should be --an acknowledgement and compliment to someone. Angela Davis immediately made me uncomfortable to point out the fact that it is a good thing to be Black, Latino, and Red, and Americans should be more than willing to encourage others to be proud of their image. Thus, I should not have been afraid to cheer for Ms. Davis' skin color.
The next question Ms. Davis asked pertained significantly to how education works here in the United States. She first asked "Who studied the KKK in school, or at least learned what it was?" Every single member of the audience raised their hand in response. Next, she asked "Who studied or learned about the Black Panthers?" About 4-5 members of the audience raised their hands to this one. It was a sad moment. While, many associate the KKK and the Black Panthers as horrible organizations, is it still some sort of sign that the KKK is taught in schools, but the Black Panthers aren't? Angela Davis spent a lot of her time glorifying the views she had throughout her life -- why she became a member of the Black Panthers and how she believed it was a huge part of the civil rights movement and has helped African Americans come to where they are today.
Personally, I continue to reflect on Ms. Davis' point about education. Many associate the Black Panthers as a negative organization. This makes me wonder, is this why it is not portrayed in text books? Is it some sort of conscious effort on the part of Whites to prevent a negative image of the Blacks to make it into a textbook? Granted, there may have been benefits to the organization, as Ms. Davis pointed out, but there were also negative aspects. Shouldn't we be taught in schools about both the good and bad no matter which race it applies to? When we are studying the KKK it would make sense to also study the Black Panthers. To discuss why each group was formed, how they countered each other and the impact each one had on our country as a whole. It seems a racist tendency to leave it out of textbooks or curriculum altogether because it shows a conscientious thought of how Blacks and Whites are different. However, Angela's point at the beginning comes back to me. I shouldn't be afraid. Everyone needs to embrace their past. The Germans study Hitler and discuss why he was good or bad for their country. Just the same, I believe our curriculum should not have holes, like leaving out information on the Black Panthers, because it is more racist then not discussing these issues. The makers of our textbooks may feel uncomfortable about publishing something negative about another race besides their own, but that in itself becomes a racist tendency. They should be telling American's the truth. We need to know the truth about our history, our ancestors, our roots, and all the events and organizations that have had both a positive and negative impact on the United States.
I learned a lot from Ms. Davis. I realized that many times I simply allow myself to be uncomfortable in certain situations and that tends to me more racist than the other option. For example, me being afraid to shout "black" at the beginning of the lecture seemed more racist then if I had shouted it. It is a compliment that we are different from each other. We are made to be unique and skin color is a part of this uniqueness. We should embrace each others' personality differences, height differences, food choice differences and even skin color differences. Fear of acknowledging these differences is simply a way of perpetuating racism.
Based on what I learned from Ms. Davis I believe it is best to constantly challenge my students notions of stereotypes and classifications. We should openly discuss important issues of race. It is a discussion that will ultimately help us to overcome racism, rather than simply ignoring it and pretending everything is okay.
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