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I think we have to really focus on the issues much more than we may have in the past.

Angela Davis

Prison relieves us of the responsibility of seriously engaging with the problems of our society, especially those produced by racism and, increasingly, global capitalism.
ANGELA DAVIS

Capital Global Prison Problem Produce Racism Relieve Responsiblity Serious Society
The process of empowerment cannot be simplistically defined in accordance with our own particular class interests. We must learn to lift as we climb.
ANGELA DAVIS

Climb Interest Learning Particular Process Women Empowerment
Consent needs to be present in order for it not to be considered rape. “No” means No & guys need to understand that.
ANGELA DAVIS

Consent Consideration Feminism Guy Understand
We live in a society of an imposed forgetfulness, a society that depends on public amnesia
ANGELA DAVIS

Depend Live Public Society
If we do not know how to meaningfully talk about racism, our actions will move in misleading directions.
ANGELA DAVIS

Action Black Lives Matter Direction Mislead Racism
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.
ANGELA DAVIS

Hide Perhaps Phenomena Racism Terrible
I don’t think we have any alternative other than remaining optimistic. Optimism is an absolute necessity, even if it’s only optimism of the will, as Gramsci said, and pessimism of the intellect.
ANGELA DAVIS

Absolute Alternative Intellectual Necessity Optimistic Thinking
Justice is indivisible. You can’t decide who gets civil rights and who doesn’t.
ANGELA DAVIS

Civil Decision Justice Rights
You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.
ANGELA DAVIS

Act Radical Time Transformation World
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.
ANGELA DAVIS

Culture Issue People Politics Problem Solution True
I’m suggesting that we abolish the social function of prisons.
ANGELA DAVIS

Abolish Function Prison Social Suggestion
Well for one, the 13th amendment to the constitution of the US which abolished slavery – did not abolish slavery for those convicted of a crime.
ANGELA DAVIS

Abolish Amendment Constitution Convinction Country Crime Slave
The idea of freedom is inspiring. But what does it mean? If you are free in a political sense but have no food, what’s that? The freedom to starve?
ANGELA DAVIS

Food Freedom Ideas Politics Sense Starve
You can’t criticize people for wanting to have a decent life or wanting to live decently.
ANGELA DAVIS

Criticism Decent Life Live People Want
Sometimes we have to do the work even though we don’t yet see a glimmer on the horizon that it’s actually going to be possible.
ANGELA DAVIS

Actual Hope Justice Struggle Work
Radical simply means “grasping things at the root.
ANGELA DAVIS

Grasp Radical Root
I have a hard time accepting diversity as a synonym for justice. Diversity is a corporate strategy.
ANGELA DAVIS

Acceptance Diversity Hard Time Justice Strategy Synonym
Racism, in the first place, is a weapon used by the wealthy to increase the profits they bring in by paying Black workers less for their work.
ANGELA DAVIS

Increase Pay Profit Racism Wealth Weapon
The campaign against the death penalty has been – while a powerful campaign, its participants have been those who attend all of the vigils, a relatively small number of people.
ANGELA DAVIS

Attempt Campaign Death Participation Penalty Powerful
I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.
ANGELA DAVIS

Acceptance Change Entrepreneur Hustle Inspirational
Imprisonment has become the response of first resort to far too many of our social problems.
ANGELA DAVIS

Prison Problem Response Social
I decided to teach because I think that any person who studies philosophy has to be involved actively.
ANGELA DAVIS

Acticity Decision Involvement Person Philosophy Study Teaching
Feminism involves so much more than gender equality and it involves so much more than gender.
ANGELA DAVIS

Equality Feminism Gender Involvement
To understand how any society functions you must understand the relationship between the men and the women.
ANGELA DAVIS

Function Men Relationship Society Understand Women
We should seek out all the doors which still remain ajar, however slight the opening might be.
ANGELA DAVIS

Door Hope Jail Open Seek
Poor people, people of color – especially are much more likely to be found in prison than in institutions of higher education.
ANGELA DAVIS

Color Education Institution People Poor Prison Racism
No march, movement, or agenda that defines manhood in the narrowest terms and seeks to make women lesser partners in this quest for equality can be considered a positive step.
ANGELA DAVIS

Agenda Consideration Equality Movement Seek Women

I think we have to really focus on the issues much more than we may have in the past.

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I think we have to really focus on the issues much more than we may have in the past.

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