Angela Y. Davis

I’ve learnt a hella lot about feminism, racism and classism and their connections. Coming from Silvia Federici, I already knew some of it beforehand, but getting deeper into the happenings pre- and post-Civil War and the political intricacies was eye-opening.

I could draw a lot of parallels between the lynching of Black people and the silence around it and the situation in Palestine/Gaza today. Divide and rule presents itself again as an important tool of exploitative capitalism. Though show more slavery was abolished, reaping the work of Black people was still in charge, and they (as well as white lower working classes) were discriminated against. Again the question protrudes: is law really always fair? (“A South Carolina court ruled that female slaves had no legal claims whatever on their children”, p.5).

The irony of creating a fragile woman in the form of a housewife and the toiling of Black women on slave fields is real. I guess, shape the world the way it suits you… (“Women were not too ‘feminine’ to work in coal mines, in iron foundries or to be lumberjacks and ditchdiggers”, p.7).

The power of women which they possessed in pre-capitalist times (“women had been manufacturers, producing fabric, clothing, candles, soap and practically all the other family necessities”, p.28) was taken away in the course of capitalism, and they were made dependent on men, legally and financially.

Learning about the brave women and men who opposed racism, sexism and classism was important. Claiming Black people were “savages” when the real savages were white violent men who raped and killed Black people all along since slavery is a grotesque reversal of victim and perpetrator roles. show less

Davis eloquently pinpoints the historical connections between sexism, racism, and economic inequality throughout America's struggle for gender equality. Chapter by chapter she dissects how those dehumanizing efforts have been a part of society: from antebellum America to the early 1980's. She highlights people who historically pointed out those intersections and rightfully should be heroes: like Frederick Douglass or W. E. B. Du Bois. Likewise, she casts a critical light on people like show more Margaret Sanger, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton--three women whose feminist ideas often took them down paths advocating racism or eugenics. Davis is best when summarizing history (as at times her pullquotes aren't that compelling). And I wish more of her caustic wit and personality would shine. Still, this book will knock you on your ass. It's as relevant today as it was when written. show less

Best for: Those looking for a quick introduction to prison abolition.

In a nutshell: Scholar Angela Y. Davis provides, through six dense chapters, an overview of the problem with prison as the default response to crime, and urges us to consider alternatives.

Line that sticks with me: “A description of supermaxes in a 1997 Human Rights Watch report sounds chillingly like Dicken’s description of Eastern State Penitentiary. What is different, however, is that all references to individual show more rehabilitation have disappeared.”

Why I chose it: I’m still trying to learn more about prison abolition.

Review: This is a relatively short book at 115 pages, but Dr. Davis packs so much information into it. She provides a good background of how we got to this point in the U.S., where we have 5% of the world’s population but 25% of the worlds prisoners. She addresses the evolution from slavery to chain gangs (a concept that will be familiar to those of you who’ve watched “13th”), and looks at the way prison impacts people of color more than white people.

The book also delves into the prison-industrial complex, and how so much of our economy is tied up in the idea of incarceration. From private prisons that rely on keeping people incarcerated to make money, to the government-run institutions that make large purchases from multi-national corporations, prisons make bank on the backs of those most without power.

The final chapter brings into focus the theme that runs throughout: that we need to think about prison in a different way. Why do we assume that prison is necessary? Because we’ve grown up with it. It’s ingrained in our culture. But it isn’t helping the people in our society, so we need to radically change how we think about it. As in other books on prison, this section still leaves me with questions, but I’m getting there. show less

Angela Davis is a powerhouse of intersectional feminism and this collection brings together essays examining the history of the women's rights, civil rights and unionisation movements in the US and how they have impacted and excluded Black working class women. There is a lot in that history that is harrowing, from lynchings to rape and enforced sterilisation as ways to control groups of people held to be a threat to white society, but also a lot to celebrate thanks to the positive changes show more that were won.

Davis gives short shrift to the white middle class women who led the women's rights movement and were obstructive to the inclusion of Black women in helping to achieve those rights. She shows how Black women organised themselves and fought intersectionally across the oppressions they faced: their gender, race and class.

I'm British and know more about these movements in the UK. I learnt a lot about the parallels between our two countries and also the extremes that occurred in the US because slavery was a present condition, not something that happened (mostly) far away, as for the UK.

Davis published the collection in 1981, so it was interesting to reflect on how things changed in the intervening 45 years, and how they seem to be moving backwards in the present political moment. show less