By: Jada James, W*SS Social Work Intern
Thee Dr. Angela Davis, [professor, activist, author], spoke on MSU's campus on February 9th as a part of the Slavery to Freedom lecture series hosted by the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Being able to see Angela Davis spread her knowledge and wisdom in person was something that I could have only dreamt of. Davis is a woman whose writing and activism work remain influential no matter the time. Here’s a link to the lecture, if you want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG4SQtOBB6E
At 1:12:10 in the lecture, Davis spoke on the movement against Critical Race Theory and the banning of particular literature. Davis called these actions a counter-revolution: a counter-revolution to the progress that has been made with the challenging of societal norms. For example, Davis used the societal challenge to the structure of the gender binary. The gender binary once was a routine way of life. Something like the gender binary being questioned opens the door to overturning other societal barriers.
A larger society thinking outside of the gender binary can seem like small progress, but in actuality, it took a while before this happened. The norm for centuries has been remodeled into how we now view gender in our everyday life. Think about it 3-4 years ago, it was not common to introduce yourself and say what your pronouns are. This practice is now commonly used in high education settings or social media. Previously people would assume each other's pronouns based on how their external presentation fit the gender norm. Then one day it became more common practice to do otherwise.
Imagine if this trickled down to other norms.
If things that were so absolute can be questioned and challenged, then so can everything else. These counter-revolutionary acts of suppression are to overcorrect the progress that has been made in changing right before us what is considered the social norm. Participants in the counter-revolution realize that kids are always the next generation who set the trends and decide what inequalities need to be contested. Think back to most social justice movements, a majority of participants were youth who came together to fight for a society different from the previous generations. So, if the banning of books and teaching about history can be successful, it will have the end goal of stopping children from taking on the actions of their revolutionary ancestors.
Davis’ point illustrates why it is important for us to continue to make progress despite the counter-revolutions’ efforts. If progress was not being made, then there would not be as much effort put into erasure.
Davis, A. 2023, Feb 9. 23rd Annual Dr. William G. Anderson Slavery to Freedom Lecture Series - Dr. Angela Davis [Lecture]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG4SQtOBB6E
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