Angela Davis to Speak in Seattle
You heard right - Angela Davis is coming to Seattle. She'll be presenting Prisons and American History: The Prison Industrial Complex, at the Mount Zion Baptist Church, Thursday, November 15, at 7 pm.
I had another meeting scheduled that night, but you know where I'll be. Yeah, it takes a lot to get me into a church these days, but I will be there next Thursday.
...was that thunder?
Her lecture is part of the Bush School's ongoing Diversity Speakers Series for this year. (Named for Helen Taylor Bush, not G.W.) I was impressed as hell by that. They're a private school, and apparently are really making strides in the diversity department. Check out some of those speakers. That is a nice series! Wish our district had the funding and the consciousness to bring about a series like this. That doesn't just happen by accident, though - somebody's been doing some work over there. It is very inspirational to me, with the work I'm doing in our parents group.
It's important to me that Teen Demon and the Male Offspring have this opportunity to hear Angela Davis speak. Hearing about her experiences and insights first-hand is something they can't get from reading a history book. (Definitely not from the history books in their classrooms.) There was a lot more going on in the 60's than just the flower power movement, and she is a huge part of history.
So come next Thursday, if you hear a huge crack of thunder, and the sky lights up, you'll know that Cowbell crossed the church threshold. Maybe it won't count since it's not an actual religious event.
Here's a little closing thought for you,
...was that thunder?
Her lecture is part of the Bush School's ongoing Diversity Speakers Series for this year. (Named for Helen Taylor Bush, not G.W.) I was impressed as hell by that. They're a private school, and apparently are really making strides in the diversity department. Check out some of those speakers. That is a nice series! Wish our district had the funding and the consciousness to bring about a series like this. That doesn't just happen by accident, though - somebody's been doing some work over there. It is very inspirational to me, with the work I'm doing in our parents group.
So come next Thursday, if you hear a huge crack of thunder, and the sky lights up, you'll know that Cowbell crossed the church threshold. Maybe it won't count since it's not an actual religious event.
Here's a little closing thought for you,
When Bush says democracy, I often wonder what he's referring to.
~Angela Davis
21 comments:
Ooh, I am coming to that event. Thanks for the heads up.
Who needs history books when the Offspring can personally tell their children and grandchildren about the time they heard Angela Davis speak?..What a great experience!
Take in the moment.
Awesome! Love the Bush quote ... and here's a few more:
"Jails and prisons are designed to break human beings, to convert the population into specimens in a zoo - obedient to our keepers, but dangerous to each other." -- Angela Davis
"Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root.'" -- Angela Davis
"We have been basically persuaded that we should not talk about racism." -- Angela Davis
And my personal favorite ...
"Invisible, repetitive, exhausting, unproductive, uncreative -- these are the adjectives which most perfectly capture the nature of housework." -- Angela Davis
Meanwhile, don't be afraid of going to church. Just don't touch the holy water (It burns! It buuuuuurns!!)
One of the great moments of my husband's (otherwise messed up because of his nut-job parents) childhood, is that, once, Angela Davis came over to his house for dinner. Thirty years later he went to a lecture she was giving and spoke to her afterward - he said that along with being articulate and brilliant, she was also a gracious, lovely person.
So freakin' awesome! I am jealous! I can't wait to hear all!
Eager to read that post.....
An amazing woman, who I have long admired. I had the chance to cath a lecture she did many moons ago when I was in college- she is an incredible speaker. The kids are very lucky to have this experience!
I'm with Red- just avoid the holy water and you ought to make it out of there intact.
I am jealous, and expect a full report (please?).
I am reading "Lies My Teachers Told Me" by Loewen, per your suggestion, and am enthralled. Excellent Book which is opening my eyes even wider. Thank you for mentioning it.
KA: you're quite welcome
Sling: Absolutely! That's what I told them, they'd be telling their kids about this.
Red: You're quite the quote-meister. She has some good ones, that's sure. And Baptist church's don't have Holy Water, so I'm safe on that count.
Elizabeth: Angela Davis went to his house for dinner?!? I require details.
Kamrin: I'm pretty stoked myself.
Rosemary: Oh great, because I have such good intentions, and then often drop the ball with the after-action-report.
Doralong: This is my first time seeing her, so I'm excited.
Tater: Oh good! You know, I have to go back and read it again, because I was trying to read 3 books at once when I read that one, all around the same subjects -- not a good idea, they all kind of morphed in my head, and I realized recently that I never actually finished the end of that one. I'd be interested to hear what you think.
PS- Details, pictures, audio would also be good.. Send me the tape I'm hell on wheels at transcription..
Just wear your criptonite shoes and you should be fine. Oh wait...wrong person in the sky. Okay then, just bring a Unitarian with you to cancel it out. It's all about balance, my friend.
Funny story: Davis is my maiden name. My little sister used to think that every body with the same last name were related. So she once walked up to her, what? 3rd grade teacher or something and proudly announced, "Angela Davis is my cousin".
"Invisible, repetitive, exhausting, unproductive, uncreative -- these are the adjectives which most perfectly capture the nature of housework." -- Angela Davis
Ok, now I have to rethink attending. (Just kidding)
Lorraine- I'm trying not to choke laughing.. my maternal Grandmother's maiden name was Davis and I can now totally kick myself for never having thrown that line at more than one teacher that thought I was a subversive, troublesome child..
Humm.. where are your Daddy's people from?
DL: I'm thinking you're probably hell on wheels all around!
SuperHat: Maybe I should just bring Superman himself?
Lorraine: oh, funny! What was the teacher's response? There's some lawyer I found on the net whose name is Angela Davis -- She puts her middle initial in there for clarity, I guess, but that would be kind of a pain to share a name w/ someone famous, especially if you had a website for your business.
KA: Well, at first I was like, "huh?" at that one, but then thought about we could each apply a similar quote to whatever we personally find to be difficult or drudgery. For her it's housework, for someone else, it could be the Excel spreadsheets that I personally LOVE. (most folks would sooner jump under a bus that play with spreadsheets. Hello, geek.) It actually made me feel better, seeing that someone more successful and more well-known than I actually sucks at that stuff too. (how's that for rationalizing my shortcomings in that arena? Hell yeah.)
DL2: Again, with the hell on wheels thing. Go girl.
Damn, sharing my name with a famous person is EXACTLY what my website needs.
Let's see here:
Angela Davis
Angela Lansbury
Angie Dickenson
Angelina Jolie
Who do you think folks would be more likely to purchase luxury garden novelties from?
She was teaching philosophy at UCLA, where my huband's dad was teaching. I'll dig out the details about that dinner from him. Or maybe I'll make him post about it. The Black Panthers were hanging around then too. And my husband, a little blond boy with a Beatle hair cut, took it all in. When we lived in Berkeley, he'd point to some guy walking by and whisper in my ear, "That's Eldridge Cleaver" or "That's Huey Newton."
Skip the meeting - go to church! This is such an opportunity, particularly for the off-spring, do take it and report back in detail.
Hat: Of the four you list, I'd go with Jolie, altho' I would expect all trinkets to double as S/M sex toys. Just sayin'.
Doralong, hi! We're so hijacking Cowbell's blog now. My daddy's folks were both born in California. Where their people hailed from I do not know.
But hey, assuming the "everyone with the last name is related" thing, then we're family anyway!
Very cool...the negative impact of the for-profit Prison Biz on American society cannot, IMO, be over-stated.
Gimmee a sign, I'll wave it.
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