How does change happen? (week 10)

6/2/2014

Describe two central themes in Ms Davis' speech on "How Does Change Happen?" Within a 250 word (minimum) post write about Angela's words and work as they relate to two new ideas that you learned in this course.

Requirements for BLOG POSTS

You must write 250 words (minimum) each post (due Friday @ Midnight), Responses to another student 50 words each (due Monday @ midnight)
Students must post during the week the blog is assigned or it will not be graded. All blog grades are calculated at the end of the term.

48 Comments

Imani Sanders

6/4/2014 03:15:40 am

Within Angela Davis's speech she described what she felt, and actions that alluded to change. This speech is spoken and directed not only towards college students, but also community-based and involved people. She reminisced on her upbringing of institutional racism and segregation, yet made it very clear that racism is not dead. All of this relates back to why she does what she does. Change is used within her life and therefor credible. Change occurs when ordinary people become critical. It begins when people use their creative ideas towards their critical assessment of the system in which they live. During these times of critical assessment, the people must commit to using knowledge in a transformative manner. Once this happens, action can as well. A collective intervention can occur within the community as to whatever is 'incorrect' within the system. Communities must gather and involve themselves, from their growth through knowledge and transformation of such. She also brought up how people that become involved within radical change, can become erased to history. Why is this important? I think its important because this connects back to being critical of ones environment To become critical and see patterns of why these people become erases, within this system. To transform oneself through new knowledge and recognize the underlying truths of the community-system in which we live in. This can relate to her speech, later on, in regards to sharing the roots of bus boycott, which really relied on black women, yet through sexism society, these truths were erased, and they too became erased. This shows critical and use of transformative knowledge to further gain new ground in fighting oppression within the system.

Jennifer Hernandez

6/4/2014 11:27:41 am

Change is something that I also think Davis extensively talked about, since she explains how she sees that it is up to the people to make a change and identify what is actually wrong. You are also right about being critical to the environment around us. It has been a like one of the main themes of the class that we as people have the duty to criticize our government and how we are being represented. As people we just need to find our way to make a change.

Armando Arzate

6/5/2014 02:17:56 am

I to believe that Davis’s main theme was change or to not conform to something that is morally/politically wrong. She explains that we should not only think or imagine what a world would be like if things were done differently, we should actually be taking action in changing or demanding certain things. I believe that the government will only continue or go as far as we let them. If we were to get together and create a motion we can definitely do some damage however, the government has set up a system for us to fail. However, Davis suggest to use our tools our resources for a better tomorrow.

augustus castro

6/4/2014 09:14:00 am

In relation to our course I believe Davis said it best in that social meanings are socially created and can deconstructed, but it is important to not leave it up to the state to define these terms for our country as a whole. Given this notion the vehicle for change is left to the individual and their participation of a collective in order to accomplish personal or common goals. Currently our country is stricken by a multitude of transformations creating the opportunity for progression or decline by the actions of its citizens in combination with the intervention of our government. What I mean by this is conflicts of inequality, financial instability, as well as other problems like racism and a gender bias still exist and thrive, but it is through organization participation. For example although segregation has been formally abolished racism still persists revolving around social beliefs and stigmas that can be changed and persuaded through effective action and education. Another is the shift of our country into more of closed society much like ones ruled by tyrants in the past, it is up to groups of individuals with the motivation to make a difference and adhere to sacrifice in order to create change. The country was founded in beliefs for it to differ from a monarchy style ruling, and the power was shifted into the hands of organized citizens with created limitations of governing in order to live “freely” and have the ability to flourish while consenting to be ruled in this manner. Fortunately it is through the power of consent to the state that we can also take it away. Ms. Davis like many others have fought and struggled for goals not met and for change not all given at once with the idea in mind that this still affects the future in the potential for change. Angela Davis’ mother once told her that racism and segregation were not the way things were supposed to be, but it doesn’t have to stay like this. And through that message any struggle burdening an individual can be overcame or at least fought against through organizing and motivating others around you for a positive difference. It is not unreasonable to demand a country’s government to limit its intervention, while still supporting the people who give it power.

Dolly Perez

6/6/2014 01:40:27 pm

Augustus,
I agree with you about the social meanings and how they are created and can be deconstructed as you said. Also how segregation is no longer present here but racism is here with here and continues to get worst as time passes. By working together and forgetting about the color of our skin we can move on to greater and better things. I like the way you think, we are on the same page.

Brenda Rangel

6/8/2014 07:20:24 am

I agree with both you and Dolly that social meanings are created and deconstructed how you mentioned. We have to join together in hopes of truly changing things, not just settling for the simple change that truly is not change rather a reshaping of old ways. The start to truly changing things begins with the creation of a collective force.

Theodore Libby

6/8/2014 09:31:30 am

I totally agree with the points you made. I think that both ideas really do contribute to this class in many ways. I think your point about social meanings and how they can be both created and destroyed by social action his the nail right on the head!

Jennifer Hernandez

6/4/2014 11:23:10 am

Through the video, Angela Davis talked about many central ideas, but a few stuck out a lot. She talked about how change through the years has happened not through the state or government figures, but through the people who use to reassess the ideas they are governed by. The idea that things have changed because of heroic figures is also something that has been produced to in a way really undermine those who actually did plot and where behind other movements that changed history. Her other ideas touched the idea of feminism where people tend to see majority of these great male heroes when in reality history has changed because the involvement of women in history but are rarely called upon. She states that it is important to be part of revolutions and as well as to always question and be in knowledge of how the many people who changed history came to be in the hands of leadership since that is what many people need to make a movement. In a way she tries to say that people need to really know their history as well be one with it to fully comprehend the truth and do something about it. Davis also goes through the idea that we shouldn’t let others such as the state to even create social meanings for us as she talked about democracy. Many political figures like Bush used to bring out the idea that whatever he chose to do was to create a democracy when in reality it seemed more capitalist. The definition of democracy kept being justified for war, torture, and unjust actions that silenced many of our rights. As Davis recurrently kept talking about, the people need to get active and educated in getting things back to how we want it to be, so things don’t stay the way they shouldn't be.

Kaylie Otsuka

6/5/2014 04:16:44 pm

Jennifer,
To me, the fact that movement icons stood out more than the movement collaborators said a lot to me. In specific, she recognized Dr. King as a movement messiah and those that coordinated it, majority being women, undermined props to escort the over all cause. This makes me wonder how even within social movements such as the Civil Rights era, the government still had aspect of control within the inner circle. A movement that the people thought they had created and conquered had actually been rewritten from the spectacle of the alpha-male, continuously maneuvering the big job and letting the women fade in the shadows. I like that you used Bush as an example in your response to show the political deception that happens on a daily basis. Great job.
Good luck with finals!
Kaylie Otsuka

Imani Sanders

6/6/2014 03:22:04 am

As you highlighted when Davis spoke on Bush justifying war for torture, I was brought back to the Wolff project and how our rights are being taken away. What really became prominent to me about your post is that everything is connected and seems to intertwine when it comes to citizens rights, and of course the theory of history repeating itself.

Zhidong Tony Li link

6/6/2014 09:28:01 am

Hello Kaylie Otsuka,
Yes, I agree with you that “Many people figures like [President] Bush used to bring out the idea that whatever he choose to do was to create a democracy when in reality it seems more capitalist.” I like your President Bush example in your posting smoothly explaining everything like as a whole.

Thank you,
Zhidong Tony Li

Leon Fraser

6/9/2014 03:21:18 pm

I agree with you, I too believe the government is not the only people who bring upon change but the people as a whole brings change. We have so many male and female leaders yet people don’t consider that not only the leader but also people as a whole that start a movement can bring upon change. I also like how you brought up feminism because I believe that when male leaders were more recognized in society to consider being a hero, females also played their part behind the scene to get some male leaders to where they at and since women weren’t being recognized they all came together as a whole and started a movement and succeeded in bring upon change which is why women can vote and also earn and is treated the same as a male.

Armando Arzate

6/5/2014 02:11:42 am

In the speech “How Does Change Happened?” the speaker, Angela Davis, gives her audience an insight of her childhood and her belief of how change actually happens. One can develop a serious of themes for her speech however, two that will mirror some of the courses main ideas would be to understand just because something is well established doesn’t mean it is right nor can it be changed or abolished and to actually take action or motion change within our communities in order to cause a larger change. Davis explains that she had a hard time accepting that she could not go certain places only because of her race/skin color/ etc. at an early age. At only four yrs. Old her mother explained that only because it is this way at a certain time does not mean its okay and basically that it does not have to be permanent. I believe the course encouraged us to not only think or become aware but to actually go out and use our “Tools”; our vocabulary, organizing, knowledge, history and etc. to change the world. We can see that change small or large will ultimately make a difference. If one person begins to try and raise awareness/ motion action it will then cause a domino effect for others to follow you and speak up when something is not right. If we become united we will be able to address certain issues as a whole and not just people or numbers to states not allowing the government to ultimately let them do as they wish with us.

Joann Truong

6/9/2014 02:08:40 pm

I feel like it's a great thing to have someone like Angela Davis live through the changes and is willing to speak about everything she has been through within her life time. I really love her mother's explanation. I feel like her mom is really encouraging and has a lot of hope. I feel like that is why Davis is how she is today, because of the hope her mother gave her. I feel like, even if we start to raise awareness, it will still take a very long time for it to be accepted. Overall, I really like your response.

Leslie Werle

6/5/2014 12:06:49 pm

One thing that I have learned this quarter, that is reiterated in this video, is that change is possible. People get easily overwhelmed thinking about change on a large scale when they really need to just think smaller. Change starts with individual people, who form communities, who get heard and make a difference! To eventually make a change on that larger scale may be the goal but you can't start with federal laws and policies and you can't depend on government officials to get there for you even if they say they will.

It's the same with the feminist movement. Politicians were not the reason that women gained the right to vote or that they were no longer treated like property, women were the reason this happened. They started and fueled a movement that lead to great change in our country
.
Another thing that seems to be a necessity in starting a movement for change is to choose a “front man.” Someone the people choose to be a positive, likeable, public figure for their movement. Like Davis was talking about in her speech, the bus boycotting event that took place, the one everyone remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. heading was actually started by a group of black women, but in the sexist society of their day, who am I kidding, of our day, they felt it would be better for their movement to have a male public head of their movement to gain more supporters.

All these things started small though. The first events for huge movements of change are hardly ever in the paper, located in Washington D.C., or headed by someone well known. These things all come after, after one person decides to talk to their friends, who start talking to other people, who form a community of like-minded people, who decide they want to make a change in this crazy, unforgiving, and often unchanging world of ours.

Farkhanda

6/9/2014 05:21:30 am

Hi Leslie ., I can understand what you mean when you say change is possible when it begins slowly and then grows to a larger scale. We have this picture in our minds that change is impossible or hard because we imagine it in a larder scale with hundreds of people but those who have made it that far, started out small. Like you said, we should also give credit where it deserves, not just the figures that have stood out and shadowed the main people who give rise to change.

Lars Velken

6/9/2014 04:51:19 pm

Like you, one thing about Davis’ speech that resonated with me was her examination and analysis of whom we believe facilitates change. More specifically, we identify with the “front man,” but at the same time the people who are behind the scenes truly enacting change, working tirelessly by the leather of their shoes are going unnoticed. I believe that this is more true than ever in contemporary society. When I think of the modern feminist movement, there are so many individuals and groups who agree of disagree with the ideals because of the actions of those represented in the media. The truth is that we all just want to be treated fairly, and those ideals are lived by the women who are going unnoticed, but fighting tirelessly to achieve their goals.

Nico Passalacqua

6/10/2014 03:34:55 pm

I agree, change is possible. Similar to the Oakland Listening Sessions that were conducted on May 31st, it is a community that comes together demanding a change be made. One person cannot do it alone, but a group of people committed to a common goal certainly can have an affect on society.

Kaylie Otsuka

6/5/2014 04:06:29 pm

I believe the two major themes explained by Ms. Davis was that the government erases contributions of those who have made giant social and political contributions and the importance of change and the difference between the change we want and the change we actually receive. Those who help most radically for social change are eliminated. She uses the example of the civil rights movement to illustrate change, specifically the change that Martin Luther King had made within the United States. She tells that Americans are not really educated of what really happened we are just told of how King took leadership and began a movement. The greatness of Dr. King was never truly revealed or specific details such as the women who started the Montgomery movement. We are taught to believe that it is the male leaders who do great things, when in actuality all can do great if they desire and have despite accurate documentation. Women during this time were discredited for their contributions and the power of individualism that the government is against. This reminds me of the black listed people during the Red Scare/McCarthyism and the people that disappeared from existence in Nazi Germany. Like in George Orwell’s novel 1984 where entire people are completely erased from society, history too has its way of concealing entire topics from the population if the government desires. Like Snowden, the government ultimately has complete control of the people and their past and future. Regarding the change we want verses the change we actually receive, Ms. Davis stated that only the inspired choose to help by dedicating their minds, bodies and time. This reminds me of the activism and participation of Ms. Crain and how anyone is welcome to represent their beliefs if they desire. Throughout the class, I have also noticed that majority of people that attended events had sternly developed beliefs of what they do and do not want our culture and society to look like but have no idea how to approach change. The change we actually receive by others is not entirely true because many important details are left out or demonized to the population (like the Black Panther Party.)

Elizabeth Avalos

6/6/2014 03:09:41 am

in her speech, Ms. Davis gives us a perception on what it was like to grow up in Birmingham, Alabama during the time in which it was essentially the most racist and segregated city in the South. Ms. Davis highlights the experiences that inspired her to make change happen. She admits that although racism and segregation has been eradicated legally, it has not been eliminated in its entirety, as racism is still visibly existent today. She discusses how she still feels like a stranger when she visits home, the place in which she grew up. This comment reminds me of the issues surrounding minorities and immigrants in Arizona because although they may consider Arizona their home, Arizona does not embrace them as such, but rather singles them out and follows a set a laws that has been created to ensure that they do belong there. Through the work that she does, Ms. Davis exemplifies that when we the people are well informed of what is occurring around us, we possess the power to either support the actions of our leaders, or become critical of them and demand change. Ms. Davis discusses the strength of a collective intervention, in which communities get together and become involved in the issues currently affecting them. However, in order for this intervention to occur, we first need to be knowledgeable and critical. When communities bind together to critically assess the system under which they are being governed, they become much more powerful than individual sets of minds. Working collectively to intervene can provoke innovative ideas to make change happen.

Roxana Chavez

6/6/2014 04:20:23 am

One of the central themes that I noticed to be continuously mentioned in Ms. Davis’ speech is the process of how change occurs in habits over time, not by the government, but by the people of the United States. This reminds me how this concept connects to each of the themes we learned in class. It connects to consent because, as Ms. Davis stated, it wasn’t the government who decided that segregation invaded morals and beliefs, it was the people who decided to not give consent to government to allow segregation to exist. Dissent is shown here as well because it was the people who responded towards abolishing the legal act of segregation. Systems are definitely shown through the time of segregation in three groups: the government’s decision, the anti-segregationists, and those who believe segregation should continue. And it wasn’t until that people used the power they knew they had to put a stop in segregation and make a change for the way things are supposed to be rather than keeping how they were.
The second central theme Ms. Davis tries to make a point across is the importance of change that can make an impact to avoid horrific government experiences. Again, her experience with segregation made such a point across as to how, today, things have drastically changed. And although it is now illegal to have segregated schools, bathrooms, libraries, etc. it does not mean that it does not exist in people’s behaviors. It is here where people power is extremely shown in this concept because it is in people’s will whether or not stand up for what is right and how the community is supposed to be. This demonstrates how important it is for society to know how powerful they can be if they know how to use their power against the government and other groups whom they may think is unfair and unconstitutional.

Cynthia Kay

6/6/2014 07:24:45 am

I am absolutely and by no means an Angela Davis fan and it was a real struggle to listen to her for an hour but I took note of two of her themes in her speech. One was “Change occurs collectively (in manifesting solidarity)”. Ideals presented by an individual like Martin Luther King for example as Ms. Davis refers to as “the Mesiah”, revealed to Black America that they could no longer stand by and allow themselves to be victim to oppression but to stand up and be recognized as free citizens. An entire nation, and places around the world; people of all races, took notice and most supported the movement. With this kind of support, change occurs. As Ms. Davis said, it may not be the change you were looking for but it was change none the less. The second theme she discussed that I took notice of was that we are a society of inequalities. She cites examples of Capitalists, the high population rate of our prisons, and women leaders that are either ignored or unheard of, and police brutality, just to name a few.

When free people are deprived of their rights due to lawlessness of others, than action needs to be taken for a change to occur. To effect change, there needs to be solidarity of many, as individualism is ignored. It needs to be coordinated, well organized, and peaceful as violence causes negative attention and reaction. This was evident during the Black Panther movement. The initial movement began with good intentions but later resulted in them becoming cold blooded murders; even killing off members of their own group. When the public became fearful of them, they lost support and the organization disbanded. When the Occupy movement took over Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Park to protest the “1%”, what started off as a peaceful protest with public support, became a month long free-for-all of vandalism, drug and alcohol use, and destruction of a public park. It disrupted the lives of residents and businesses in the community, caused havoc to those trying to get to and from work, and cost the taxpayers in the City of Oakland millions of dollars. Once Occupy lost public support, they lost the message of their cause.

Alvin Luna

6/6/2014 02:05:38 pm

I noticed that too about change happening one way or another. Sometimes people want a definitive change that they don;t see if they even made a small one. I also agree that it sounded like the occupy movement in Oakland got out of hand and that it went against the entire purpose of why they were doing it in the first place. Had it been more organized, it would have been much more successful and coherent.

Frank Arredondo

6/6/2014 09:24:06 am

Mrs. Davis’s talk was very interesting and one thing that stuck out to me was the idea that those who lead the march for change tend to be so focused on and not what actually happened. We look at these individuals and hold them higher then the cause in which they where even fighting for. Now this is not saying that who they were or are and done was of little value that’s not it at all, but we focus on their struggle and not look at the true difference they made. Which makes the change seem smaller and easy to over shadow. Another strong point Davis brought out that caught my ear was the idea of how we focus on the vocabulary rather then the truth. She used the word “diversity” and how we love to us it saying we are such a diverse group, but as she stated diverse how in color? Today, well the bay area it is normal to see a large group of people of different color, but how about backgrounds. Does diversity help those from all social classes, or struggles? This type of diversity is the diversity Davis stated she liked. Diversity is not a bad thing at all, it is what the civil rights movement was for. The civil rights movement wanted to allow diversity to come together, because it was better. However, now we use it in ways that are not really true all the time. We use it to push the idea that we are a place that understands and excepts all, but yet at times we set up systems to positively affect one group and not the other so is that true diversity? This and more was some of the things Davis brought up that caught my ear.

Zhidong Tony Li link

6/6/2014 09:27:14 am

A video from University of California Television (UCTV), the lecturer Angela Davis, a professor in the Human Consciousness department at University of California Santa Cruz mentioned two vital themes. The lecturer pointed out that “[one] has to do with the tendency to erase the contributions of those who have perhaps done the most to bring about progressive change. [Another] has to do with the difference between the changes we want (the change we struggle for on the one hand) and the changing change we actually achieved.”

In the Davis’s speech, the lecturer shared what she felt. At the beginning of her speech, she mentioned in her early memories that her mother used to tell her that she couldn’t go into this library or an amusement park because of racism and segregation when she was 3 or 4 years old; “ [This racism and segregation] is not the way things are supposed to be; This might be the way they are now, but they are not supposed to be this way; they will not always be this way,” Davis’s mother said. This evidence of Civil Rights strongly support that the wrongdoing should not be continued into the future.

The lecturer Davis stated that a change in free education. And the lecturer Davis pointed out “students not only have free education but also should be financially supported while the students are acquiring knowledge, which they will lead [themselves] to give back to society.” To me, this change of free education and financial supported program is a changing they actually achieved.

The lecturer Davis repeated something like that people should to use an appropriate way to get things back to its normal ways, by been educated.

Eduardo Ruiz

6/6/2014 11:35:48 am

Angela Davis describes her early childhood, where here mother told her “this is not the way it’s suppose to be, and it doesn’t have to stay this way.” She uses this as her driving force for change.
She then describes the gender inequality happening through out the world. One of her example was that by in large, everybody knows who Martin Luther King Jr. was and what he did for civil rights, but not very many know about the many women who stood behind him, or other woman who formulated their own protests for civil rights, like the woman who formulated the Montgomery bus boycott. The gender inequality for men shadowed over that of women and continues to this day. This is seen in many “third world” countries where woman are forced to work in garment factories for little pay to help support their family.
Another topic Angela covers is the lack of government help. She tells a story of a friend on welfare who moves to Russia so that should could get an education. She then goes on to say that the state gives her a free education and pays for almost all of her living expenses and childcare. She explains how a government like communism is deemed a threat, but then you see how they financial provide for their citizens so that they may put back their new knowledge into society. It is a terrible fact that this country, the so called greatest country in the world, does not have even a fraction of the same kind of support.

Duc Doan

6/6/2014 01:09:53 pm

In Angela Davis “How Does change happens” she speaks towards college students but also to the community as a hold. She speaks about the habits of thinking and imagination that have historically constituted social movements and social change.
In this course we learn a lot of changes that we can adopt through the community. In order to make a change people have to be active in the community, instead of saying I want to do this or that. There are many community events that we can attend that can help us change or be better in the community. For example the events that Professor Crain has set up. Davis encourages people to adopt a “critical posture” towards the tools, concepts, vocabularies and organizing practices that characterize landscapes of struggle including the conditions under which leadership develops and victories are achieved; the erasure of community organizers, particularly women, from narratives of progressive social change; the dangers of heroic individualism; and weak notions of “diversity” that leave structures of injustice and inequality intact. Davis stated that such apparent present overcoming of historical social limitations of race and gender was “not the victory for which we have struggled.” This observation of the disparity between social-political struggles and their outcomes formed a central, strong theme of Davis’s talk. This is the reason why Davis think that people in power of race have benefitted.

Alvin Luna

6/6/2014 02:00:48 pm

One of the themes that Angela Davis discussed was about segregation being abolished. She talks about the different barriers that would be used to separate the white from the colored and things of that nature. She then goes on to say that segregation was abolished but not racism. This spoke to me because just thinking about the fact that people thought it was okay to have laws that segregated people was wrong. This goes with one of the ideas I learned about in class, that being the government. We talked about how even now, the government is still unjust, maybe not to this extreme but it is still up to something. Such as surveillance and invasions of everyone's privacy. Much like with segregation, the government may think it is helping the nation but it is simply being corrupt. Another idea that although small, stuck out to me and that was when she said that not many people know what struggling really is. That stuck out because she just talked about people of color struggling and that some people don't know what that's like. That ties into what we talked about in class on how people either don't see or choose not to see certain things in the world. Such as the things we saw on Democracy Now, we probably would have never seen because they don't show it on regular news. This goes with her concept of change as well because a lot of people who have created change in the world have struggled to do it. They overcame these struggles and did things that others would have never thought they would be able to do. I feel that is what she was trying to say with her speech. That change happens if you're willing to make it happen.

Leslie Ann Ong

6/6/2014 02:06:06 pm

Angela Davis analyzes how the power of change lies within an individual. A group of individuals may form an organization centered on a common struggle. Moreover, Davis discusses how change begins once individuals take a critical stance regarding the system and begin asking questions about the exclusion and oppression they experience. Afterwards, Davis speaks of how imagination is the fuel for change. Oppressed individuals picture a world without social struggle and from there, become inspired to make change for the future. This theme of where the motive for change originates is relevant to discussions regarding dissent and people power. In example, American citizens battling the minimum wage are united by their experiences with very low incomes. Those who have experienced police brutality know better than to accept the oppression, because there is an intrinsic feeling for the need to change. Davis also contrasts the historical image of Rosa Parks with the reality of Rosa Parks and her situation. Davis points out how Parks was more than a "tired old woman", rather she was a professional organizer of political change. The heroic image of Rosa Parks somehow masks her ultimate duty to speaking up in the face of oppression, especially by the American government. Parks was an American citizen who wanted change and moreover, she is like many Americans of today fighting against an unjust system. Angela Davis stresses the importance of refusing to accept something simply because it is and all in all, she speaks of how change begins within, as we should view our government with a critical eye and become aware, rather than showing passivity.

Dolly Perez

6/6/2014 02:32:13 pm

Ms. Davis talks about a few things that each relate and all have a purpose. The two central ideas are to use commitment in a critical way and use knowledge in a transformative way. This is important because students attend college campuses that are diverse. As Ms. Davis said we are here consuming the knowledge. We as college students we have the power to change and make our community and society better as a whole. She talks about how the knowledge we consumer we can use to change to world and not let history repeat its solve. She talks about feminism, the vocabulary we use the ideas and the way we think needs to change. She mentions how we need more women to have the courage to go up and speak. As if this was a church. I am a fond of how she speaks and what she believe in. Not many women like to break the habit have being closed minded and not believe that this is only a male dominated world. Yes, I understand that we do live in a male dominate world but that’s because we don’t see more women speaking up as men do. She mentions how we are not taught what women have done in the past but rather the school system only teaches students about what mean have been able to accomplish but not what women have done. Its sad that women are treated like this. I believe that if women see that other women who are knowledgeable and want to make a change; this could possibly encourage other women to speak up. She said, “The victories we win might not be what we were fighting for but we should still celebrate it.” This women has moved me and it makes me feel good that there are more women who strongly believe in what is right and see that a change is what is needed by educated individuals.

Lars Velken

6/6/2014 02:56:54 pm

Angela Davis’ first point is that the institutions of power in the United States are not in fact the facilitators of change, they simply are an element of the process that may apply or remove a label. Her example of this is the racially segregated services and facilities and living situations of the 20th century, and how the government repealed separate but equal policies, but not racist and xenophobic ideals in people. The true facilitators of change are actually the people, who in a collective idealism leverage the combined knowledge to achieve their goals: the education of others and change of knowledge. The people who enact change are ordinary people who are creative, and hold great power and become crucial to movements. One of her other contentions is that within the movements of change, some people who are critical members of these mobilizations become separated and forgotten in history, regardless of their importance. Part of what is so significant to the movements of change is, as Angela Davis states “incredibly unglamorous,” and part of the issue of why these heroes fall into obscurity is because society perceives freedom and the movements that create it characterized by single people who embody “heroic individualism.” Therefor, part of the mechanism of true change through modification of knowledges includes the abandonment of these mentalities and thus the acceptance many, like the black women in the civil rights movement, who were overshadowed by their celebrity counterparts. She also adds that we may win victories in our movements for change, and while they sometimes may not be the intended victories and outcomes we wanted, they should still be celebrated.

augustus castro

6/9/2014 04:22:00 pm

I really do feel one of the biggest messages Ms. Davis was trying to send out was the ability in which the individual has on instilling change. Whether it was an issue on labor rights, gender inequality, or racial discrimination it was through the power of individuals who felt a certain way and organized who were able to obtain social change. Next i agreed with the unintended victories and their importance on affecting future change.

A'Breeana Hart

6/6/2014 03:11:13 pm

While watching the Angela Davis: How Does Change Happen video, I was really impressed and intrigued to watch more of her videos.

I too, like Angela Davis, grew up in the south but my town wasn't as racist & we also lived in a different time. I grew up in a small suburb town, with probably over 500 white and about 75 blacks students in elementary to middle school. I always knew there were different races, but I never let it affect who I became friends with and who I didn't. As a kid, you accept everyone and you don't know racism. Racism didn't really effect me till 3rd grade, it was just that some people didn't want to be my friend because of their parents and beliefs. I never let it get me down. I'm now 20 years old, and I left Mississippi when I was 13 and since then my eyes have just been opened up to everything bad and good about the South. I knew what racism was, but coming to California it's just dramatically different; everyone accepts everyone (at least where I live now). In class, we learned about racial profiling (she also brings this up in the video) and I think it's just depressing to know that it still goes on today. I nanny in Oakland Hills and I never really get dirty looks from others but there is a rare occasion where someone says something. The worst part about racial profiling is that you can't stop it. I love shopping in Urban Outfitters and other cute boutiques all over the Bay Area, and I have the money for the places but sales associates will stare me down till I buy something or leave because they think i'm stealing. Even after I leave, they sometimes check over where I was to double check I didn't steal. Every race steals, not just blacks. I also work in retail and I see all types of people steal from my store.

I know this wasn't a main topic, but this topic always gets me homophobia. I hate people who preach saying, "God hates fags" "gay people shouldn't be allowed to get married." Are they hurting you? No, they are trying to live a normal life just like you with someone they love. I've grown up around Homosexuals all my life because of my godparents and uncles. In history people have fought for rights since the beginning of time.Rights of religious freedom, rights of property, rights to freedom, rights to vote, rights to women's rights, civil rights. Now people are fighting for gay rights, and they are getting what they demand but so slowly. Yes, it takes time but how much time for you to see we shouldn't be saying "no" to people because of their sexuality. We are all suppose to be equal, and this isn't equal for them. This country isn't equal, the constitution isn't equal; the constitution was made for white property owners! They never knew that one day the country would be so diverse and that we would all have the same rights. It needs to be ratified. America was meant for freedom, it wasn't meant for heterosexual freedom but freedom for ALL.
To summarize everything, it takes time for things to change and for people to accept change. It doesn't happen overnight, it could take months to decades for change and even after that some things might never change.

Eduardo Martinez

6/6/2014 03:15:37 pm

Angela Davis, first started of with her hometown in Burrington, where black people were still seregated that time. However as we looked though seragation and how it was abolish we think of the government that made this affect or change and not the actual people who heed or wasted time to have the same equal rights as the whites. However, the words that was used for blacks are still a scar in our history. Racism will be immortal. It is tough to stop it due to media sometimes mention it. Another thing that caught my attention in Mrs.Davis speech is the poverty the African Americans has to go though in their life. It is insane that we do see and we do not take change of it. How many kids are out there with no shelter? Where there asked to be raised in a harsh living style. I personality believe we chose to ignore that due to our knowledge of the they should pick themselves up instead of giving them a helping hand.It is not the government fault for them to help poverty but the people to stand up and march. Mrs. Davis mentions that it takes a certain someone to make a movement but in reality it takes a group to make a march to fight what is right and make a change. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was appoint to be a leader, it was not his choice to become a leader but he demonstrated a passion for his belief and it brought people with the same aspect of his to unify itself to become a boycott.

Frank Arredondo

6/9/2014 04:28:18 pm

I agree with you in the matter it does take a group of people to create a march for change. I liked Mrs. Davis’ statement about how we in history always remember the person, but forget the fight and what was obtained by the action for the cause. It does take a special person to lead a large group it does. If a person does not have qualities to lead then who will follow them, but as well a person cannot lead if they do not have people behind them, and backing their fight.

Karishma Khatri

6/6/2014 04:04:55 pm

There were a lot of points for change that Angela Davis made. One of them was how we, as citizens and students, need to see the laws and values of a time as malleable. They can be changed and adapted. Also, one of the big concepts she talked about was imagining the world or a situation better. She gave the example of when she used to cry as a child because of segregation and its terms. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t go certain places. Her mother told her that she needs to imagine a world without segregation. In her words, “think beyond the moment”. But this is only one part of the process. It is good to talk about and imagine a better situation, but we need to act as well. This was the second concept. She called it critical habits. This needs to lead to collective intervention from the community. The only way change could be implemented is through community and organizational involvement and commitment. We need to learn how to use our knowledge in a transformative way. Whether it be for social situation, or injustices. Also, the community needs to use the knowledge to teach others, and that others could learn. This allows the ones who learned to be able to use their knowledge as a transformative tool. Going back to what she said about us needing to see the laws and values of a time as malleable relates to when she states, “that what is” is not permanent. It is ever changing with generations and time. Just know we have the power to change the society either through people power and involvement. Lastly, we need to acknowledge progressive leaders who fight for social change. We must not let them get lost in history.

Leon Fraser

6/6/2014 04:16:53 pm

In Ms. Davis speech “How Does Change Happen”, Davis goes on that growing up in the south she had to go through racism and segregation, which included in separate bathrooms and water fountains for black and white individuals etc. As time changed she explains that although racism is not completely gone, different people in society learned whom they were as an individual and changed there thinking process and sociological thinking to play a role in society being critical and creative. Davis main theme was seeking change and not only the government making change but rather us as individuals living in society as a whole making a change based on our action and the struggle we had to put up with to receive that change. Davis gives example of change such as the civil rights movement but throughout history, those who had that leadership position to start a movement enforced change. Although change can happen due to a leadership of an individual, it takes as whole social movement and the actions of other that actually sets the motion to bring on change for example when Davis explained that the women actually started the movement of the civil rights and selected Martin Luther King Jr. to have that leadership role. To bring about change you need the necessary tool, which Davis explains is the vocabulary we speak, the knowledge we know that came either through experience or education but cooperation, teamwork and sacrifices are needed. Feminist groups are a good example of change because women was seen as weak and unequal to men but over the years women came together and started this movement and showed males that they could do almost anything males can do. Not only did they achieve the respect of males but achieve the rights to vote but also getting paid equaled to men. It took sacrifices and participation including teamwork to get to where they are and if we only take in on what the government spouts rather then being engaged and being apart of that change then we would be changing into a reality we wouldn’t want to be in.

Karishma Khatri

6/9/2014 03:41:58 pm

It does seem we talked about some of these points in class under people power and our reaction to a situation. I liked how you explained the feminist groups selecting Dr. King to lead the civil rights movement. We do not know many of these actions. People do tend to look at the leaders as the start of change. But we must not forget about the common person.

Joann Truong

6/6/2014 04:21:01 pm

In the video, Angela Davis gives us an insight on how it was growing up in Birmingham, Alabama and how racism took place. She spoke about racism and segregation and what she remembered about it.
As titled, this video explains how change happens and explains that change is possible. Though it takes time, change does happen. Change may be slow but as long as you’re patient, you will see it happen.
I like when she talked about her mom’s explanation on racism and segregation. Her mom is right, it wasn’t how things were suppose to be, things did change. I’m very happy to hear that mom, who grew up during all that segregation still had hoped for change and gave her daughter hope.
A thing that she pointed out was that UC Davis is well diverse and that is saying a lot, that just proves her point about change, equality, diversity, racism and segregation. UC Davis might be diverse but other schools aren’t as diverse. I guess we can just take things one step at a time, one school at a time.
Though, things did change and we aren’t as segregated and racism isn’t allowed anymore, they still do exist. Angela’s mom, I have hoped. I know that later on, if I’m lucky, I will be able to see how different things will be. I might be lucky enough to actually live in a country with actual equality because the equality we have now, it really isn’t equal. Though racism isn’t allowed, it’s still here, alive and well. Maybe, just maybe one day, it’ll die and rest forever.

Karishma Khatri

6/9/2014 02:43:38 pm

I agree with you. The many themes she discussed were quite motivational. I especially liked what her mother had said. She said that what is now isn’t permanent. It will change. She was talking about segregation of blacks and whites. Thankfully it did change through revolutionary leaders. Change is slow, but it does happen. As citizens we need to be sure we do our part when we are presented the opportunity to be a part of the change.

David Perez

6/6/2014 04:33:29 pm

Angela Davis referenced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the whole civil rights movement and emphasized how women are expected to live up to the character of people like Dr. King. She speaks about how unglamorous work helped create the Montgomery Bus Boycott movement. She explained how the small and tidious work that seems unimportant, is what really creates change. Mrs. Davis then spoke about victory (in any matter) never being socially permanent. One time things may seem socially right and then twenty years later it may be the opposite. She also explains that social meanings are socially constructed and that matter should be left in the hands of the state. The last thing that completely made me enjoy the video was when she said she hated the fact that George W Bush represented her. Everything Mrs. Davis said reminded me of the class discussions about how everyones voice matters. She spoke about being represented as different races and how every race has their own history. This reminded me of when we wrote our essay. Her whole speech was very moving and made me think outside of the outer box that we have in this class. Great Video and speech.

Elizabeth Avalos

6/9/2014 11:28:00 am

I agree with what you've mentioned, David. I, too, feel like much of her discussion points were discussed in our class this quarter, which makes the video that much more interesting to watch and enjoy. I perceived a similar message as you, and agree that everyone's voice matters; therefore we should not take it for granted.

Michael Plaza

6/6/2014 04:39:18 pm

One of the central themes that Ms. Davis speaks of is how nearly all of the external factors that affect the social and structural barriers and segregation should and could be overcome by a sense of imagination, although this in itself is not nearly enough. She mentions how such ideas acquired through knowledge and imagination should be put into practice and implemented in the structure of communities. Another theme that she brings up in context with the barriers of constrictive social structures is that racial profiling and police violence are central issues within many countries all over the world. The need for such changes that need to take place in the United States are not just limited to what we can see around us here in the bay area. She also brings up an important concept about how major changes are not “engraved in stone” throughout our history. What needs to be changed by present society is an ever changing thing. She mentions how change is being taken as a means to address only certain individuals in societies, although this is not what should be envisioned in the conceptualization of change. When change is being made, people must consider the larger changes, and the larger problems that affect communities. It seems that she is trying to convey the point that if people are trying to make a difference in a positive manner should bear in mind the needs of everybody as a whole, not just what may be beneficial to the individual or one other individual. As she states many times, the perceptions of people require proper conceptualizations of ideals for proper changes to occur in society.

Brenda Rangel

6/6/2014 04:53:41 pm

Angela Davis, in the video she addresses multiple ideas surrounding the change within the government. The change we have experience has not been because of state or government entities, rather by the people thinking about the ideas surrounding their government; choosing to redefine the ideas that govern them. We are taught that change occurs when the hero chooses it is time to see a change because the government is no longer addressing issues pertaining to the current state of the people. Davis addresses the idea that great change comes when a male is involved, they have chosen to change the status quo, when reality is women have been a huge driving force behind great changes in history. This comes up when she touches on feminism. She then proceeds to address the idea of revolutions is due to the questioning of current conditions. As humans we have the ability to question our surroundings, the knowledge present, and current state of affairs. These factors have become part of our history, demonstrating that the people will rise to seek change. Angela Davis, presents us with the need to learn, understand, and question our history; to seek truth and change through understanding were we have been to build were we want to go. At one point in the video she addresses the idea of self-defining rather than allowing others to define us in the name of democracy. We need to push against this, to allow ourselves to question what we are been told, to define our own path and our own meaning of democracy. Her messaged seemed to focus on our need to educated, question, and take action to see the change we all talk about; not to simply speak of it but allow for things to remain the same.

Tikerea Tate

6/6/2014 04:55:44 pm

Angela discussed many things in her speech. One thing that stuck out to me to she talked about is segregation. She discussed how she adapted to change. She shared a story about her personal life and some of her experiences with her mother and how her words have impacted her. Her words on this connects with class because she talks about the inequality that we have in this world and she invites us to imagine the world without the problems. Us imagining the world without the problems makes makes me think about giving consent for the segregation to happen. She explains that people do not notice the real work of people. The civil right s movement is used as an example. Many women had a big thing to do with the Civil Rights Movement yet they are not recognized for their work,men are, like Martin Luther King Jr. Half the things she explained and talked about with the women who was involved in the Civil Rights Movement I did not know. This is knowledge of the past that everyone should know .Another subject she brings up is knowledge and how out knowledge can make up the world. This is irrelevant to our class because we discussed how knowledge is needed in order for us to be able to make change. I talked about knowledge in my midterm paper. Knowledge of our past is important to know because everyone needs to understand where everything started.

Theodore Libby

6/8/2014 09:22:15 am

I think Angela Davis had two main themes throughout her speech at UC Davis. The first is to always have a critical mindset and the second was that change is not an individual thing. The first theme is pretty self-explanatory. Always be critical. Don’t accept things for how they are. I think this fits in perfectly with the themes in our class. As citizens we have the power to enable change so why not act on that possibility? Why accept our current political systems and just say, “That’s how things are supposed to be?” Being critical is our government is key to political change I think that is one of things Ms. Davis was trying to convey. The second theme in Ms. Davis’ speech was that change is not an individual thing. We as citizens and as people need to work together to create change. Change is not something one person does (although the retellings of history would say differently). Ms. Davis talked about Martin Luther King and how history perceives this strong man figure leading the entire civil rights movement. But he was simply the spokesperson for the hundreds and thousands of people that were working together to create social change. I really like Ms. Davis’ speech. I thought I was really thought provoking and she still kept the human element with the humor and Bush related head drops and face palms. This, like the class, will probably stick around in my head from now on and I’m glad to now be thinking critically.

Farkhanda

6/9/2014 04:57:53 am

Angela Davis makes several key remarks in her speech. Davis starts off talking about the difficult circumstances when she was growing up, and how much times have changed since then. She mentioned the importance of imagination as it sets us to our ideal future. Imagination gets us far in life because it sparks change and desires that we long for. The Civil Rights movement is the example that gave rise to ordinary citizens to make their dreams into realities by bringing change to the system. Through acquiring the change we want, education is crucial as it opens the mind and understanding to successfully achieve our dreams. When we learn, we realize how much power we have in control, and we question and demand for a better condition than we have previously. Davis reminds us that normal people have the capacity to make a change appear, like the hundreds of people during the Civil Rights movement, not just the key figures during the time. We shouldn’t forget those people because they are the people who changed the system that we are happily living in right now. Although, Davis states, that considerable change has occurred, there is still segregation and discrimination in people’s demeanor and character, which has to be also abolished. When we discussed on the previous blogs about consent and dissent, it made me realize the importance of questioning our authority as it has shown in history the dramatic change it can bring to the community. Any person can start to protest and dissent the government, but it matters if they are persistent and determined.

Nico Passalacqua

6/10/2014 03:33:24 pm

Violence in eradicated from state practices and our personal lives. Racism and segregation are good examples of this. In Ms. Davis’ speech, she quotes her grandmother, saying, “This is not the way things are supposed to be.” It is important to transmit certain habits of perception and imagination, just as it was once possible and important for people to imagine a world without slavery, a world beyond slavery. It is important to imagine a world where women were not assumed to be inferior to men. Thinking beyond the moment is very important, but it is simply not enough. Putting your beliefs into practice and implementing them into society is the way to see change.
Diversity is about the visual effect. Society needs difference that makes a difference. Not difference that allows the machine to keep functioning in the same manner. When we embrace weak notions of diversity it is a concept that promotes a hidden individualization of problems and solutions that need to be collected. These things than lead structures of inequality and injustices need to be destroyed. We live in an area that is called globalization, an instantaneous distribution of knowledge. Ms. Davis says, “ We wear their sweat on our bodies,” referring to the workers in third world countries producing goods for America. Democracy has become a watchword for the most abominable violations of human rights.

How does change happen? (week 10)

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How does change happen? (week 10)

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THE BEAUTYOF BLACKCREATION

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