Feminism isn’t just black and white
Feminism isn’t just black and white,
And it’s quite hard not to polarise.
But you’ve challenged the other side,
Helping all women rise.
Oh, Angela Davis, what you’ve achieved
Is beyond what some may choose to believe,
You are so radical,
A radical human, a radical feminist.
Someone’s who’s thoughts hold such potency,
That the status quo is threatened by female liberty.
But what I like the most about you,
Is how you aren’t afraid of controversy,
You and your words hold no mercy.
Racism, sexism and classism
Intersect, like a woven piece of wool,
And you, madam, have noticed it all.
You tug at each thread,
Ripping the foundations
That make up the patriarchy,
And crush the pillars that uphold
Ancient gender inequality.
Leader of the communist party,
It is clear your political rhetoric is
Defined by utmost equality.
Between the sexes,
and within society.
Angela Davis, your devotion to research
In the feminist movement,
Has been so impactful,
So nobody ridicule!
You have dedicated time,
In remembering the forgotten –
Black women.
Which is why,
You have impacted me
And other black sistas
So significantly.
In 1970, you faced horrific murder charges,
And today you are an activist, professor, and author.
It’s comical how you don’t need metaphors,
To hyperbolise the way in which you,
Counter forced through bars of imprisonment.
Bars that a broken judicial system,
Enforced upon you, similar to:
The ones that the patriarchy use,
To encroach on women’s identities,
And pivot our fragile views.
Free Angela Davis, Sweet Black Angel.
Free Angela Davis, Sweet Black Angel.
Your story evoked a movement:
Reformation of the prison system,
Which wasn’t just nationwide,
But also quite globalised.
People fought and protested,
For the birth of human decency.
Whilst defence committees broadened,
Then interracialized.
I am innocent of all charges which have been
levelled against me by the state of California.
And after you left your prison cell,
You pursued a life in academia.
Oh, Angela Davis, what you’ve achieved
Is beyond what some may choose believe,
You are so radical,
A radical human, a radical feminist.
Someone’s who’s thoughts hold such potency,
That the status quo is threatened by female liberty.
But what I like the most about you,
Is how you aren’t afraid of controversy,
You and your words hold no mercy.
Dear Doctor Angela Davis,
You are strong. You are bold,
And the thoughts you hold,
Are made of gold.
You are the pinnacle
Of progressiveness,
And have broadened the horizon,
For which female equality can be achieved.
the author
Tawana is a student at Wimbledon High School. Her fantastic profile of Angela Davis won the Key Stage 5 category of our 2021 ‘Personalities & Powers’ writing competition.