New School/ Old School Activism

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The annual Afrikan Black Coalition Conference held this past weekend at the University of California, Santa Cruz ignited dialogue of new age activism. On Sunday, the panel discussion entitled “New School/Old School Activism”  had “old school” activists Dr. Angela Davis and Bobby Seale, and “new school” activists Philip Agnew, Marcel Jones, Ainye Long, and Tiffany Dean Loftin.

The discussion opened with the question, “What does liberation mean to you?” Dr. Angela Davis, an ex-political prisoner, former Black Panther Party member, and former leader of the communist party responded, “Liberation means collective freedom. One cannot only free themselves, but they must work to free their people and community as a whole.”  Dr. Angela Davis worked at UCLA during the 60’s. However, due to her membership and work with the communist party she was fired. Several courtroom incidents and affiliation with the communist party sent Dr. Angela Davis to prison. Regardless of the struggles and obstacles she faced, she preached collective freedom and continued to be an activist for oppressed peoples.

Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther and ex-political prisoner, further elaborated on the idea of collective freedom and talked about his work with the Black Panther Party. He mentioned the Free Breakfast for Children Program started in January 1969 to serve free breakfast to poor and hungry children of the community. “J. Edgar Hoover, did not want to see this program implemented, as he said it was a threat to national security,” Seale said. The FBI attacked The Breakfast Program along with other Black Panther Party survival programs because they were said to be propaganda with a Communist agenda.

Marcel Jones, Afrikan Student Union Chair Person from UC Berkley shared the perspective of new activist and talked about what activism looks like today on university campuses. He shared that the Black students at Berkley recently came together and got their Afro House reinstated fall 2013. The Afro house is one of Berkley’s theme housing options under the Berkeley Student Cooperative.

A student from the audience asked about apathy in the Black community, Philip Agnew a former student activist at Florida A&M University and creator of the Dream Defender’s campaign—the campaign that brought national attention to the Trayvon Martin case—responded, “I personally do not believe that apathy exists. What we have to do is break obedience and dependence.”

He encouraged students to bend the rules a little in order to accomplish the goals they have set for themselves; stop being dependent on other leaders and people to take action. Individuals should take it upon themselves to be the leaders.

The panel reinforced the idea that students do have power. Bobby Seale and Dr. Angela Davis both mentioned that the youth are the ones behind major political movements. Students are the one with the power and students must put this power into action.