On Thursday, February 26th, GLIDE hosted a powerful and timely Black History Month event called, “Legacy and Liberation – A Conversation with Dr. Angela Y Davis.”
For decades, Dr. Angela Y. Davis has shaped global movements for Black liberation, prison abolition, and intersectional justice. Among her trusted supporters was GLIDE’s Reverend Cecil Williams, whose leadership positioned GLIDE as a sanctuary for the revolution.
An evening of justice, hope, and faith
Minister Marvin K. White opened the evening with a heartfelt interfaith blessing, saying Angela Davis teaches us to “refuse the lie that Empire is inevitable,” and Center for Social Justice Director Naeemah Charles reminded us that “freedom is a constant struggle, and struggle is sustained by community.” Both urged the audience to join GLIDE’s Social Justice Warriors!
Then Director of Music Ministries Zoë Ellis introduced the Glide Ensemble to sing gospel songs. She urged the audience to interpret the lyrics mentioning “God,” their own way. “God can be love, ocean, moon, sky stars,” she cried– “All we want you to know is that God has got a blessing waiting for you!” Nearly the whole audience was on their feet clapping and stomping along to the gospel– even those who had never participated interactively in live gospel before.
Joy is resistance
Then it was time for GLIDE’s current President & CEO, Dr. Gina Fromer to interview Dr. Davis. Asked how she endured the racism of her childhood in Birmingham, Dr. Davis laughingly corrected that she remembered her childhood as a time of joy. While acknowledging the terror of racist violence—including church bombings and the ever-present threat of the Ku Klux Klan—she refused to let trauma be the whole story.
She recalled mischievous resistance—children dashing into the forbidden white side of town, ringing the doorbells of KKK members, and running away as fast as they could. “Resistance was woven into every aspect of our lives, even our joy,” she reflected. Joy, she insisted, is not a distraction from struggle; it is what makes sustained struggle possible.
The importance of women in liberation struggles
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Davis illuminated histories too often erased. She urged us to understand that the Civil Rights Movement did not emerge spontaneously in the 1950s—it was built on groundwork laid by Black organizers, including Black communists, in the 1940s and earlier. She spoke emphatically about the importance of collective political education and organizing, reminding us that the Black Panther Party’s community programs—such as the free breakfast initiative for children—were powered primarily by women.
“Did you know that two-thirds of Black Panther members were women?” she asked. “The programs happened because of them. But we all know that women always do all the work anyway.” The line, “women do all the work,” received the most roaring applause of the evening– causing Dr. Davis to smirk knowingly at the audience.
How political activists can deal with fear and anxiety
When Dr. Gina Fromer asked how she found courage during the most terrifying moments of her life—including her imprisonment and the threat of the death penalty—Dr. Davis answered with disarming honesty: “I wasn’t courageous. I was scared to death.” Courage, she explained, does not mean the absence of fear.
Courage comes from knowing you are not alone. Seeing “Free Angela Davis” signs around the world and receiving messages of solidarity—even smuggled notes from Palestinian political prisoners—transformed her fear into collective strength. “As one person, we can do very little. But as hundreds and thousands and millions of people, we can change the world.”
Divest from capitalist thinking, invest in the discipline of hope
Dr. Davis warned against the individualism rooted in capitalism and urged us to free ourselves from “capitalist temporalities” that demand quick wins and short-term thinking. “Hope is a discipline, not an emotion,” she said. “Hope is that which we must generate and produce if we want anyone to witness a better world.”
We ended the evening with questions from the audience and a final song from Regina Wells Rashida Oji, our Senior Manager of Transformative Learning. We love how many hundreds of you showed up for GLIDE’s living vision for Black liberation! Black History Month reminded us that liberation is not a chapter in the past — it is an unfolding story.
Do you want to be part of the story of liberation? Definitely consider joining GLIDE’s Justice Warriors. Depending on your preferences, we can let you know about marches, rallies, phone banks, letter-writing, and outreach– because it’s going to take all of us to move the country’s story forward!
You can watch Angela’s appearance below.