Equity & Justice Institute to Present Dr. Angela Davis

Crossroads School Equity & Justice Institute will kick off the 2020-21 school year with a special virtual presentation featuring Dr. Angela Davis on Tuesday, Sept. 8. This virtual event will be the first in a series inspired by women revolutionaries.

 

A prominent educator and advocate for economic, racial and gender justice, Davis is the Distinguished Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness and of Feminist Studies at University of California, Santa Cruz, and the author of 10 books. She has taught at numerous colleges around the country and delivered lectures across the world. Her recent work focuses on the “prison-industrial complex,” a concept she helped popularize to describe the variety of social problems surrounding incarceration.

 

For this powerful event, Davis will be interviewed by Derric J. Johnson, founding director of the Institute, and will then answer questions by current Crossroads students and recent alumni. Topics will include the inequities and institutional racism that have persisted throughout Davis’ 50-plus years of activism as well as the current state of civil unrest, amongst other subjects.

 

“I’m truly excited to have Professor Davis as the first in a slate of invited representatives and living examples of women revolutionaries,” says Derric. “Professor Davis helped bring the concepts ‘prison-industrial complex’ and having an ‘anti-racist’ ideation to the forefront of intellectual discussion. She has long pioneered the avenues to a more just world. We are especially honored to host her in this conversation with our students, the next generation of changemakers.”

 

The evening is dedicated to Crossroads Trustee Nat Trives for his tireless advocacy on behalf of the School and the greater Santa Monica community. A grandfather of two current Crossroads students—10th grader Tristan and seventh grader Tanner—Nat joined the School’s Board in 1974. In the 1980s, he established the Nat Trives Minority Financial Aid Fund, allowing students of color across multiple generations access to a Crossroads education. Nat has served on the Santa Monica City Council and was the City’s first Black mayor. His background in politics and his deep ties to local leaders have been invaluable to the founding and the future of Crossroads.

 

This free virtual event is open to the public. Click here to register.