Angela Davis spoke here yesterday. It was inspiring. She was kickass. And then there was delicious, delicious coffee. Highlights:

1) When discussing how certain white students frame their claims that affirmative action is unjust: "Do grades stand in relation to the aspiring student in the same way that price stands in relation to the commodities we buy?"

2) When responding to an audience question about whether she stood by statements she'd made 10-15 years ago regarding capitalism containing the seeds of its own destruction (a question which dragged on and on and probably lasted five minutes in total, in which he was clearly asking, as E. whispered "Are you still a big commie?"): "Yes." Wild audience applause. Well, as wild as a few dozen people can get. Followed by: "And yes, I stand by what you say I said, though as I'm sure you know, Marx actually said that first."

3) On prisons and education: "Race matters when determining who's gonna get to go to prison and who's gonna get to go to the university." This was followed by a further articulation of the links between schools and prisons that forced me to write a one-word note to E. saying "FOUCAULT" and totally dork out with Marx/Davis/Foucault love.

4) In response to a question about art and activism, she discussed Adorno's concept of the "shudder" that goes through you when you are exposed to something that, for a moment, makes you believe the world could be different in some way. I love that moment, and it reminded me of all those works that have given me hope in the possibility of a different future, despite all evidence to the contrary.

5) Finally, just hearing from an academic who has combined teaching and academic work seamlessly with activist work outside of the college environment was inspirational. I love teaching (and I'm already missing it having been grading for a few quarters and now taking time off from Kaplan), but there's also only so much of an impact I feel I can have working with a bunch of privileged, mostly middle-class or better students. She was definitely one of those people that makes me want to take serious action outside of the academy as well as within it.