"The work of the political activist inevitably involves a certain tension between the requirement that position be taken on current issues as they arise and the desire that one's contributions will somehow survive the ravages of time"
About this Quote
Activism is a sprint conducted under the gaze of history, and Angela Davis is naming the muscle strain. The line turns on “inevitably”: the tension isn’t a personality flaw or a failure of discipline, it’s baked into the job description. Political crises don’t wait for perfect theory; they arrive with deadlines, cameras, and bodies on the line. Yet activists also live with a second clock ticking in their ear, the one that asks whether today’s statement, tactic, or coalition will read as wisdom or myopia once the moment cools.
Davis’s phrasing is careful and slightly unsentimental. “Requirement” suggests obligation, not preference; taking positions is not optional if you claim political seriousness. At the same time, “desire” marks the longing for durability as human, even a little vain: everyone wants their work to matter beyond the news cycle. The punch comes from “ravages of time,” which frames history not as an archive but as erosion. Time doesn’t simply judge; it wears things down, dissolves context, and turns urgent arguments into footnotes or slogans.
The subtext is a warning against two activist temptations. One is hot-take politics: mistaking speed and visibility for impact. The other is timelessness-as-alibi: retreating into abstract purity to avoid the messy compromises of the present. Davis, shaped by the Black freedom struggle, Cold War repression, prison abolition organizing, and constant media distortion, understands that movements need both immediate responsiveness and long-range architecture. The quote works because it refuses to flatter either side of the dilemma. It makes endurance sound hard, contingent, and earned - not guaranteed by righteousness, but built through choices made under pressure.
Davis’s phrasing is careful and slightly unsentimental. “Requirement” suggests obligation, not preference; taking positions is not optional if you claim political seriousness. At the same time, “desire” marks the longing for durability as human, even a little vain: everyone wants their work to matter beyond the news cycle. The punch comes from “ravages of time,” which frames history not as an archive but as erosion. Time doesn’t simply judge; it wears things down, dissolves context, and turns urgent arguments into footnotes or slogans.
The subtext is a warning against two activist temptations. One is hot-take politics: mistaking speed and visibility for impact. The other is timelessness-as-alibi: retreating into abstract purity to avoid the messy compromises of the present. Davis, shaped by the Black freedom struggle, Cold War repression, prison abolition organizing, and constant media distortion, understands that movements need both immediate responsiveness and long-range architecture. The quote works because it refuses to flatter either side of the dilemma. It makes endurance sound hard, contingent, and earned - not guaranteed by righteousness, but built through choices made under pressure.
Quote Details
| Topic | Legacy & Remembrance |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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