Angela Davis at UNAM: Abolition, Feminism, and Global Solidarity
Angela Davis addressed a packed UNAM audience, linking abolition feminism to Latin American leaders and the Palestinian struggle.
U.S. scholar and activist Angela Davis made her first appearance at Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM) on Wednesday, delivering a wide-ranging address on abolition, feminism, and global justice to a packed audience.
The event, titled "Abolición, feminismo, ¡ahora!," drew on Davis's recent book co-authored with Gina Dent, Erica R. Meiners, and Beth E. Richie. The work frames abolition feminism as a lens connecting prison abolition with struggles against racism, gender violence, and economic inequality.
Davis spoke admiringly of Latin American women leaders, citing former Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez and the late Brazilian activist Marielle Franco as figures whose political vision has shaped her thinking. She reflected on her own identity, noting that while she has long resisted calling herself American, the example of these women makes her want to embrace that label.
The event was briefly interrupted when protesters took the stage with banners criticizing the university and raising demands on issues including violence against women and political prisoners. Davis remained composed, allowing the demonstrators to be heard before the program continued.
Davis also drew a direct line between the Palestinian struggle and broader movements against racism, colonialism, and state violence. "Palestine represents to people all over the world the power of persistence," she said, describing it as a capacity to imagine victory even under the worst circumstances.
Her visit marked a return to Mexico more than five decades after her first trip to Mexico City in 1969, when she was a young activist in the civil rights and Black liberation movements.