some wise words of angela davis

from Abolition Democracy: Beyond Prison, Torture, and Empire

"Our job today is to promote cross-racial communities of struggle that arise out of common--and hopefully radical--political aspirations." 33

"I've always preferred to identify with the pan-Africanism of W.E.B. Du Bois who argued that black people in the West do have a special responsibility to Africa, Latina America, and Asia--not by virtue of a biological connection or a racial link, but by virtue of a political identification that is forged in struggle. We should be attentive to Africa not simply because this continent is populated by black people, not only because we trace our origins to Africa, but primarily because Africa has been a major target of colonialism and imperialism. What I also like about Du Bois's pan-Africanism is that it insists on Afro-Asian solidarities. This is an important feature that has been concealed in conventional narratives of pan-Africanism. Such an approach is not racially defined, but rather discovers its political identity in its struggles against racism." 28

do i just like these ideas because racially defined politics might exclude [or, more accurately, do not include] me, while struggles against racism are more inclusive? why is it so hard to not be part of certain spaces, and how can white anti-racists become more comfortable with racially defined politics [which do not include them]?