In the wake of recent protests and political contention in the U.S., assistant professor Taylor Jackson posed a series of questions to a room of students and faculty at Diablo Valley College:
“What institutions are we building? Where is the discipline? Where is the intention? Where is the political education?” Jackson asked the crowd of dozens during the recent Social Justice Speaker Series event, “The History of Black Organizing in the Bay,” held Feb. 25 in the Diablo Room.
“What are you doing to create a better world?”
An assistant professor of ethnic studies and social justice at Los Medanos College, Jackson, the central guest speaker for the event, themed her presentation around Black History Month focusing on the history of African American organizing, protests and community aid in the Bay Area.
From the early political organization of the San Francisco Executive Committee and Afro-American League in the 1850-1890 period, to the 1966 formation of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, Jackson placed particular emphasis on collective action that goes beyond political protesting.
Connecting that past to today, Jackson said, “The beginning protests are important. They highlight contradictions and they arise in moments of crisis. But on the everyday level, people are hungry, they need education, food and healthcare. So what else are we doing for our communities, and how can we start organizing in a more intentional way around that?”
Jackson also drew comparisons between police violence in the civil rights era to the recent “over-policing” by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“The Panthers organized patrols in response to visible, routine police violence in Black neighborhoods,” said Jackson. “Now, policing looks different. It expands through surveillance technology, data systems, immigration enforcement, and federal-local coordination.”
After the presentation, Jackson opened the floor to audience members to ask questions and engage in critical dialogue.
“Events like these are critical in educating a diverse audience on African American topics,” said Lily Parry, a DVC student in attendance. “It’s very valuable, especially this time in history, because politics are just all over the place.”
Jackson concluded the presentation by inviting the audience to attend an upcoming “Ethnic Studies Summit,” happening April 17 at Los Medanos College, focusing on “student empowerment, community activism and solidarity.”
“It’s important to have shared spaces to have these conversations,” said Jackson.
“It can help us reimagine new futures, new things that we can be doing, and I think showing varying perspectives of the ways people can be involved is really important.”