Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice

Article Title

From Cuba to Ferguson: A Reflection on Memory as Bridge across Communities of Struggle

Authors

Joe Kaplan, University of Puget SoundFollow

Abstract

I wrote this piece spontaneously as I reflected on the anniversary of Ferguson while working on my summer research project on former Black Panther and current political exile, Assata Shakur. I wanted to stress the role that memory plays in the creation of communities, whether nationally imagined, or based around a shared sense of justice. Shakur's asylum status in Cuba should serve as a reminder to all advocates of social justice in the U.S. that transnational communities of struggle can serve a vital function in redressing domestic racial injustice. I go on to make the recommendation that contemporary activists harness Shakur's memory to more fully engage the dynamic relationship between foreign and domestic policy that made the Panthers such a compelling group, and which allowed Shakur to elude state repression.

Recommended Citation

Kaplan, Joe (2016) "From Cuba to Ferguson: A Reflection on Memory as Bridge across Communities of Struggle," Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice: Vol. 1: No. 2, Article 2.
Available at: https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/rpj/vol1/iss2/2