Bill Text: SC H5272 | 2021-2022 | 124th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Implore the African American Studies Program
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 16-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-04-21 - Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works [H5272 Detail]
Download: South_Carolina-2021-H5272-Introduced.html
A HOUSE RESOLUTION
TO RECOGNIZE ACADEMIC FREEDOM, BUT IMPLORE THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES PROGRAM TO RECOGNIZE SPEAKERS THAT SUPPORT THE MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY TO SUPPORT THE HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING OF OUR STATE AND ALL PERSPECTIVES THAT ARE A BETTER AND MORE FAITHFUL INDEX TO THE NEEDS OF OUR STATE.
Whereas Angela Y. Davis will be a guest speaker at the Robert Smalls Annual Lecture on April 21, 2022, at the University of South Carolina; and
Whereas, the House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina fully embraces, supports, and defends the right of free speech in all endeavors as protected in the United States Constitution; and
Whereas, upon the hosting of such a controversial figure, the House of Representatives expects that all ideological points of view and all future speakers will be honored in like fashion in speaking at the University of South Carolina; and
Whereas, the Robert Smalls Annual Lecture, first inaugurated in 1997, is a lecture series grown from UofSC's African American Studies Program's strong sense of identification with South Carolina history and culture, both past and present, and is an honorable academic historical educational activity; and
Whereas, Angela Davis has not renounced honors and prizes from assorted communist states and regimes that have steadfastly worked against the interests of the United States and its people; and
Whereas, this resolution supports and proves the state's tolerance of diverse, different ideological and historical perspectives; and
Whereas, the people of South Carolina, the parents of students at UofSC, and the students of UofSC themselves should be made aware by this resolution of the activities and values of one Angela Y. Davis; and
Whereas, Angela Davis was a member of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) for over twenty years and ran for Vice President of the United States in 1980 and 1984, alongside Gus Hall, on the Communist Party ticket; and
Whereas, the taxpayers of South Carolina should know that Davis is supportive of the idea that the "only path of liberation for Black people is that which leads toward complete and radical overthrow of the capitalist class"; and
Whereas, she left the CPUSA because of an ideological argument regarding the future of radical politics in the United States. Today, Davis describes herself as a "small c" communist, remaining enthusiastic about the ideology but not within a single organization; and
Whereas, Davis also was a member of the Black Panthers, spending most of her time working with the Che-Lumumba Club, a branch of the Communist Party; and
Whereas, Davis is known to be a recipient of the Lenin "Peace Prize" and numerous honors from Soviet Union and East Germany, supporting many of the efforts of the former Soviet Union and the Castro regime in Cuba; and
Whereas, Davis has endorsed both the "Free Gaza" movement and the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement. The objectives of both initiatives are inspired by, and consistent with, those of Hamas. In January 2014, Davis delivered a speech in which she promoted BDS and called on people to "assist our sisters and brothers in Palestine, as they battle against Israeli apartheid" and the Jewish state's "ideological condemnation of their freedom efforts under the rubric of terrorism"; and
Whereas, while no longer on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list and acquitted of involvement in the murder of a California Judge, Davis has continued to have a controversial role regarding American justice; and
Whereas, her advocacy of violence for political purposes is contrary to the principles of our State and academic freedom, it is realized in one of her well-known quotes: "For the black female, the solution is not to become less aggressive, not to lay down the gun, but to learn how to set the sights correctly, aim accurately, squeeze rather than jerk and not be overcome by the damage. We have to learn how to rejoice when pigs' blood is spilled"; and
Whereas, Davis characterized the Antifa / Black Lives Matter riots of 2020 as "rehearsals for revolution"; and
Whereas, Davis is supportive of defunding the police: "there has to be a way to think about the connection among all of these issues and how we can begin to imagine a very different kind of society. That is what 'defund the police' means. That is what 'abolish the police' means". Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize academic freedom, but implore The University of South Carolina and the African American studies program to recognize speakers that support the mission of the university to support the historical understanding of our State and all perspectives that are a better and more faithful index to the needs of our State.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to President of the University of South Carolina.
