March Faculty Spotlight
Women’s Center Faculty Spotlight: Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Dr. Brittany Battle
This month, the Women’s Center would like to highlight the incredible accomplishments of Dr. Brittany Battle in her dedication to activism and advocacy for intersectional feminism and issues of racial justice. Dr. Battle recently received the Feminist Activism Award for Women in Sociology for her activist work in our community. Please continue reading for a special interview with Taryn Douglas (’23) and Dr.Battle!
Q: Please tell us more about your advocacy work in intersectional feminism or racial justice, either on campus or in our community/society as a whole.
A: I am the co-founder of Triad Abolition Project (TAP), a grassroots organization local to Winston Salem, working on issues related to the dismantling of the carceral state. We organized the 49-day occupation of downtown Winston Salem this summer to demand justice for John Neville, a Black man who was murdered by Forsyth County Detention Center staff. As abolitionists, justice looks like accountability and transformation that ensures that the same wrongs are not repeated, so our intention in calling for justice for Mr. Neville was to secure policy changes to ensure that the tragedy of his murder never happened to anyone else’s loved one. During the occupation, we hosted educational events with local activist organizations and educators; self-care sessions focused on breathing, meditation, and yoga; and events for artistic expression, including poetry, song, dance, painting, and photography. We corresponded with our incarcerated siblings through letters and daily marches around the Forsyth County Detention Center, and held regular vigils to remember those taken from us too soon by state sanctioned and white supremacist violence. We engaged in mutual aid and community support, and shared meals with the broader community. We also engaged in civil disobedience. TAP also is one of the founding organizations of the Forsyth County Police Accountability and Reallocation Coalition.
Q: What are some of your future goals or aspirations in regards to gender equity, racial justice, and/or women and gender issues?
A: My ultimate goal for all of these issues is the abolition of the carceral state. This requires that we dismantle white supremacy, patriarchy, and our investment in profit – all of these things ultimately contribute to the oppression of Black and brown people, queer people, women, immigrants, disabled folks, and all groups who are locked out from liberation. We know that is a long-term goal, so in the meantime, we are working to slowly break down institutions and systems which contribute to this oppression in all the ways we can, such as mobilizing civic engagement, facilitating political education, engaging in mutual aid, and ultimately building our communities for compassion and care and not punishment and carcerality.
Q: What is something you would tell your college-aged self?
A: Wow, this is a great question that I’ve never actually been asked. In college, I helped organize a sit-in in the president’s office when the administration ignored a noose that was hung outside the Black American Studies Department offices. So, I would say, “Brittany, keep doing this work! Though they may seem small, the contributions you are making are significant; and when many of us come together with our small contributions, we can see a radical transformative result!”
Q: Do you have any words of encouragement for others starting their feminist journey/have a growing interest in advocacy work?
A: Dive in! There is so much work to do toward liberation and we need all hands on deck! It can seem overwhelming initially with the sheer vastness of inequality in society, but find one area that really burns you up inside, and start there. There are likely organizations in your area working on those issues. Find out how you can get involved. Come to organizing spaces with humility, an openness to learn and receive the leadership of those already doing the work, and an eagerness to share in the labor. And make sure to practice self-care – you can’t pour into others from an empty glass! Lastly, practice revolutionary love!