Angela Davis

Angela Davis has dedicated her life to speaking against injustice, and her speech on January 24, the week after MLK Day, definitely reflected that. She spoke in Farthing Auditorium at 6 p.m. I sat in the back row in the balcony, with offered an interesting viewpoint from the perspective of Universal Design.

The presentation began with a gospel choir. The choir was loud and got everyone in the audience up and singing, but I was so far back and unfamiliar with the songs, so I was unable to understand what they were saying. Once Angela Davis began speaking, however, her voice was clear and understanding was not a problem, although reading her face was a bit difficult. But she was an engaging speaker, and her message made me think about my perspective on race and economic circumstances. Overall I'd rate her speech fairly high.

Farthing as a location served well for Angela Davis. Her first request was to "raise the house lights" so she could see the audience, and the wide open room helped visibility. I was seated on the back row, which consisted of a wide space and folding chair along the wall. This allowed plenty of room for wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, or crutches, should someone need space for those. If someone was content with this back row, getting into the seating would not pose any additional hassle.

However, should someone want to sit farther forward on the balcony, there would be a few problems. The hallway accommodates the slope of the seating with sets of stairs al the way down, instead of a gradual slope like on the first floor. The elevator is in an unclear location, and the hill leading to Farthing poses a problem for a student who has difficulty walking.

If I could, I would remodel the upper level hallway to model the lower level, or make sure a few seats on the lower level are reserved for disabled people at all times. Otherwise, all things considered, it's a fairly accessible location for all the events that it hosts.

(Individual, Lecture)