Angela
Yvonne Davis was born on Jan. 26, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama. Her parents, B. Frank and Sally E. Davis were
both school teachers, and they instilled strong political values in their four
children.
In 1959, at the
age of 15, Angela received a scholarship from the American Friends Southern
Negro Student Committee to attend Elizabeth Irvine, a private high school in
New York. Angela went on to pursue her
education at a college in Brandeis, Mass., where she studied French. Angela spent her junior year studying abroad
at a university in Paris. There she
established contact with some Algerian revolutionaries (Marcuse).
After Angela’s
year in Paris, she returned to her Massachusetts college. Angela began to study philosophy, which ignited
her fire to pursue a world of social liberation. With this new passion, Angela began to study
the Communist Party of the United States.
In 1968, Angela became a member with the mission to “overthrow the
capitalist class” (Marcuse). Angela
became a member of the Black Panthers as well.
In the spring of
1969, Angela took a position at UCLA as an assistant professor in
philosophy. When the board discovered Angela’s
association with the Communist Party, they illegally dismissed her. This angered many of Angela’s co-workers and
students, who began to pressure the board to rehire Angela. Although their effort was successful and
getting Angela’s job back, the board soon fired her again for her support in
the defense of the “Soledad Brothers.” The Soledad Brothers a group of African
American revolutionaries imprisoned at Soledad Prison for killing a prison
guard.
Angela was
accused of purchasing fire arms for 17 year old Jonathan Jackson, who kidnapped
a judge to obtain the freedom of his brother George, a Soledad Brother. On Aug. 11, 1970, the F.B.I. issued a warrant
for Angela’s arrest. Angela was forced
to go underground, which made her the 3rd woman to appear on the
F.B.I. “Ten Most Wanted List” (Marcuse).
Angela was later apprehended on Oct. 13, 1970. She was charged with murder, kidnapping, and
conspiracy and imprisoned for 18 months before her trial. During Angela’s incarceration, the outraged
community launched a “Free Angela Davis Campaign.” On Feb. 27, 1972, Angela was acquitted of all
charges.
After Angela
received her freedom, she became the founder of the National Alliance Against
Political Repression. Angela continues
to be a social activist focusing most of her attention on poor communities
where racial discrimination is a problem.
Angela is now employed at the University of California Santa Cruz, where
she is a Professor of Feminist Studies.
During her
lifetime, Angela has traveled the world giving speeches to unite people to
stand against political oppression.
Angela is the author of 8 books that promote political activism. She even ran for Vice President of the United
States on the Communist Party ballot in 1980.
Angela Davis has
never been on to color inside the line, and she continues to raise awareness
that although there are many colors, the crayons all come in the same box.
Works
Cited
Aiello, Janet
Marie. “Angela Davis: Biography & Bibliography, 1988.” 99/04/21. Web. 5
Mar. 2012.
“Angela Yvonne
Davis : Voices From the Gaps : University of Minnesota.” Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
“Interview With
Angela Davis | The Two Nations Of Black America | FRONTLINE | PBS.” Web. 5 Mar.
2012.
Marcuse, Harold.
“Angela Davis.” 21 Dec. 2002. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
“Speak Out : Biography
and Booking Information.” Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
Mary Harper
