Angela Davis: A Phenomenal Woman By Sylvia Florius Angela Davis is an African American educator, author and political activist for social issues and civil rights. My first time learning about Angela Davis was in my first semester of college, when I took a Black Studies class. She was born on January 26, 1944 and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. Growing up in Alabama was difficult for Davis as she faced many encounters of discrimination. Davis’s mother, Sallye Davis, was an active member of the NAACP and also, an elementary school teacher. While growing up in a household with parents that participated in black power movements, at a young age, Davis was determined to follow their footsteps. What inspires me most about Angela Davis is her fearless acts and her radical thinking that helped the black community more forward into a direction of progress. Davis studied at many institutions where she began to participate actively in youth organizations. Through scholarship, she first attended a private progressive high school in New York called Elizabeth Irwin.(Perkins,16) During her studies, she participated in many civil rights protests when she joined the Marxist-Leninist activist youth organization called Advance. She was also introduced to the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx. After graduating from high school, she received her undergraduate degree in French at Brandeis University. There she met Herbert Marcuse, a philosopher who mentored her politically. Once she graduated from Brandeis University her education didn’t stop there. She continued as she studied at universities in Paris, Frankfurt and Germany. Around this time the Black Liberation Struggle began to grow throughout the United States, so Davis decided to attend the University of California in San Diego where she could complete her master’s degree, ensuring that she would be able to continue participating in the black power movement there. In 1969 Davis earned her doctoral degree from Humboldt University in East Berlin and was subsequently hired as a philosophy instructor at the University of California in Los Angeles. While Davis continued to further her education, her determination for equal rights was stronger than ever. She became involved in radical organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and John Floyd’s Black Panther Political Party. John Floyd was a schoolteacher who was the head of the Black Panther Political Party in Los Angeles, California. But she turned down any interaction with Huey Newton’s Black Panther Party due to her discontent with sexism within that organization. Instead she joined the Che-Lumumba Club of the Communist Party in the USA which was an all-black faction. Once she announced her association with Communism, shortly afterwards she was fired from her assistant professor position at the University of California in Los Angeles. The California Board of Regents directed by the then-governor, Ronald Reagan to make Davis a target of the red-baiting campaign (Perkins, 17). The red-baiting campaign was a movement that promoted false ideas to attack or persecute communist leaders. The Board stated that Davis was irresponsible and too radical, even though students and teachers described her as an unbiased person. Upon being fired, Davis’ reputation grew internationally which led to one of the devastating moments of her life that took place in August 1970. Jonathan Jackson was known as an acquaintance to Angela Davis. On August 7, 1970 Jackson held the judge, deputy district attorney and three female jurors’ hostage during James McClain’s trial. This was an alleged attempt to help George Jackson, who was the founder of the Soledad Brothers, escape. A few people inside of the courtroom were shot and killed from gunfire exchange between the kidnappers and police during this armed assault. Following the event that took place, a warrant for Davis’s arrest was authorized for her alleged participation in the event. She was accused of providing the firearms to Jonathan Jackson. She went on the run from authorities and was placed on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” list. She was caught and arrested by the FBI in October in NYC, charged with murder, kidnapping and conspiracy. She spent 18 months in jail and was released on June 4, 1972, exonerated of all charges. Once released she continued to actively participate in the struggle of African American’s. For example, she raised awareness of violations of African Americans equal rights while encouraging others to join the Civil Rights movement. For example, she began giving public speaking engagements to educate people about the struggles, expressing her opposition to racism and sexism. What is a hero? A hero to me is someone who overcomes their fears and stands for what is right no matter the consequences. A hero is someone who can be idealized for their courage and achievements and to me Angela Davis is a hero! As a black woman she has challenged society and the law while overcoming many obstacles that stood in her way, such as sexism and racism. Today Angela Davis is 76 years old and is still an educator and activist fighting for social issues and equal rights related to prison reforms, communism and feminism. A powerful quote that I value till this day as stated by Ms. Davis is: “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change; I’m changing the things I cannot accept.” (Goodreads.) I am Sylvia Florius, a student at Hostos Community College, enrolled in WGS 100 with Professor Jerilyn Fisher, Spring 2020. Our class wrote biographies as our "Making a Difference" project, done in partnership with WomensActivism.NYC. Works Cited “Angela Davis Biography.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Mar. 2020, www.biography.com/activist/angela-davis. “Angela Y. Davis Quotes (Author of Women, Race, and Class).” Goodreads, Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5863103.Angela_Y_Davis. Bloom, Joshua, and Waldo E Martin. Black against Empire. University of California Press, 2013. (p. 141) History.com Editors. “Angela Davis.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/black-history/angela-davis. Perkins, Margo V.Autobiography as Activism: Three Black Women of the Sixties, University Press of Mississippi, 2000. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://search-proquest-com.hostos.ezproxy.cuny.edu/legacydocview/EBC/866925?accountid=11487. (pp. 15-18) San, Sol Stern. “The Campaign to Free Angela Davis ...and Mitchell Magee.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 June 1971, www.nytimes.com/1971/06/27/archives/the-campaign-to-free-angela-davis-and-ruchell-magee-the-campaign-to.html.