![[angela-davis.jpeg]] Angela Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author known for her involvement in the civil rights movement and affiliation with the [[Communist Party USA]] and the [[Black Panther Party]] in the 1960s and 1970s. She is also a prominent advocate for gender equality, prison reform, and alliances across color lines. ### **Early Life and Education** Angela Yvonne Davis was born on January 26, 1944, in Birmingham, Alabama, an epicenter of racial tension and civil rights struggles. Her early experiences with racial discrimination and segregation had a significant influence on her later activism. Davis attended [[Brandeis University]], where she studied philosophy with [[Herbert Marcuse]], a prominent figure in the [[Frankfurt School]] of critical social theory. She went on to study at the [[University of Frankfurt]] in Germany before returning to the US to complete her doctorate at the [[University of California, San Diego]]. ### **Political Activism** Davis's political activism began in earnest in the 1960s when she joined the [[Communist Party USA]] and the [[Black Panther Party]], and became involved in the civil rights movement. Her radical affiliations led to her being removed from her teaching position at the [[University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)]] in 1969, a decision that caused significant controversy and protest. In 1970, Davis was arrested and charged with murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy in connection with an armed takeover of a California courtroom that resulted in four deaths. Davis had not been present during the incident but was implicated due to her alleged ownership of the guns used. After a high-profile trial, she was acquitted of all charges in 1972. ### **Later Life and Career** After her acquittal, Davis traveled and lectured widely before returning to academia. She has held positions at [[San Francisco State University]], [[Mills College]], and the [[University of California, Santa Cruz]], where she was a professor in the History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies departments until her retirement in 2008. Davis has written several books on race, class, and the U.S. prison system, including "Women, Race, & Class" (1981), and "Are Prisons Obsolete?" (2003). She continues to lecture and advocate for racial and gender equality, prison abolition, and social justice. Angela Davis remains a significant figure in American cultural and political history, admired by many for her tireless efforts to combat social, racial, and economic injustice. However, her radical politics and affiliations have also made her a controversial figure.