Angela Davis: A Radical Activist

In the documentary by Shola Lynch depicts the life of a young black women activist from Alabama, Angela Davis who was a philosophy instructor at UCLA. She lived in one of the most conflicted periods in U.S. history were segregation was present and there was inequality between white and blacks. The African Americans have had enough and began to demand their rights and creating social change. The black people become resilient and using militancy fought back giving rise to the Black Movement and the Panther Party. Davis wanted to stop police brutality, wanted better housing rights for the black people and put an end to the repression level of unemployment. Changing these things will

In 1969, Davis came back the America and joined several radical civil rights organizations. She was a member of the Communist Party, USA and a member of the Black Panther Party along with being an assistance professor at the University of California- Los Angeles (UCLA). Governor at the time, Ronald Reagan, tried to terminate her position as UCLA professor because of her Communist affiliation, but that was overturned. Yet, devastation struck only a few months later.

Who inspires me is rosa park because she stood up for what was right. She knew it was wrong that people with darker skin were mistreated. So she made a great decision and changed how people thought and did to people with darker colored skin. That's why I like her she knew it was wrong and did what was wright. If she never did that how would people with darker colored skin be treated today. I'm very thankful that she did that it changed the world and made it better.

("Davis, Angela 1944–".) In her early years she was exposed to activism through her mother, Sallye Davis, she was involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), at a time in which it was very dangerous to do so. Her mother was also heavily involved with the Communist Party, she was involved in the civil right’s movement and was an organizer for the Southern Negro Congress. Since she grew up around such a heavy influence of Communist ideals, Davis developed a mindset geared towards equal rights at a very young age. Davis’ views started coming through in her academics at a very young age as well, in high school Davis did everything she could to start to an interracial study group, the group was “harassed, and then disbanded by the police.” Eventually Davis would go onto start herself a legacy that is greatly inspired by her mother. She would join the Black Panther Party after a horrible tragedy.

In her speech “Political Activism and Protest from the 1960s through the Age of Obama,” Angela Davis argues that Black history involves a constant struggle for freedom. This struggle is meant to expand the liberties of not only Black people, but of all marginalized people, and it has occurred throughout history in all parts of the world. As a result, Davis asserts that Black history and activism are universally relatable. She continues to discuss activism in her speech, at one point declaring, “we have to learn how to imagine the future in terms that are not restricted to our own lifetimes” (Davis 117). Her declaration means that social change does not come about if people passively accept the world’s current state. Instead, social change occurs when people “imagine the future” (117) that they wish to live in and work at shaping all aspects of society so that it will progress towards the future they envisioned.

Angela Davis achieved many great things in her life and now she is getting recognized by many people on International Women's Day. She had worked very hard to become the person that she is today. Angela is an American Politician activist, who then become an academic scholar and which then lead to her becoming an author who has had her book read by many people. She was always involved in many marches all over including the Black Panther Party, and the Civil Rights Movement. Davis has always been involved in all different types of activities which played a big role in her life. After she started to get involved she has started to have a higher interest in such political and more informational things.

Angela Davis an Autobiography is a declaration of Davis’ life journey within “Bombingham” (Birmingham) Alabama to her political ties within Communist Party. Davis is a prototype of an anomaly within the US. She went from being placed on the FBI’s most wanted list, to escaping the death penalty, to becoming a professor at one of the premiere colleges within the US, University of California- Los Angeles . How did she do it ? What is Davis’ secret ? Simply becoming aware of the world she lived in, but was engulf in systemic ways of doing things.

“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” (William Shakespeare) No one can truly say who is born great and who is not. In Angela Davis's case she achieved greatness and had greatness thrust upon her. She was and still is an African -American female leader in a time where she did not meet the status quo. She was fighting for the civil rights of her people. She educated the masses on what it is like to be black in America. She spread the truth and wasn't afraid of the consequences. She is a force. To be all those things she must possess certain sets of qualities. After researching Ms. Davis, she has presented a certain set of qualities that make her such a dynamic and impactful leader.

Angela Davis, is an African American professor, writer, scholar, activist in civil right and social issues. She was born on January 26, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama to Frank Davis, a service station owner and Sallye Davis, a teacher but participant in the NAACP. At a young age, Angela Davis learned of racial prejudice in her hometown, by witnessing bombings in her neighborhood referred as “Dynamite Hill” and having her interracial studies groups broken up by police. As, a teenager these experiences did not deter her rather continued to excel in her academics. She attended Brandeis University in Massachusetts, where she earned her B.A. in 1965 (magnum cum laude). However, while in college she learned of the Sixteen Street Baptist Church Bombing

All of us, wanted to conduct our research on an African-American woman who helped with the Civil Rights movement. We wanted to shine light on a person that we don’t commonly hear of when we are taught about the Civil Rights Movement. We received a suggestion, that we should do a local topic. We searched for African-American women that helped during the Civil Rights movement in Charleston, South Carolina. We decided to do our project on Septima Clark because she was not commonly known as a civil rights leader.

Angela Davis is recognized as an advocate for feminism, prison reform, and communism. She is best known as a radical African American educator and activist for civil rights. She established her own group called the Critical Resistance, an organization working to abolish the prison-industrial complex.While a high school student, she performed well, earning her a scholarship to Brandeis University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in French literature. After that, she continued to earn numerous degrees which include studies at University of Paris, 1963–64; graduate study at University of Frankfurt (Germany), 1965–67; University of California, San Diego, M.A., 1968, doctoral study, 1968–69. (Horsley, 2017)

Angela Davis, a well-known activist, educator and author, was born on January 26th, 1944 in Birmingham Alabama. Her parents, Frank Davis was a station owner, and her mother Sallye Davis was a school teacher (BlackPast.org, 2017). Davis enrolled in Brandeis University in 1961 and in 1965 she received her bachelor’s degree. After her graduation from Brandeis she continued her education and received her Master’s degree in 1968 from UCLA. Just one year later, in 1969 she was hired by UCLA as an assistant professor of philosophy. It is at this time that her interest in prison reform, something that she would spend her life working on, began to take hold (BlackPast.org,

“The only tired I was, was tired of giving in” (Parks). I was tired, tired of being oppressed, and tired of being stepped on by the law, and my fellow people. That was the only tired i felt. The Montgomery Bus protest sparked a fire that would be felt throughout the entire country, and it was the spark that ignited the fire of the civil rights movement that shook the world. The boycott was the first of it, once light was shown on the problem, she began travelling cross country spreading information about civil rights, and sparking more peaceful protest. Rosa Parks was an important figure that changed the direction of the United States of America. She was trying to get home from work that day, but she turned into an icon for the civil rights movement, and shined a light on the unfair treatment of african americans.

Coming from an immigrant family who suffered social prejudice, Dolores Huerta was inspired to better the lives of others. Although she faced many consequences, Huerta later became an influential labor activist and leader of civil rights movements. Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta is an American labor leader. Huerta was born on April 10, 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, Huerta is the second of three children of Alicia and Juan Fernandez. She attended San Joaquin Delta College and University of the Pacific where she received an associate teaching degree.

Angela Davis was a prominent political activist in the United States. She was a member of the Communist Party of the USA where she ran for vice president in 1980 and 1984. She was also involved with the Black Panthers and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Davis spent sixteen months in prison due to charges of murder and conspiracy but was acquitted of all charges and released. She has authored many books that delve into the social position of black women in America and the prison system. In Women, Race, & Class Davis discusses the diverse ways the women’s rights movements have mistreated and ignored black women’s struggle for freedom.