(1944 on) – Activist

Angela Davis is an African–American activist, scholar and writer who advocates for the oppressed. Born in 1944, is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A feminist and a Marxist, Davis was a longtime member of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and is a founding member of the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism (CCDS). She is the author of many books on class, gender, race and the US prison system, which she experienced first-hand when she was incarcerated for sixteen months after being arrested for buying guns which were used in a courtroom shooting. She was eventually found not guilty. Her books including Freedom Is A Constant Struggle and Women, Race and Class are essential reading.

I read Angela Davis’s autobiography when I was in my twenties and was immediately awed by her ceaseless fight for racial equality and social justice. She seemed fearless to me and the fact that she’s still going strong, still fighting passionately for the rights of people around the world, is inspirational.

Sharmilla Beezmohun

Photo c/o Oregon State University

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Davis

https://nmaahc.si.edu/angela-davis