Angela Davis (1944-)
Angela Davis is the embodiment of radical Black female thought, having been heavily involved with the Communist Party from 1969 -1991, and associated with the Black Panther Party during the 1960s.
She is a scholar, activist, author, and two-time Communist Party vice presidential nominee who does not just talk the talk, she walks the walk.
During the civil rights movement, she was involved with many organizations that were fighting for Black liberation. The movement was dominated by charismatic male leaders, but Davis stood up for Black women’s rights and called for an end to oppressive state control in America.
In her book, Woman, Race, and Class she analyzes events that have shaped Black women’s experiences in America and uses them to illustrate how multiple oppressive forces impacted the women’s life choices.
This work provides one of the earliest critical examinations to the women’s suffrage movement and feminism, calling out both for their racism and exploitation of the Black community to further their own agenda.
The white power structure has attempted to bring Davis down on several occasions, such as charging her in connection with the 1970 Marian County Courthouse kidnapping and shootings, which led to her name being added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List. Angela was eventually arrested for the alleged shooting and held in prison for several months, but later found not guilty of all charges.
Despite these attempts to damage her character and reputation, she is still fighting to bring an end to the prison-industrial complex system.
