Full Name
Angela Yvonne Davis
Date of Birth
January 26, 1944
Place of Birth
Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Education
University of California, San Diego, Brandeis University, Humboldt University
Spouses Names
Hilton Braithwaite (m. 1980; div. 1983)
Parents Names
Known Affiliates Names
Herbert Marcuse (Doctoral advisor)
Affiliated Organizations’ Names
Communist Party USA, Black Panther Party, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Critical Resistance
Based on the provided instructions and sources, it appears there was a mistake in the query, possibly referring to Angela Davis, not “Angel Davis.” Given this, I will proceed to write a biography for Angela Davis, drawing from the provided sources except Wikipedia, as per the instructions.
Personal Life
Angela Yvonne Davis was born on January 26, 1944, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Frank and Sallye Davis, both schoolteachers. Growing up in a neighborhood known as “Dynamite Hill,” due to frequent Ku Klux Klan bombings, Davis was exposed to racial segregation and activism from an early age. Her mother was involved in a communist-based Black civil rights organization, which influenced Davis’s political views. As a high school junior, Davis participated in an exchange program that sent her to Greenwich Village, New York City, where she attended a progressive school and joined a communist youth group. Davis was married to Hilton Braithwaite from 1980 to 1983 and came out as a lesbian in a 1997 interview with Out magazine. As of 2020, she was living with her partner, Gina Dent, an academic and intersectional feminist researcher at UC Santa Cruz[3][4].
Career
Angela Davis pursued higher education with a scholarship to study French Literature at Brandeis University, followed by studies in Germany. She completed a PhD in philosophy and became a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her political affiliations, particularly with the Communist Party, led to her dismissal from UCLA, a decision that was contested in court. Davis gained international attention during her imprisonment and trial on conspiracy charges in the early 1970s, related to her involvement with the Soledad brothers and the Black Panther Party. She was acquitted of all charges. Davis later became a professor in the field of the history of consciousness at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and was appointed a presidential chair in 1995[3][4].
Achievements
Angela Davis is renowned for her activism, particularly in relation to prison reform, and her scholarly work on issues of race, class, and gender. She has authored several influential books, including “Women, Race, & Class,” “Are Prisons Obsolete?,” and “Blues Legacies and Black Feminism.” Davis was a founding member of Critical Resistance, an organization aimed at abolishing the prison-industrial complex. Her activism and academic work have made her a prominent figure in discussions on social justice and reform[2][5].
Controversies, Myths, Misconceptions
Davis’s political activism, especially her association with the Communist Party and the Black Panther Party, has been a source of controversy. She was once on the FBI’s most wanted list due to her alleged involvement in a courtroom shootout, though she was later acquitted of all charges. Misconceptions about her personal life, particularly rumors of a romantic involvement with George Jackson, have been refuted[2][3].
Bibliography
- Women, Race & Class
- Are Prisons Obsolete?
- An Autobiography
- Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday
- Abolition. Feminism. Now.
- Women, Culture, and Politics
- Abolition Democracy: Beyond Prisons, Torture, and Empire
- If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance
- The Meaning of Freedom: And Other Difficult Dialogues[5].