Angela Davis is a very influential social justice and political activist, author and professor. In her life she has many accomplishments such as several published books and was honorary co-chair at the Woman’s March in 2017. 

Angela Davis was born into activism, because of her mother Sallye Bell Davis. Sallye Bell Davis was not only a national officer, but was also a leading organizer of the Southern Negro Youth Congress. This group was created in hopes of building relationships among the African American youth in the South. Angela Davis was heavily influenced by her mother especially growing up in the heart of the social activism movement. Angela Davis grew up in an area known as “Dynamite Hill”. This name was created, because there were bombings in order to scare off the African American families that had moved there. All of these events were huge factors on what lead her to become such an influential activist. 

Angela Davis attended Brandeis University in which she majored in philosophy. Angela Davis was a member of many groups in her younger years such as the Black Panthers, and an all black branch of the Communist Party called Che-Lumumba Club. Unfortunately, because of her association with the Communist Party Davis faced a few problems. One of those problems involved the University of California. Davis was hired at this University, but was fired because of her membership in the Che-Lumumba Club. She fought the University in court, and was hired back. 

Another event that Angela Davis was heavily involved in were the charges of the “Soledad Brothers”. Three men were charged for murder of a prison guard. They were charged after many African American men were killed in a fight with a different guard. The “Soledad Brothers” were then charged, because they were being used a scapegoats through the politics within the prison. Angela Davis is a heavy activist against prisons, and the way the system works. During the trial of the “Soledad Brothers” a biological brother named Jonathan Jackson of one of the men on trial held the courtroom hostage armed with a shotgun. He also armed the defendants with weapons. A shooting broke out, and the judge was killed, all the defendants, and the brother who brought the weapons into the courtroom. It was later discovered that Angela Davis provided the shotgun that killed the judge to Jonathan Jackson. She was involved with one of the defendants of the case. Angela Davis went into hiding, and was placed on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list. She was found, arrested, and was incarcerated for sixteen months. During her trial Davis was acquitted of all charges from an all white jury. This was a monumental time not only for Davis, but all African Americans hoping for equality. 

After the rough period in her life Angela Davis continued as an educator, activist, and author. She taught at University of California Santa Cruz and San Francisco State University. Angela Davis eventually retired, and is now traveling around the country speaking to different venues about equality not only for race, but also for gender.