Activist Angela Davis to speak on social justice, women's rights
By Kimberly Johnson
Posted: 10/19/09
Angela Davis was taken into custody when a gun, allegedly registered
in her name, was used in a fatal shooting of a California Superior
Court judge Aug. 7, 1970.
Davis was put on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, the third
woman in history to be on it. She was arrested and charged with and
tried for murder, kidnapping and conspiracy. Davis spent 16 months in
prison before being acquitted of all charges.
Ever since her time spent in prison, Davis has committed her life to
seeking social justice.
"Angela Davis stood up against all the power of the government and
survived," said Bill Cole, African American studies professor and
department chair in a news release. "Her courage and strength was a
beacon of light."
Davis, a feminism scholar and civil rights activist, will hold a
lecture Monday night, "Feminist Methods of Contemporary Quests for
Social Justice," at the Life Sciences Complex Auditorium. She will
talk about her work, life and civil rights in the future.
She is currently in her second year of a three-year professorship
with Syracuse University's department of women's and gender studies.
Davis has lectured in countries around the world, as well as in
multiple states in the U.S. Her main topic is the attainment of
social justice, namely for women. Her topics range from the need to
suppress nationalism and her opposition of the prison system to the
advancement of women of color and equal rights.
Davis is known for her activism during the civil rights movement, her
association with the Black Panther Party, her membership with the
Communist Party and her candidacy as Vice President for the United
States under the Community Party ticket.
"Angela Davis is a revolutionary scholar-activist whose legacy spans
several generations," said Chandra Mohanty, a women's and gender
studies professor and department chair in a news release. "Her work
on behalf of racial, class and gender equality, LGBT rights and
prison abolition has redefined the possibilities of social and
economic justice."
Nyasha Boldon, a junior political science major, said she believes
that what sets Davis apart from other activists is how she recognizes
the importance of both race and gender in the attainment of social justice.
"Angela Davis emerged during a time when women, particularly women of
color, had little voice in the public sector," Boldon said.
Boldon said that Davis has inspired many young people like her to
push for a more just society for women and minorities.
"Just because something is right does not mean it will automatically
be recognized by society. However, if you believe that something is
not right or does not equal justice, it is important to speak up and
defend what you believe to be right," Boldon said.
Angela Davis is a professor emerita at the University of California,
Santa Cruz, with a focus on the History of Consciousness and Feminist
Studies. She is the founder of Critical Resistance, a prison
industrial complex abolition organization. Davis has authored five
books including "Women, Race and Class" and "Angela Davis: An
Autobiography." She is set to release her sixth book in February.
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Scholar, activist Angela Davis to lecture Oct. 19 at Syracuse University
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/scholar_activist_angela_davis.html
By The Post-Standard
October 07, 2009
Scholar and activist Angela Davis will deliver a free lecture at
Syracuse University on Oct. 19.
Davis' talk, titled "Feminist Methods and Contemporary Quests for
Social Justice," will be at 5 p.m. in the auditorium of the Life
Sciences Complex. Her lecture, free and open to the public, is part
of Davis' month-long visiting distinguished professorship in the
Departments of Women's and Gender Studies and African American Studies.
Davis became famous during the Civil Rights Movement through her
association with the Black Panthers. She gained further notoriety in
1970, when a gun allegedly belonging to her was used to kill a
California superior court judge. An intense manhunt ensued, after
which she was captured, arrested, tried and acquitted in one of the
most famous cases in recent U.S. history.
Davis is in the second year of a three-year professorship in the
department of Women's and Gender Studies.
"Angela Davis is a revolutionary scholar-activist whose legacy spans
several generations," said WGS professor and department chair Chandra
Talpade Mohanty. "Her work on behalf of racial, class and gender
equality, LGBT rights, and prison abolition has redefined the
possibilities of social and economic justice."
African American Studies professor and department chair Bill Cole was
one of many young African Americans captivated by Davis' moxie back
in the 1970s.
"Her courage and strength was a beacon of light amid the oppression
that all black people felt," Cole said. "Angela Davis stood up
against all the power of the government and survived."
As professor emerita of history of consciousness and feminist studies
at the University of California at Santa Cruz, Davis specializes in
feminism, African American studies, critical theory, popular music
culture and social consciousness, and philosophy of punishment. She
also is a best-selling author and sought-after speaker.
Davis made headlines last fall, when she visited Ed Smith Elementary
School in Syracuse and talked about growing up in racially divided
Birmingham, Ala. Earlier this year, she delivered keynote addresses
at Louisiana State University and at the University of Virginia.
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