Angela Davis Angela Davis - Morah Sheli Village

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Photo Credit: Angela Davis, March 28, 2006, Nick Wiebe, Public Domain. Angela Davis. Angela .... Print and sell/distribu
Angela Davis Do you know Angela Davis? Does her name sound familiar to you? She was born in the 1940s in the era of Jim Crow and segregation. She has dedicated her life as an activist and advocate for gender equality and race relations. Davis was born on January 26, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama to Frank Davis and Sallye Davis. Her father owned a service station and her mother was an elementary school teacher. She grew up in the "Dynamite Hill" area of Birmingham, but later relocated to New York with her mother. Ms. Davis is a prolific figure within the Black community. She is an activist, educator, scholar, and writer. She is Angela Davis. During Angela's adolescence, there were programs available for Southern Black students to integrate Northern schools. Davis was accepted into a program and attended Elisabeth Irwin High School in Greenwich Village. She learned about socialism and communism and became a member of Advance. Later, she attended Brandeis University on a full scholarship, became a supporter of Fidel Castro and Cuba, and finally finished her coursework in 1965 from the University of Frankfurt. Back in the States, Davis attended the University of California, San Diego, as a graduate student in the late 1960s. During this time, Davis was known as a radical activist and feminist. She was heavily involved in Communism and spoke out against racial and gender related issues. She began to join several groups, including the Black Panthers. She also became a member of Che-Lumumba Club, an all-Black subgroup of the Communist Party. Davis earned her PhD in Philosophy from Humboldt University and was hired to work as a lecturer at UCLA; but her Communist Party affiliation jeopardized her employment and she lost her position in 1969 with the then-California governor, Ronald Reagan, against her. She was rehired when the American Association of University Professors ruled against the Board for failing to renew Davis' contract solely because of her association with the Communist Party. She left UCLA on her own in 1970. In connection with the "Soledad Brothers," Davis appeared on the FBI's Most Wanted List in 1970. In a courtroom heist, armed Jonathan Jackson took hostages, including the judge and prosecutor. The firearms used in the attack were purchased by and registered to Angela Davis. Later, a warrant was issued for her arrest for aggravated kidnapping and first degree murder in the death of judge for the "Soledad Brothers" trial. On August 18, 1970, she became the third woman to appear on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List. She spent 18 months in a New York Women's Detention Center waiting for her trial. In June of 1972 she was acquitted of all charges. In spite of Reagan vowing that Davis would never teach again in the University California System, she returned to teaching, holding a position as a professor of Ethics Studies at San Francisco State University (1980-1984) and later as a Distinguished Professor Emerita in the History of Consciousness and the Feminist Studies Departments at the University of California, Santa Cruz (1991-2008). She has lectured in all of the fifty United States as well as abroad, including Africa and Europe. She also became an author of several books with Angela Davis: An Autobiography (1974) and Women, Race & Class (1980) as wellknown titles. Ms. Davis is now 72 years old and resides in California. Credit: Wikipedia.com and Biography.com

©2016 by Morah Sheli Publishing, All Rights Reserved, www.morahsheli.com Photo Credit: Angela Davis, March 28, 2006, Nick Wiebe, Public Domain

Comprehension Questions (oral or written): 1) Describe Angela's life. ___________________________________________________________________ 2) What social/political concerns was Angela particularly interested in? ______________________________ 3) Which organizations did Angela belong to? __________________________________________________ 4) Name one contribution she made to education or politics. _______________________________________ 5) If there are any underlined words that you cannot pronounce or do not understand the meaning of, use a dictionary to aid you in your phonetics and/or understanding. Reflective Questions (oral): 1) Which skills do you possess to be "a voice" for your own people, or "a voice" for social change in your nation? 2) How could you use your skills to help people, or teach others? 3) Angela did not back down and she gave 100% (if not more) to causes and issues she fully believed in. What causes and/or issue do you believe in? How can you give them and help the people who need your voice? 4) How you feel about Angela Davis, including her accomplishments and her work? What, if anything, can you relate to? Essay Questions: (Level 1) Consider the time Davis was raised in. In the midst of Jim Crow, leaving the South to travel North (especially for an education) was both attractive and promising. If you were Angela during this time, would you have left? Why or why not? Be sure to cite at least one historical piece of evidence from this era (to your show your understanding of the time) and at least one event in Angela's life (to show your understanding of her life. (Level 2) Ronald Reagan was not a fan of Angela Davis. After reading her biography, decide on possible reasons why this was true. Reagan, as the California Governor, vowed that Davis would never teach in the University California System. Approximately a decade later, she earned a position at San Francisco State University. Though she experienced adversity, she was able to rise above it and prove her naysayer wrong. Think about a time in your life where adversity was present and you managed to overcome. Then, compare and contrast your story with Ms. Davis'. (Additional research may be required).

©2016 by Morah Sheli Publishing, All Rights Reserved, www.morahsheli.com Photo Credit: Angela Davis, March 28, 2006, Nick Wiebe, Public Domain

Research: 1) Davis grew up in the "Dynamite Hill" area of Birmingham. There is a reason for this nickname. Research "Dynamite Hill" and tell how (or why) this area received its nicknamed. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2) Angela Davis became a supporter of Fidel Castro. Who is he? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3) Angela was associated with the Communist Party. Research to find out more about this party and what it stood for. Explain why her association with such a group would have led to her termination in the 60s. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4) Angela was found in connection with the "Soledad Brothers." Research to find out more about these men. Be sure to include their names, their legal/criminal involvement, their connection to Angela, and why there were called the "Soledad Brothers." _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5) Angela appeared on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List. Describe or explain this list. (Include what it means to be a fugitive). _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________

©2016 by Morah Sheli Publishing, All Rights Reserved, www.morahsheli.com Photo Credit: Angela Davis, March 28, 2006, Nick Wiebe, Public Domain

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©2016 by Morah Sheli Publishing, All Rights Reserved, www.morahsheli.com Photo Credit: Angela Davis, March 28, 2006, Nick Wiebe, Public Domain