In the early 1970s the activist, professor and writer spoke out against oppression, white supremacy and police violence; five decades later she remains energized and optimistic. CBSVillage
After more than 50 years, Angela Davis is still instantly recognizable worldwide as the face of revolution. But at the age of 78, she has come to terms with her image. Asked to comment on her likeness appearing in posters and murals, she said,"I felt really uncomfortable, and that is because I think I was expecting to find myself in those images. Now I look at them and I see all of the millions of people who came together to participate in a struggle.
The roots of that radicalism can be traced to her upbringing in Birmingham, Alabama."I grew up in a world that was entirely organized according to the dictates of white supremacy." A Phi Beta Kappa at Brandeis University, Davis did graduate work in Germany and San Diego. By the age of 26, she was an assistant professor of philosophy at UCLA. She had joined the Black Panther Party and the Communist Party – and that made her a target of California Governor Ronald Reagan. The University of California's Board of RegentsShe said at the time,"When the regents finally decided to fire me, I said that it was obvious that there was racism involved.
The guns used in the attack were traced to Davis; she said she had bought them for her security team after getting death threats.Luciano asked,"Why did you run?" The 16 months in jail before her acquittal had given Davis a new commitment:"I have come to think about my incarceration as a gift, witnessing the ways in which other women in prison were being treated. That really consolidated what I think has been my vocation."them.
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