Contents
Angela Davis
Campaigning for racial justice, feminism and prison abolition.
Women, Race & Class · Are Prisons Obsolete?
- Born
- 26 January 1944
- Birthplace
- Birmingham, United States
More people
Angela Davis
Angela Davis is an American activist, scholar and author. Her work connects racism, gender and imprisonment, and her 1972 acquittal followed an international campaign for her release.
Early life
Segregated Birmingham
Grew up in a neighbourhood targeted by racist bombings.
Philosophical studies
Studied at Brandeis and in Germany before continuing her education in California.
Career
- 1960s–1972
Teaching and prosecution
Became a political activist and was later tried and acquitted in a widely followed criminal case.
- 1991–2008
UC Santa Cruz
Taught feminist studies and history of consciousness.
- 1990s onward
Prison abolition
Helped build Critical Resistance and continued writing and public speaking.
Selected work
Women, Race & Class
Examined the intersecting histories of oppression and social movements.
Are Prisons Obsolete?
Presented arguments for prison abolition.
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
Connected movements for justice across countries.
Beyond work
Music and history
Wrote Blues Legacies and Black Feminism about major women blues singers.
Public education
Continues to link academic work with organising and lectures.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Further biography and career ↗Photo: Philippe Halsman. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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