Angela Davis American communist, active fighter for black rights Date of Birth: 26.01.1944 Country: USA

Biography of Angela Yvonne Davis

Angela Yvonne Davis is an American communist and active fighter for the rights of African Americans. A few decades ago, her name was on the lips of millions of people around the world. However, a recent survey conducted by "Novaya Gazeta" revealed that many do not know who Angela Davis is. Some believed she founded the Davis Cup, others thought she was an Italian artist, and a few recognized her as a famous actress. Unfortunately, time can be merciless to human memory.

In the 1970s, every citizen of the Soviet Union knew that Angela Davis was an American communist and an active fighter for the rights of African Americans. The slogan "Free Angela Davis!" was the main rallying cry during the late 1960s and early 1970s, with countless demonstrations held across the entire socialist camp. Angela, born in 1944 into a fairly affluent family (her father owned a gas station), became passionate about socialist ideas from an early age because they promised "equality for people of all skin colors." She studied in the best schools available to people of her race, then attended university, and even interned at the famous Sorbonne, specializing in French literature. The professors there always spoke highly of her as a serious and modest girl with the makings of a true scholar.

However, Angela was not only interested in academic pursuits. From the age of sixteen, she participated in student demonstrations and rallies, often being arrested by the police. After her internships in France and Germany, the talented African American returned to her homeland to prepare her doctoral dissertation at the University of California. However, she soon grew tired of the comfortable and peaceful life. Joining the Communist Party USA seemed like a logical step for her, but it further hindered her teaching career, as authorities continuously tried to remove Angela from educational institutions. These dismissals only increased her popularity. Eventually, Davis began receiving threatening letters, which forced her to purchase a revolver for her own safety. This decision would later play a fateful role in her life.

In December 1970, Angela was imprisoned on charges of "conspiracy to commit murder." One of the members of the Black Panthers, a friend of Angela's, left her revolver at the crime scene while freeing his brother directly in the courtroom. Although it became well-known that Angela was not even close to the scene of the crime, she was charged with conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder. Declared a dangerous criminal, she lived in New York on illegal status for nearly two months.

Angela was arrested in October 1970 and sent to a women's pretrial detention center. She was placed in solitary confinement in cell 4B, which was slightly wider than a meter. It was soon discovered that Block 4B was a psychiatric ward with strict discipline, where the harshest methods of punishment were applied under the guise of treatment. After a week in this cell, Angela was transferred to a separate isolation cell, where the "socially dangerous" African American was constantly under the supervision of prison guards. She was kept without light and fresh air, which negatively affected her health, causing her to lose her eyesight. Her lawyers frequently protested against the unbearable conditions of her confinement, but the judge adamantly refused to release her on bail. Angela spent nearly a year and a half in prison. It was during this time that she became internationally renowned. In the United States and Europe, hundreds of thousands of people rallied in her defense, and even in the Soviet Union, the slogan "Free Angela Davis!" was chanted in nursery schools.

In June 1972, Angela Davis was acquitted. Upon hearing the verdict, the emotional African American leaped over the courtroom barrier and rushed into the arms of her mother and friends. Unimaginable scenes unfolded on the streets, with people of all skin colors singing, dancing, crying, and laughing. After her acquittal, she became a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party USA, visited many European countries, and even came to the Soviet Union at the personal invitation of Leonid Brezhnev. Angela Davis even became the subject of jokes, highlighting her popularity.

During her peak of fame, Angela attempted to run for Vice President of the United States, but was unsuccessful. Finding Angela Davis in America today is a challenging task. The Communist Party USA office persistently claims that they no longer have any contact with "that hysterical woman." This is because Davis left the party in 1991, accusing its members of inaction and empty rhetoric.

Angela Davis, currently a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, continues her human rights advocacy work. She dedicates almost all of her time to defending the rights of prisoners in various countries. She often visits prisons in Europe, America, and Australia, collaborating with activists from these countries to help those prisoners who, in her opinion, have been unjustly treated. Angela still considers herself a socialist and consistently criticizes the policies of the American administration and transnational corporations that exploit labor in so-called third world countries.

She was offered the opportunity to move to the Soviet Union at the time. When asked why she did not take advantage of the invitation and settle in hospitable Moscow, the energetic African American honestly replied, "Because in the Soviet Union, the rights of all nationalities were respected, and citizens were equal and free. I had no one to defend there. In the United States, there were so many people in need of my protection."

According to Angela, the world has changed significantly since she actively preached her ideas to the masses. "If someone had told me thirty years ago that African Americans would soon work in the White House, I would never have believed it." However, various contemporary ethnic conflicts prevent her from leaving her human rights advocacy work. She fervently hopes that young people, as active and determined as she was, will succeed her in the future.