the late 1960s for her personal political beliefs and commitment to revolutionary ideals,” says Alex
Burns of Disinfo.com. “Despite her qualifications and excellent teaching record, the California
Board of Regents refused to renew her appointment as a philosophy lecturer in 1970.”
That was the year Davis was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List, forcing her underground.
After her eventual arrest and a consequent international “Free Angela Davis” campaign, her trial
was news across the globe.
This series of events grew out of Davis' work to free a group of African-American prisoners held
in California's Soledad Prison. “She befriended George Jackson, one of the prisoners,” says
Burns. “On August 7, 1970, during an abortive escape and kidnap attempt from Marin County's
Hall of Justice, the trial judge and three people were killed, including Jackson's brother Jonathan.
Although not at the crime scene, Davis was implicated when police claimed that the guns used
had been registered in her name.”
Eighteen months later, Angela Davis — backed by massive global support and buoyed by her
resolute pursuit of justice — was cleared of all charges by an all white jury. She promptly re-
doubled her efforts and dedicated herself to challenging the prison-industrial complex. Davis
resumed teaching and penned several books, including If They Come In The Morning (1971),
Angela Davis: An Autobiography (1974), Women, Race & Class (1981), Women, Race and
Politics (1989), Blues Legacies & Black Feminism (1999), The Angela Y. Davis Reader
(1999), and Are Prisons Obsolete? (2003).
Burns of Disinfo.com. “Despite her qualifications and excellent teaching record, the California
Board of Regents refused to renew her appointment as a philosophy lecturer in 1970.”
That was the year Davis was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List, forcing her underground.
After her eventual arrest and a consequent international “Free Angela Davis” campaign, her trial
was news across the globe.
This series of events grew out of Davis' work to free a group of African-American prisoners held
in California's Soledad Prison. “She befriended George Jackson, one of the prisoners,” says
Burns. “On August 7, 1970, during an abortive escape and kidnap attempt from Marin County's
Hall of Justice, the trial judge and three people were killed, including Jackson's brother Jonathan.
Although not at the crime scene, Davis was implicated when police claimed that the guns used
had been registered in her name.”
Eighteen months later, Angela Davis — backed by massive global support and buoyed by her
resolute pursuit of justice — was cleared of all charges by an all white jury. She promptly re-
doubled her efforts and dedicated herself to challenging the prison-industrial complex. Davis
resumed teaching and penned several books, including If They Come In The Morning (1971),
Angela Davis: An Autobiography (1974), Women, Race & Class (1981), Women, Race and
Politics (1989), Blues Legacies & Black Feminism (1999), The Angela Y. Davis Reader
(1999), and Are Prisons Obsolete? (2003).
113
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