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UCLA University Archives. Collected materials about Angela Davis.
1969-1982.
815
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Title: UCLA University Archives. Collected materials about Angela Davis.
UCLA University ARchives Record Series: 815
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
0.6 linear ft.
(2 boxes)
Date: 1969-1982
Abstract: Record Series 815 contains records and clippings collected by UCLA University Archives on the subject of Angela Davis, her
dismissal from UCLA, and criminal trial.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library Special Collections
Reference Desk for paging information.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Copyright has not been assigned to the UCLA University Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the UCLA
University Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright
holder, which must also be obtained.
[Identification of item], UCLA University Archives. Collected materials about Angela Davis (University Archives Record Series
815). UCLA Library Special Collections, University Archives.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
8014080
Angela Yvonne Davis was born in 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama. She earned her B.A. at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts
in 1965 and her M.A. at the University of California, San Diego in 1968. During this period of her education, Davis became
interested in, and joined, the civil rights movement, leading to her involvement with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC), the Black Panther Party, and the American Communist Party.
In 1969, Davis was hired by the University of California, Los Angeles, as an acting assistant professor in the philosophy
department. Under pressure from California Governor Ronald Reagan, the University of California Board of Regents fired Davis
for her membership in the American Communist Party. Protests followed this act, which was deemed illegal by the Los Angeles
Superior Court in October 1969. Davis was again dismissed in June 1970 for use of "inflammatory language" in speeches.
In August 1970 Jonathan Jackson, an African-American high school student, took control of a courtroom in Marin County, California,
in which the Soledad Brothers were on trial for the alleged murder of a prison guard at Soledad Prison. The defendants and
judge were killed during the armed conflict that followed. The firearms used in the conflict had been purchased two days prior
by Davis, who had been corresponding with one of the defendants. Davis was charged with "aggravated kidnapping and first degree
murder in the death of Judge Harold Haley" for her alleged contribution to the event. Hours after a warrant for her arrest
was issued in Marin County, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover added Davis tot he FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List, making her
the third woman to make the list. Soon after, Davis fled California. She was arrested in New York in October 1970, and extradited
to California in December 1970.
In January 1971, Davis declared her innocence in a California court, and was held in solitary confinement. Support for Davis
inspired protests at UCLA and elsewhere in California. Many questioned the ability of Davis to receive a fair trial, due to
her involvement with the Black Panther Party and American Communist Party. Davis was released on bail in February 1972, and
ultimately found not guilty by an all-white jury in June 1972.
Following her acquittal, Davis traveled in Cuba and the Soviet Union. She later returned to California to resume her academic
career as a lecturer in women's and ethnic studies at San Francisco State. Davis also ran unsuccessfully in 1980 and 1984
for vice president of the United States on the Communist Party ticket. She continues to work as an activist, author, and lecturer.
Record Series 815 contains records and clippings collected by UCLA University Archives on the subject of Angela Davis, her
dismissal from UCLA, and criminal trial. Materials include correspondence and official statements from Davis, UC and UCLA
administration, faculty, and students, as well as protest materials, meeting notes, resolutions, petitions, transcribed talks,
photographs, and clippings.
This is an inactive record series; no additional University records are expected to be added.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Davis, Angela Y. (Angela Yvonne), 1944-
University of California, Los Angeles. University Archives.--Archives.