One of the most controversial figures of the civil rights movement will share her once-in-a-lifetime experiences and unique views on feminism, prisoners' rights and racial equality with Saint Louis University students and faculty as part of Black History Month.
Angela Yvonne Davis, Ph.D., will deliver the keynote address on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Multipurpose room of the Busch Student Center. The speech, co-sponsored by the Black Student Alliance and Great Issues Committee, will coincide with approximately two dozen other events planned throughout the month that are meant to educate students on the theme of "Sharing our Heritage."
"She is an excellent, dynamic speaker," said Eloise Buker, Ph.D., chair of the Women's Studies program. "She is a fine scholar, her work is well respected and she is able to make clear and precise arguments."
Davis is well known throughout past generations as a vocal member of the Black Panthers, a revolutionary black nationalist party that formed in the 1960s. After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Davis joined the Communist Party, USA, and was subsequently dismissed from her teaching position in the philosophy department at UCLA. After her dismissal from UCLA, she was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List for charges that were later proven false, after a 16-month incarceration.
Davis has gone on, however, to become a pre-eminent scholar in the areas of feminism, racism and the prison system. She has since regained a teaching position at the University of California-Santa Cruz, even after Ronald Reagan vowed that he would never allow her to teach in California again.
"I think as a whole, particularly if you talk to people from older generations, especially our parents, specifically black parents, Angela Davis was a huge figure in their lives," said BSA President Andrew Chappelle. "People had Afro wigs and put 'free Angela Davis' in their windows because she was a political prisoner. I think her story will be one of real American culture."
Chappelle said he plans on the speech being a citywide event, with people from all over the city being invited. He also acknowledged that the event could draw the ire of students and citizens opposed to her involvement in radical causes.
"Controversy tends to be good, at least in my mind, in starting campus discussion. I would prefer someone who is going to make people think and not just make them nod their head," he said.
Chappelle added that a possible controversy will also help to raise the profile of Black History Month and the continuing problems of racism and inequality to students of all ethnic and gender backgrounds.
"I think that her message will be an interesting approach to social justice. She believes in some things that aren't the norm. She has some pretty radical views, not just as a black person but also as a feminist," he said. "Like all our keynote speakers in the past, though, her message will be a message of equality."
Buker echoed Chappelle's hope that Davis would provide an informative night for all attending.
"Davis will bring good scholarship to interpret important political events in the United States today," Buker said.
A book signing in the BSC is expected to follow Davis' speech. The campus bookstore will provide copies of her publications for purchase.
