Angela Davis
Angela Davis neighborhood was nicknamed “Dynamite Hill” because the KKK would frequently attack residents with bombs. In this environment, Davis grew up surrounded by communist organizers who influenced her growth. She attended Brandeis University where she met philosopher Herbert Marcuse who taught her that it was possible to be an academic, an activist, a scholar, and a revolutionary. After studying abroad, Davis returned to the United States and became involved in the civil rights movement. She believed that racism and capitalism were dangers to American justice. In 1969, she was employed at UCLA and became known as the feminist, the communist, and the Black Panther. During this time, UCLA had created a policy against hiring Communists, so Davis was fired due to her Communist Party involvement. It later became known that it was Ronald Reagan who learned of Angela’s political connections and pressured UCLA to fire her. With her involvement in the c...