Civil Rights Activist, Author, Educator Angela Davis Makes Presentation at UCM April 5

Angela Davis, a nationally known author, educator and civil rights activist, visits the University of Central Missouri April 5. 

WARRENSBURG, MO – As part of the University of Central Missouri’s efforts to promote conversations with distinguished visitors, UCM will host civil rights activist, author, and educator Angela Davis for a public presentation at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, in Hendricks Hall. Her speech is free and open to all who are interested, however, masks/face coverings and social distancing are required for this public presentation. The event is sponsored by the Center for Multiculturalism and Inclusivity.

Davis, who was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of two teachers, is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness (an introductory Ph.D. program) and Feminist Studies at the University of Santa Cruz, a California institution where she spent 15 years on the faculty. Prior to her emerita position, her journey as an educator also took her to San Francisco State University, Mills College, and UC Berkeley, as well as teaching at UCLA, Vassar, Syracuse University the Claremont Colleges, and Stanford University.

A prolific writer with 10 books to her credit, Davis has lectured throughout the United States as well as in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and South America.  A consistent theme in her recent work is related to a wide range of social problems associated with incarceration and the generalized criminalization of communities that are heavily affected by poverty and racial discrimination. Davis, in her presentations and writing, draws upon her own experiences, having spent 18 months in jail and on trial in the 1970s after being placed on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted List.”

Her extensive research has dealt with topics related to race, gender and imprisonment, and her most recent books include “Abolition Democracy” and “Are Prisons Obsolete?” about the abolition of the prison industrial complex. She has also authored a new edition of “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” and a collection of essays, “The Meeting of Freedom.”

Davis is a founding member of Critical Resistance, a national organization dedicated to the dismantling of the prison industrial complex. On an international level, she is affiliated with Sisters Inside. This is an abolitionist organization based in Queensland, Australia, that works in solidarity with women who are in prison.

As someone who helped popularize the notion of a “prison industrial complex,” she continues to share her concerns about the nation’s tendency to devote more resource and attention to the prison system rather than to educational institutions.

Individuals who have questions about this presentation are encouraged to contact Dr. Lover Chancler, director of Multiculturalism and Inclusivity, at chancler@ucmo.edu. Anyone who would like to submit a question for Dr. Davis can do so in advance by clicking here.