Ethereal Site

Can fondly remember a time when Flagg Brother shoes and Eleganza Pants donned the bodies, of most young black males, as they sported huge Afros called “bushes”, that were accompanied by peace-sign picks. When the city, of Nashville, Tennessee hosted its annual Black Expo at the Municipal Auditorium, and the general public was allowed to mix and mingle with those in the know.  The celebrities, singers, activists, dancers and entertainers of a generation gathering to support the struggle for the generations that followed.

When Jessie Jackson and Operation Push were the voice of hope for civil obedience, which proceeds a time when Black America had witnessed the assassinations, of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Meagar Evers and Malcolm X. I remember the vivid image, of a young intelligent black woman who was sought by the FBI, and listed on their Top Ten Most Wanted List, after the failed prisoner break to free the Soledad Brothers.  The woman named, Angela Yvonne Davis.

This is how I first came to know of Angela, and from that moment on I was compelled to follow her story.  A story that would lead me to write an autobiography for an African American assignment, that was turned down and considered too radical an approach to erstwhile explain a different aspect of the civil rights movement.  My heart felt descriptive approach to express how I felt about being young and black in an America that didn’t consider my voiced opinion, or presence to be known.

The voice that belonged to a young fair-skinned 14 year old southern black girl who struggled on a daily basis to fit in with all races, with prejudice coming from both directions.  This is why I remember Angela Yvonne Davis so well.  Angela Yvonne Davis the one woman who has totally dedicated her life to the struggle of the oppressed.  Regardless, of race, color or national origin, she has championed liberation for all her worldly brothers and sisters!  Through the years, she has been a student and teacher, writer and organizer.  Most importantly, she has been a fighter for the greater good of all men, women and children of the world.

Angela Yvonne Davis was born in the Birmingham, Alabama, on January 26, 1944. She is the daughter of, B. Frank (businessman and teacher) and Sally E. Davis (teacher).  At an early age, Frank and Sally made sure that Angela became educated and made aware of the racial injustices and class oppressions against minorities. They began to home educate her about the struggle that Black people faced in the segregated south.  To further strengthen their beliefs against these injustices, they became members of the NAACP and became friends with members of the Communist Party U.S.A.  From an early age, Angela was being exposed to many eye-opening experiences during her youth.

During the early 50s and 60s the racial climate in the city of Birmingham was extremely hostile towards Blacks. When other black families began to move into houses near and around the Davis’ residence, the whites around the neighborhood became furious and hostile. Vast measures were used against Blacks to keep them out of the area.  The most extreme measure was to bomb the houses owned by blacks.  For many years Angela witnessed, in horror, as explosions took place all around her neighborhood.  Eventually people began to refer to this section of town, as "Dynamite Hill".

As a young black youth, Angela attended the Carrie A. Tuggle Elementary School in Birmingham, Alabama.  Since all schools were segregated during this period, most of the black schools had poor facilities and outdated materials and books.  Angela’s parents encouraged her to read anything that she could get her hands.  They also went out of their way to obtain books for her to read.  After she graduated, from Carrie A. Tuggle she attended Parker Annex Junior High School.  The next stop, of her formal education training led directly to Birmingham High School.