By Catherine Pugh
Special to the AFRO
Angela Y. Davis, professor emerita of History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, spoke to a full audience inside of Morgan State University’s (MSU) Murphy Fine Arts Center on Thursday, April 2.
Dr. David K. Wilson, Morgan State University president, welcomed the audience and political activist, philosopher, author and social theorist, noting she is the first to be interviewed in this year’s Presidential Distinguished Speakers Series.
“The series is designed to bring some of the nation’s leading and most provocative thought leaders from various disciplines in professional fields of study to Morgan State University,” said Wilson, standing inside of Gilliam Concert Hall.
He added that the sessions are aimed at exposing the “university community to a broad range of views, perspectives and angles on the myriad of opportunities and challenges we face as a nation” in a way that is in line with “Morgan’s mission of serving as a premier public urban research university that is steeply rooted in HBCU (historically Black college and university) tradition.”
Wilson called Angela Davis one of the most incredible voices in our nation.
Following an introduction by Selah Brashear, a pre-medical student at Morgan, Davis was invited to the stage. Dr. Wilson opened the conversation with a September 2024 clip of Davis’ appearance on PBS’ “Finding Your Roots.” The show has been made popular by historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., who often surprises his guests with information about their lineage. At the conclusion of the video, Dr. Wilson disclosed that Davis’ great-grandmother, named “Mary,” was also his great-great-grandmother. The audience burst into enthusiastic applause as Dr. Wilson revealed that he and Davis, according to their family tree, were in fact fourth cousins.
Angela Yvonne Davis was born on Jan. 26, 1944 to two school teachers. The Birmingham, Ala. native rose to become one of the most powerful voices of the Black Power Movement.
During the conversation, Wilson took on many topics, including Davis’ run for vice president on the Communist Party ticket in 1980 and 1984.
Davis said she knew running for public office was a shot in the dark, but the issues at hand demanded bold action.
“I didn’t expect to get elected,” she said. “It was time to address the injustices, including education and free healthcare. The idea was to build movements and to stand for equality, justice and freedom.”
‘I think I was supposed to go to New York’
During the conversation Davis shared how she wanted to attend an HBCU, and had been accepted to Fisk University in their earlier entry program.
“I was 15 years old,” she recalled. “Both of my parents attended HBCUs. Two or three days before my departure, they expressed their concern for me. My father said ‘I am not sure this is the right decision for you.’ He had no doubt about my being able to do the academic work but thought I wasn’t socially mature enough.”
Instead, she moved to New York and spent two years at Elisabeth Irwin High School on scholarship. There, she first read the Communist Manifesto. The document forever changed her life.
Davis reflected on what might have happened had she attended the HBCU.
“I might not have ended up in California…fired from UCLA, or going to jail on charges of murder, kidnapping and conspiracy– three capital offenses. That might not have happened,” she said, before chuckling “Maybe it would have happened.”
“I think I was supposed to go to New York,” said Davis. “I made the right choice to go to New York, but being a part of a collective struggle, my social life was still connected to HBCUs.”
Davis attended Brandeis University in Massachusetts, where she graduated magna cum laude with a BA in French in 1965.
Wilson asked if there was a particular turning point that led her to dedicate her entire life and career to activism which included justice, gender equality and Black Liberation.
“I don’t think there was a particular moment,” replied Davis.
She added that her desire to join the collective struggle for equality and justice “came from growing up in Birmingham Alabama.”
Davis pointed out that instead of her mother telling her and her sibling they should not be concerned about such things. She encouraged them to be a part of the change.
“‘This is not the way things are supposed to be…and one day they will be different, and you will be a part of those who make a difference,’” said Davis, recalling her mother’s words. “She said that to me again and again and to my siblings. We grew with the sense of collective responsibility to create a better world.”
During the conversation, Wilson and Davis spoke about her major influences, the historic election of Barack Obama as the first Black president of the United States, and more.
“I am glad I’ve lived this long,” said Davis. “I get to see this historical moment of Black people, current generation standing up for Palestine all over the world. I cannot tell you how joyful I am.”
Near the end of the session, Davis encouraged those present to “Never take anything for granted and to never “be afraid to be critical” and to ask questions, respectfully.
“Don’t be afraid to think more deeply and to imagine a better place,” she said. “We don’t have to live in this world in the way it is constructed. We can all participate in imaging and building a new world.”