Spring Break
Activist to speak at conference
Keynote speaker Angela Davis wraps up three-day conference, tells of personal experiences
Katie Thorn
Issue date: 1/19/07 Section: News
Angela Davis - a philosopher and social activist - will speak on campus tonight in conjunction with the Your Voice Your Choice: Awareness, Solidarity, and Action conference.
Kurt Peters, an OSU professor of ethnic studies who was Davis' student, describes her as one of the finest instructors of his academic career.
Davis is known for her personal experiences during the historical struggles of the 1960s and 1970s.
"We were allowed to pick any professor to lead our final (master's) class," Peters said, referring to his last term at the University of California at San Francisco. "We unanimously agreed on Angela Davis."
Davis was the third woman placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. She was convicted on false charges of conspiracy, kidnapping and homicide due to an attempted escape in conjunction with the Black Panthers in 1970.
"Her interactions with students are phenomenal," Peters said. "That's the secret of why so many people feel strongly about her."
"She was very active around campus," said Robert Thompson, also an OSU ethnic studies professor who was a student of Davis'. "She's a great example of a personable woman."
Davis was the keynote speaker at Thompson's graduation at UC Santa Cruz in 1998 when he received his degree in sociology.
"She is a great example of courage," he said. "It's not just in academics, but it's in everything she stood for."
After multiple efforts in the past eight years to bring Davis to speak at OSU, the Women's Center, Community Service Center and Student Involvement decided to include her as the keynote speaker for the conference.
"There were several meetings in the summer to plan for the conference and speaker," said Beth Rietveld, director of the Women's Center. "We narrowed down the list and agreed on Angela Davis."
National attention was raised in 1969 when Davis was fired from her teaching position in the philosophy department at UCLA because of her social activism and Communist Party affiliation, according to the UC Santa Cruz Web site.
Kurt Peters, an OSU professor of ethnic studies who was Davis' student, describes her as one of the finest instructors of his academic career.
Davis is known for her personal experiences during the historical struggles of the 1960s and 1970s.
"We were allowed to pick any professor to lead our final (master's) class," Peters said, referring to his last term at the University of California at San Francisco. "We unanimously agreed on Angela Davis."
Davis was the third woman placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. She was convicted on false charges of conspiracy, kidnapping and homicide due to an attempted escape in conjunction with the Black Panthers in 1970.
"Her interactions with students are phenomenal," Peters said. "That's the secret of why so many people feel strongly about her."
"She was very active around campus," said Robert Thompson, also an OSU ethnic studies professor who was a student of Davis'. "She's a great example of a personable woman."
Davis was the keynote speaker at Thompson's graduation at UC Santa Cruz in 1998 when he received his degree in sociology.
"She is a great example of courage," he said. "It's not just in academics, but it's in everything she stood for."
After multiple efforts in the past eight years to bring Davis to speak at OSU, the Women's Center, Community Service Center and Student Involvement decided to include her as the keynote speaker for the conference.
"There were several meetings in the summer to plan for the conference and speaker," said Beth Rietveld, director of the Women's Center. "We narrowed down the list and agreed on Angela Davis."
National attention was raised in 1969 when Davis was fired from her teaching position in the philosophy department at UCLA because of her social activism and Communist Party affiliation, according to the UC Santa Cruz Web site.
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