"Free Angela Davis!": Where did the most famous American of the 1970s, and the struggle to complete it

• "Freedom for Angela Davis!": Where did the most famous American of the 1970s, and the fight ended with its

"Free Angela Davis!" - this slogan is familiar even to those who do not know why it has taken away the freedom and where it needs to be disembarrass. "Free Angela Davis!" - says before leaving for the US hero Viktor Sukhorukov in the movie "Brother 2", the same slogan was the name of the song Garik Sukachev and "The Untouchables." Today it no longer sing and talk, meanwhile, Angela Davis celebrates its 73 th anniversary and continues to struggle, however, is already under other banners.

Angela Davis was born in 1944 in a wealthy family. He received a good education, an intern at the Sorbonne, where she predicted a brilliant scientific career. But with 16 years Angela fond of the ideas of Marxism and went to the student demonstrations, for which he often called to account. Great influence on the world of Angela Davis has a neo-Marxist philosopher Herbert Marcuse, about which she said: "He taught me how it is possible simultaneously to be a scientist, activist, researcher and revolutionary."

A symbol of freedom Angela Davis

In the 1960s. black struggle for freedom is growing in the United States. In 1968 he was killed by the leader of the movement for the rights of black Martin Luther King, and other supporters of this movement. Therefore, after internships in France and Germany, Angela returned to the US and planned to continue to fight and defend a thesis. But she joined the Communist Party, after which her career in school was doomed. Future US president Ronald Reagan, who at that time was governor of California, the personal order of Angela fired from a job for her political beliefs.

In this period, Angela began an affair with George Jackson - an activist of the radical organization "Black Panthers", to defend the rights of African Americans. The authorities saw in this organization a threat to the existing political order and the United States believed its terrorist members. In August 1970 in the courtroom where the case was considered Jackson, who is accused of assaulting police officers, members of the "Black Panthers" took in hostage prosecutor, several judges and juries. During the operation to free the hostages Jackson Jr. and one of the judges had been killed. It turned out that the weapons in the hands of Jackson belonged to Angela Davis. And although she was absent in this court session, her prosecuted for complicity in the murder.

The most dangerous criminal in the United States in the 1970s

Defender of the rights of blacks Angela Davis

In October 1970, Angela Davis was arrested and sent to a remand prison, where she remained almost 1, 5 years. At this time the prisoner's name became known throughout the world. In the US and Europe held rallies in support of the black prisoners, and in the USSR its name has become a symbol of the struggle against capitalism. Then appeared the slogan "Freedom for Angela Davis!". Students and workers from all over the Union wrote a letter in support of the American socialists, and screens out the film "Our friend, Angela." In June 1972 finally held a hearing at which Angela found not guilty and acquitted.

The rallies in defense of Angela Davis

After his release, Angela became a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party USA, from which twice ran for US vice president. She has visited many countries in Europe and in the Soviet Union. For the first time she had come to the Soviet Union in 1972, and in 1980, during her visit to her met Leonid Brezhnev. Angela Davis was an incredibly popular figure in the USSR, it was perceived as "their" man on the other side of the Iron Curtain, and even awarded the Lenin Prize, and in "Artek" took in honor pioneers. In the West, it enjoyed no less popular. About it wrote songs John Lennon and Mick Jagger.

Angela Davis in the USSR

She has repeatedly offered to move to the Soviet Union, but it is stated that the blacks in the United States in greater need of its protection, and here, "the rights of all ethnic groups are respected and citizens were equal and free." At the end of 1980 about Angela Davis gradually ceased to be mentioned in the press, and then completely forgotten. In 1991, an activist came from the ranks of the Communist Party of the United States, accusing it of supporting the coup leaders, as well as inaction and empty language chatter.

The rallies in defense of Angela Davis

Today, as a professor at the University of California in Santa Cruz, Angela Davis continued his human rights activities, helping the prisoners, in respect of which, in her opinion, was the injustice done. She still calls himself a socialist and criticizes the policy of the American authorities for military aggression. In addition, Davis opposes homophobia and the death penalty, to protect women's rights and dreams of building a society of resistance.

Valentina Tereshkova and Angela Davis at a rally of solidarity with the peoples of all countries in Berlin 1973

When asked if she would like to come to Russia today, Angela says, "I'd love to. But what I see there? Capitalism, the racists and the homeless? Excuse me, but what I can see the house. "