Angela Davis Visited USU

Social activist Angela Davis visited Utah State University in February, addressing more than 3,000 audience members in the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Davis, invited by the Center for Women and Gender, spoke about black history month and the intersection of arts and social justice.

She addressed music making an impact on history, especially black history, of musicians in social activism and their role in subversion of segregation policy of the south, a political rally in Grenada and the rise of jazz singers in the 1920s, raising their voices through music.

According to Davis, “…music has served as the art form that has tapped the lives, the desire, the struggle for black freedom and it’s generated new ideas, new possibilities, new hopes.”

Davis is internationally recognized as an educator, author and activist, with her activism covered nationally during the civil rights movement, when she was on the FBI’s most wanted list and incarcerated for 18 months on charges of which she was acquitted. She has been continuously involved in social justice activism in racial, justice and civil rights.

The Center for Women and Gender hosts a speaker each year to broaden conversations around gender, culture and bias. The center strives to be an advocate for social justice, exploring and addressing challenges in intersectionality.

Contact: Celestyn Hollingshead, 435-797-3677, celestryn.hollingshead@usu.edu