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The bulk of Davis’ activism was fueled by education and what some considered “radical” far-left political ideals. She was a vocal member of the Communist Party and Black Panther Party, advocating for criminal and social justice. Eventually, she made her stamp on the Civil Rights Movement when she was faced with her own dealings with the system. In 1970, at 28 years elderly, she was fired from her position teaching at UCLA strictly for her communist beliefs but after fighting back, a judge ruled her termination was unlawful and she was hired back, per the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
However, following that, her support for three Black inmates in Soledad Prison accused of murdering a prison guard got her swept into a criminal case. She was charged as an accomplice despite no evidence and was placed on the FBI’s most wanted list after going into hiding. After her eventual arrest, she spent 18 months in jail where her viral interview was conducted where she offered a powerful response to the question of whether she approves the utilize of the violence by the Black Panthers:
“I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Some very, very good friends of mine were killed by bombs – bombs that were planted by racists. I remember, from the time I was very small, the sound of bombs exploding across the street and the house shaking … That’s why, when someone asks me about violence, I find it incredible because it means the person asking that question has absolutely no idea what black people have gone through and experienced in this country from the time the first black person was kidnapped from the shores of Africa,” she said.”
