Famed activist Angela Davis will serve as the keynote speaker at the largest Black feminist conference in the U.S. this June, lending her voice to support a new generation of Black feminists.
From June 5 to 7, Black Feminist Future will host Get Free: Black Feminist Reunion, a three-day event inspired by the historic 1973 National Black Women’s Organization conference. The gathering will feature powerful panels, a keynote address from the renowned Angela Davis, and events designed to foster connection and elevate collective consciousness within the Black feminist community.
Davis rose in prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s through her work as a radical feminist and activist, a member of the Communist Party USA, and an affiliate of the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party. In 1969, Davis made national headlines when she was fired from her teaching position at the University of California due to her membership in the Communist Party—a move heavily pushed by then-California governor and future president Ronald Reagan.
Davis would return to her post after Judge Jerry Pacht ruled that UCLA’s Board of Regents could not fire Davis solely because of her affiliation with the Communist Party. However, she was fired again in 1970 for using “inflammatory language” in four different speeches.
Over the last five decades, Davis has been widely recognized for her lifelong activism, receiving honors such as the Soviet Union’s Lenin Peace Prize and induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2020, Time magazine named her its 1971 “Woman of the Year” in its special 100 Women of the Year issue, and she was also listed among the world’s 100 most influential people.
A professor emerita of History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies at the University of California, Davis, has written numerous books, with her most recent works including Abolition. Feminism. Now. (co-written with Gina Dent, Erica Meiners, and Beth Richie), and the essay collection Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, Vol. 1. She is also a founding member of Critical Resistance, a national organization focused on dismantling the prison industrial complex.
The Get Free lineup also features speakers like Domonique Morgan, Devin-Norelle, and Shana Griffin, among others. Attendees can expect a full schedule of discussions exploring themes like “Visions of Black Feminist Possibilities” and “How Black Feminism Is Shaping Politics.”
The event aims to equip participants with tools, foster unity, and inspire continued collective action. Those interested in attending can register HERE.
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