Angela Davis, Sexuality, And The Black Panther Party; All About Lesbian Black Women's Power.

[DhhD]

http://www.gayrva.com/news-views/women-sexuality-and-the-black-panther-party/

One of the most prominent female figures in the Black Panther Party was Angela Davis, a human rights activist, professor and cultural icon. Davis is a controversial figure, but she also is an example of a black lesbian leader that deserves to be recognized for her contributions to the African American and LGBT community. Davis announced her lesbian identity in an OUT magazine interview in 1997. She was reluctant to speak about her lesbian identity until then because of harsh discrimination against lesbians of color and her already controversial image.

According to one Panther woman: “Sexuality was a very low-key thing in the Party. It was just natural that women had women lovers and men lovers at the same time. We all were sexually allowed whatever was our wish.”[1] The BPP had an open mind towards sexual expression as well as the roles women could play in social change organizations. The embrace of female empowerment and varied sexual identities within the party allowed for women like Angela Davis, to rise to prominent positions of power within the party while other radical organizations of the time such as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and The Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee (SNCC) saved leadership roles for men, and forced women to remain in the background. Although the BPP did not chastise Davis for her gender or sexuality, Davis kept her sexuality a secret to the outside world until 1997 because of prevailing stereotypes about lesbians and women of color.

Davis was born on January 26, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama. During her younger years, she attended segregated schools, until she enrolled at New York’s Little Red Schoolhouse, a school that became infamous for its communist identified students and faculty. She later attended Elisabeth Irwin High School, an adjunct of Little Red Schoolhouse, on a full scholarship. After graduating from Brandeis University in 1965, she served on the faculty of Goethe University in Frankfurt Germany, and eventually returned to the US where she was appointed a faculty position at UCLA. When her membership in the Communist Party became known to university administration in 1969, she was fired from UCLA. After a first amendment court battle, she was rehired. Davis recalls in her autobiography, “tons of hate mail poured in my office at UCLA demanding I be removed from the university…many threats had been made on my life…”[2] During her time in the US, Davis had also become drawn to the socialist politics of the BPP.

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The real reason behind the take over of Bernie's appearance to speak about Social Security and Medicare, was for the, Black Lives Matter, women's leadership, to keep the racist struggle alive. Sanders wants to stop racism against all Blacks and minorities.

[LWolf]

1. Are you saying that the two women were trying to perpetuate racism,

or that they were trying to reignite Davis and the Black Panthers, or?

I don't think the protesters were channeling Davis or the BP. I don't think they were fighting to perpetuate racism.

I was privileged to hear Davis speak when I was still a kid; my mom thought it important enough to take me with her. It was a key point in shaping the woman I grew into.

[DhhD]

2. Angela Davis speaks more recently.

https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AwrBT8gv_8dV0FUAieZXNyoA;_ylc=X1MDMjc2NjY3OQRfcgMyBGZyA3lmcC10LTkwMQRncHJpZANFN080cWJoU1JNZWV4cV96UVNjdU5BBG5fcnNsdAMwBG5fc3VnZwM0BG9yaWdpbgNzZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMxBHBxc3RyA0FuZ2VsYSBEQXZpcyBhbmQgU3lyYWN1c2UEcHFzdHJsAzI1BHFzdHJsAzM2BHF1ZXJ5A2FuZ2VsYSBkYXZpcyBhbmQgc3lyYWN1c2UgdW5pdmVyc2l0eQR0X3N0bXADMTQzOTE3MDQ4Nw--?p=angela+davis+and+syracuse+university&fr2=sa-gp-search&fr=yfp-t-901&fp=1

[Aerows]

3. I'm going to exercise my lesbian privilege

and reiterate that lesbians of all colors, political affiliations, and gender orientation are not blind. Perpetuating the notion that we are, weakens all of the gay and black supporters for Dem POTUS.

At great detriment to themselves, many of us were and continue to be beaten up on the streets. for years.

Bernie Stands Up for every single piece of legislation supporting women, their right to choose and equal pay, and has drafted and voted for those bills.

[bigtree]

4. bullshit conclusion

...and using Angela Davis to justify this fucked-up (right-wing oriented) view that these women want to perpetuate racism.

This is amazing. So these black women are to be blamed for keeping racism alive? Astounding.

[DhhD]

5. Other BLM folks see their own perception as well, as explained below:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=505656

[DhhD]

6. Read Reply #28, if you can. n/t

[freeplessinseattle]

7. OT-I saw her speak at WWU in the mid 90s

One thing I remember from her talk is how she dealt with all the sexism from the men in the Black Panthers who accused her of sleeping her way to the top.

All she would respond is, "Well, then I must have the baddest pu**y in the land!"

That might have been one time it was hard not to let the truth be known. Though they'd probably still think she got ahead through favortism, or other means.

[Vattel]

8. This is crazy.