US revolutionary Marxist to be honoured at Royal Albert Hall
NewsWomen of the World have commissioned Master of the King’s Musick Errollyn Wallen to write a choral piece for International Women’s Day at the Royal Albert Hall.
So far so nice. Now read this:
WOW Founder Jude Kelly CBE will lead this huge celebration with an evening of big ideas and conversations, laughter, joy, stories, music and performance. Legendary activist Angela Davis will make a rare UK appearance as one of the event headliners in a conversation with Jude Kelly honouring her life and achievements.
Angela Davis was vice-president of the US Communist Party and a Black Panther who was charged with ‘aggravated kidnapping and first degree murder in the death of Judge Harold Haley.’ Ahead of her eventual acquittal, she was feted in the USSR, Cuba and East Germany and became a vocal supporter of UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Palestine liberation fighters. She presently holds the title of Distinguished Professor Emerita of Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Life and achievements, huh?
Hey, Jude…
Ms Kelly is former CEO of London’s South Bank Centre.
You are probably the last person to call Davis a “revolutionary marxist”. For years (possibly from the start) she’s been a total liberal.
“International Women’s Day” originated from the communist/socialist movements and for years was basically just a Soviet holiday.
Sad that the West has jumped on it recently despite not truly understanding the background.
BBC Radio 3 for example blowing money on full day of music by women…
Don’t tell us it’s about “good, neglected music” when they force rubbish like Florence Price’s music on us, whilst hardly touching Joachim Raff, Howard Ferguson, Alexander Zemlinsky, so many more!
Just look at “Composer of the Week” and the dross they cover to fill their (unrepresentative of music history) women/black quota.
Personally, I’ll take Florence Price over Raff, sorry…
Agree re COTW. Presumably this is being foisted on dear Donald… Who knows? SO much tenth rate musak being shoved down our throats. Last week he said “I cannot play you an excerpt from this opera, because there is no recording of it…” I wonder why? There’s a reason, folks. If you ask me, lovely, clever Donald M has little choice. Who would? – what with the loss of Sean on In Tune now… Not much left. Radio 3 CEO needs his head looking.
Jorge Mester: It is depressing to do a piece by, say, Joachim Raff. Once you hit the bottom line there, there’s nothing underneath! That’s what’s so wonderful about doing Mendelssohn and Mozart and Brahms and Beethoven. There’s always something there.
What planted do you live on? She got away with being an accessory to murder based on a technicality. She has never renounced her violent past. Educated at that Jewish University called Brandeis she has repaid her benefactors by aligning herself with the jihadist terrorists. But of course, in the gilded halls of white liberal institutions, she is just a nice liberal fighting for the oppressed. The chic radicals of the “Leonard Bernstein ilk” never learn
Angela Davis’s current advocacy of police and prison “abolition” is not exactly “totally liberal”.
Angela Davis’s current advocacy of police and prison “abolition” is not exactly “totally liberal”, I would think.
Great! Let’s honour people who want to destroy our way of life in the West and replace it with totalitarianism.
I am not honoring Trump.
Now let’s ask these people to define “woman”.
This article is irresponsible. It tars Angela Davis with the mention of a host of criminal charges brought against her 54 years ago. After being held in prison by the government for over a year, she stood trial and was ACQUITTED by a jury of all the criminal charges she faced.
She has a life long commitment to social justice. She should be celebrated. This scurrilous article should be edited to be more fully truthful or withdrawn. An apology should be extended to Ms. Davis.
very well said
What does “social justice” mean, and does everyone agree on what actions constitute “social justice”.
Social justice is, amogn other things, accepting your female PA’s personal approach towards speling and not hindering her in her efforts to remain optimistic in spite of her work load
Sally
Was there something Norman said that was incorrect? Btw, in the murder/kidnapping trial the prosecution may have not been able to meet their burden to convict her of murder but it is not disputed that she provided the weapons that were used in the crime. She’s not owed an apology and certainly should not be celebrated. She’s a total loser.
Her gun was used to kill a California judge.
Her commitment to social justice included embracing the German “Democratic” Republic. From Forward.Com
“On her trip to East Germany, Davis visited the Berlin Wall, where 262 people were killed trying to escape from communist paradise to capitalist hell. A 1972 photo shows her glowing as she shakes hands with Erich Honecker, the General Secretary of the East German Communist Party who gave orders to shoot at escapees.
The same year, Czech journalist Jiri Pelikan, who had been active in the “Prague Spring” reforms and had to emigrate after the 1968 Soviet invasion, wrote Davis an open letter expressing sympathy with her experience as a prisoner and asking her call for the release of political prisoners in Eastern Europe (including Czech dissidents who, like himself, were believers in a more humane communism).
Davis’s friend and spokeswoman Charlene Mitchell told the press that Davis was not going to respond, since she “did not think people should leave socialist countries to return to the capitalist system.” She also said on Davis’s behalf that people in Eastern Europe were only jailed “if they were undermining the government.”
Dot Beech: She has a life long commitment to social justice. She should be celebrated.
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Exactly!
Ms Davis had very good intentions. Very good ones, very marvelous ones too.
Did I mention that Angela Davis had good intentions? Yes, she did. Very good ones at that. And that’s all that matters, period.
Do a little research. Davis provided the shotgun used to kill Judge Haley in the Marin County CA Courthouse takeover in the early 1970s. That was never in dispute, but apparently her lawyers made sure the jury was riddled with rayciss guilt to the extent they let her off. (I was in my early teens at the time and literally blocks away from the courthouse when this all unfolded. It was a long horrifying afternoon.) She should have been honored with a life sentence 50 years ago.
In a future History of Consciousness, totalitarian ideologies like communism, marxism, and a combattive interpretation of feminism and social justice wokism, will be classified as representative barbarisms of the early 21st century, demonstrating that the more information is available, the less understanding is around. These future university courses will come with a mental health warning as well.
Also notable: only the third woman to make the FBI’s 10 most wanted list. Who among us can put that on our résumés?
According to wiki, she had purchased the gun Judge Haley was killed with during an attempt to spring three prisoners in his court room, although she was not present at that event.
Acquitted of all charges, however, after a 13-week trial.
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/08/home/davis-acquit.html
An all-White jury acquitted her; that’s saying something.
In America, if you acquitted, you’re good with the system. Yes, I know about OJ.
Since that acquittal, she has led a pretty low-key life; I bet even most Black Lives Matter protesters either have never heard of her or don’t know she’s alive.
And lots of people said stupid, ignorant things about communists 50+ years ago. Most of them wise up over time.
Whatever her activities related to this trial, she rightly fought against a lot of injustice in America, much of it still refusing to go away.
I grew up in the U.S. during her hayday, She was a Marxist/Black Panther supporting nut job. The Panthers were violent domestic terrorists involved in all manner of unsavoury behaviour. Definitely NOT a fan.