Date

 

Event
March, 1969
Angela Davis, at the time a Teaching Assistant at U.C. San Diego, meets UCLA Philosophy Professor Donald Kalish. Kalish asks Davis if she would be interested in teaching at UCLA. She then begins to go through the ordinary process of applying for the position. "I talked about the fact that I was politically involved-I didn't see the necessity of mentioning the fact that I was a member of the Communist Party."
June, 1969
Dean of Humanities, Phillip Levine, offers Angela Davis a temporary, part-time appointments as assistant acting professor in Department of Philosophy, beginning July. Appointment to include a summer research stipend. Angela Davis accepts.
July 1st, 1969
William T. Divale, an undercover agent of the F.B.I., publishes a statement in the Daily Bruin that philosophy department has just hired an assistant professor who is a Communist.
July 9th, 1969
The San Francisco Examiner identifies the professor as Angela Davis
September 19th, 1969
The Regents of the University of California meet and decide to fire Angela Davis Pending hearing.
September 29th, 1969
The University;s Academic council members vote unanimously to rescind the 1950 U.C. Faculty vote against employing Communists. This, however, is not necessarily binding on the Regents.
October 1st, 1969
UCLA faculty vote 539-12 to condemn the regents decision to fire Angela Davis.
October 3rd, 1969
Regents approve Angela Davis' lecturing without academic credit.
October 4th, 1969
Chancellor Young agrees to withdraw course credit
October 5th, 1969
Black UCLA faculty threaten to withhold grades if Miss Davis' classes are not given full credit.
October 7th, 1969
2000 Students pack Royce Hall for Angela Davis' first lecture. Davis opened her lecture by addressing the actions of the Regents, stating that their decision was "an outright attack on students."
October 8th, 1969

The UCLA Academic Senate votes to defy the Regents demands. They instruct the UCLA registrar to designate Davis' philosophy course a credit course, ask the academic community to take action to reverse the Regent's decision, and called for a faculty strike. These actions were not to be put into action until a mail vote could be taken.

October 15th, 1969
In a UCLA referendum 81.3% of the students vote against the decision of the Regents to fire Davis.
October 19th, 1969
Regents are granted a replacement judge for a Superior Court hearing as a result of previous rulings the assigned judge had made against the state on loyalty oath cases.
October 20th, 1969
The new judge assigned to the case rules that the Regents' anti-communist policy is unconstitutional.
October 22nd, 1969

Chancellor Young designates Davis' class for credit after he is mailed an injunction from the court.

November 21st, 1969
The regents order Chancellor Young to set up a special campus committee to investigate charges that Davis is skipping classes and making inflammatory public statements.
December 16th, 1969
The U.C. Academic Senate votes 2,487 to 1,139 to abolish the anti communist hiring policy.
January 6th, 1970
Republican Assemblyman Robert Drake proposes to reestablish a mandatory loyalty oath for all public employees.
March 10, 1970
Davis, ignoring a Regents request, gives a speech to students at Mount San Antonio College. No violence occurs.
April 16th, 1970
It is reported in the Los Angeles Times from "reliable sources" that there is no evidence of Davis missing lectures or using her position for political goals.
May 15th, 1970
The Regents overrule Chancellor Young, who recommends that Davis be reappointed for a second year. Young is supported by U.C. President Hitch, and as a result the regents vote 15 to 6 to relieve both President Hitch and Chancellor Young "of any further authority or responsibility" in the case. The Regents report that they will examine the case and recommend a decision at their next meeting.
May 18th, 1970
UCLA's Academic Senate votes to defy the Regents should they fire Angela Davis. Additionally, the senate states that it will take steps to assure students taking her classes will receive full credit.
June 5th, 1970
William M. Roth, a Regent, announces that he will boycott the Regents upcoming meeting regarding Davis. "It is obvious to me that the outcome has been predetermined and that this type of star court proceeding is not in accordance with the best tradition of the Board of Regents.
June 8th, 1970
As predicted, Angela Davis is formally fired by the Board of Regents. While they were unable to fire her simply because she is a Communist. However they claim that Davis was indoctrinating students, that her political activities were interfering with her teaching, and that her off-campus speeches were irresponsible.
Summer 1970
Davis is charged with kidnapping, murder and unlawful flight and placed on the FBI's most wanted list as a consequence of a Marin County courtroom shootout involving weapons registered to her. She is a fugitive for six months, then apprehended, and ordered to stand trial on the charges.
May, 1972 AAUP censures the Board of Regents for violation of academic freedom and due process in personnel matters.
June, 1972 Davis acquitted of charges and is offered a reappointment by the Philosophy Department at UCLA, however she declines.
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