Angela Davis’s ancestors may be of interest, as PBS reported last week, but it’s her own back pages that deserve a deep dive. I don’t think anyone has done so with greater penetration than the historian Ronald Radosh. Ron is the author of books including the invaluable The Rosenberg File (with Joyce Milton) as well as the classic memoir Commies, the critically important Red Star Over Hollywood, and, most recently A Safe Haven (with Allis Radosh).

Ron has written about Angela Davis several times. His best account of her career and wrongdoing is the 2020 Medium essay “The Angela Davis moment.” The PBS show demonstrates that the Angela Davis moment persists like a chronic illness. Indeed, it is symptomatic of a chronic illness. Please check out Ron’s outstanding essay telling her story.