Freedom For Angela Davis Flyer

Catlett was born the granddaughter of former slaves. The stories that her foremothers told her about their capture and enslavement and her own personal experiences with racism in the United States left an indelible and lasting impression on her. Catlett recalled from that through various periods of her life including as a high school student and budding pre-professional that she found ways to express her solidarity with those who were fighting oppression. In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, Catlett "espoused political solidarity with black liberation movements in the United States," even though she had been barred from entry to the U.S. because of her political activism. "She employed to overcome her exile and to actively engage with the Black Arts and Black Power Movements from afar."