Aptheker, Bettina

Biographical Chronology

• September 2, 1944: Bettina Fay Aptheker born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina to Fay Phillippa Aptheker, a life-long activist and Communist organizer, and Herbert Aptheker, a Marxist historian and scholar of African-American history.
• 1958 - 1962 : Attends Erasmus Hall High School, Brooklyn, New York
• Fall 1962: Moves to California to attend the University of California at Berkeley
• September 1964 - April 1965 : Serves on the steering committee which led the Free Speech Movement (FSM) at UCB
• August 29, 1965: Marries Jack H. Kurzweil on Long Island, NY
• June 1967: Graduates from the University of California at Berkeley with an A.B. in History
• Summer 1967: While seven months pregnant serves sentence at the Santa Rita Prison Farm for conviction stemming from FSM activity
• October 19, 1967: Son Joshua Mark born
• March 1968: Suffers a nervous breakdown
• Summer 1969: Trip to Europe
• March 1971: National United Committee to Free Angela Davis and all Political Prisoners (NUCFAD) begins its work
• September 1971: If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance (with Angela Davis) published in England
• December 1971: If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance (with Angela Y. Davis) published in the United States
• 1971 - 1972 : Works as legal investigator in the defense of Angela Y. Davis
• 1972: The Academic Rebellion in the United States: A Marxist Appraisal published
• January 1972: The California Supreme Court overturns the death penalty
• February 23, 1972: Angela Y. Davis released on bail
• February 28, 1972: Angela Y. Davis murder and conspiracy trial begins
• June 4, 1972: Trial ends with "not guilty" verdicts on all counts
• 1974 - 1975 : Assistant Instructor, Speech-Communication, San Jose State University
• January 14, 1975: Daughter Jennifer born
• 1975: The Morning Breaks: The Trial of Angela Davis published
• June 1976: Master's Degree in Speech Communication from San Jose State University
• 1976 - 1979 : Lecturer, Women's Studies, San Jose State University Instructor, Speech/Drama, San Jose State University
• April 1978: Separates from Jack Kurzweil, who agrees to a divorce
• Spring Quarter 1978: Teaches (as a lecturer) her first Women's Studies class at the University of California at Santa Cruz
• Summer 1978: Attends the (for her) "life changing" 4th Berkshire Conference on the History of Women
• Fall 1978: Lecturer, Afro-American Studies, San Jose State University
• Summer 1979: Moves with her children to Santa Cruz
• Fall Quarter 1979: Starts on a Ph.D. track in the History of Consciousness program at UCSC
• October 19, 1979: Meets her life partner, Kate Miller, at a Holly Near concert at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
• 1980 - 1987 : Lecturer, Women's Studies, UCSC
• October 19, 1981: Resigns from the Communist Party
• 1982: Women's Legacy: Essays on Race, Sex, & Class in American History published
• March 1983: Doctorate in the History of Consciousness, UCSC
• Fall 1983: Comes "out" as a lesbian instructor
• 1987 - 1989 : Assistant Professor of Women's Studies at UCSC
• 1988: Gets tenure at UCSC
• 1989 - 1997 : Associate Professor of Women's Studies at UCSC
• 1989: Tapestries of Life: Women's Work, Women's Consciousness and the Meaning of Daily Experience published
• Fall 1993: Takes bodhisatva vows in Tuscon, Arizona
• 1993 - 1995 : Takes a sabbatical from UCSC, followed by a leave
• June 1996: Chancellor Karl Pister authorizes the establishment of Women's Studies as a Department at UCSC
• 1997: Becomes Professor of Women's Studies at UCSC
• May 29, 1997: Excellence in Teaching Award, UCSC
• January 1999: Her mother, Fay Aptheker, dies
• 1999: The Morning Breaks: The Trial of Angela Davis published with a new Introduction and Afterward
• March 2003: Her father, Herbert Aptheker, dies
• 2006: The autobiographical Intimate Politics: How I Grew Up Red, Fought for Free Speech, and Became a Feminist Rebel published

From the guide to the Bettina Aptheker Papers, 1944-2006, (Bulk 1965-1990), (University of California, Santa Cruz. University Library. Special Collections and Archives)