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Angela Bowen

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Angela Bowen
Born(1936-02-06)February 6, 1936
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 12, 2018(2018-07-12) (aged 82)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Massachusetts Boston
Clark University
Occupation(s)Professor, activist, writer
EmployerCalifornia State University, Long Beach
Spouse(s)Ken Peters
Jennifer Lynn Abod
Children3

Angela Bowen (February 6, 1936 – July 12, 2018) was an American dance teacher, English professor, writer, and a lesbian rights activist. She was the subject of a 2016 documentary.

Early life

Bowen was born on February 6, 1936 in Boston, Massachusetts in an African-American family.[1][2] She lost her father at the age of 2.[2] Bowen trained and taught at the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts in Roxbury from age 14 to 22.[1][3]

Bowen graduated from the College of Public and Community Service at University of Massachusetts Boston, where she earned a bachelor's degree.[1][4] She earned a master's degree and a PhD from Clark University, where she wrote the first dissertation about Audre Lorde: "Who Said it was Simple:  Audre Lorde’s Complex Connections to Three U.S. Liberation Movements, 1952-1992”[1][3] The final chapter, "All These Liberations", is included in The Wind is Spirit: The Life, Love, and Legacy of Audre Lorde, a Lambda Award winning bio/anthology by Gloria Joseph.[3]

Career

Bowen co-founded the Bowen/Peters School of Dance in New Haven, Connecticut in the 1960s. It closed down in 1982.[2] She became a gay rights activist and served on the board of the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays.[1][2]

Bowen was a professor of English and Women's Studies at California State University, Long Beach.[2] She was the subject of the 2016 documentary, The Passionate Pursuits of Angela Bowen,[2] by Jennifer Abod and Mary Duprey.[5] which won Best Documentary in the "Women's History U.S." category at the 2017 To the Contrary About Women and Girls film festival.[6]

In addition to being subject of books and documentaries, Bowen was an accomplished writer in her life.

Personal life and death

Bowen first married Ken Peters in the 1960s; they had three children.[1][2] They divorced in the 1980s, when she came out as a lesbian.[2] In 2013, she married Jennifer Abod.[1] She suffered from Alzheimer's disease.[2]

Bowen died on July 12, 2018 in Long Beach, California, at 82.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Genzlinger, Neil (July 22, 2018). "Angela Bowen, Dance Teacher and Gay Activist, Is Dead at 82". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Broverman, Neal (July 22, 2018). "Dancer, Professor, Queer Activist Angela Bowen Dead at 82". The Advocate. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Angela Bowen". Astraea Lesbian Foundation For Justice. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  4. ^ Los Angeles Blade. "Dr. Angela Bowen, black lesbian feminist scholar and artist, dead at 82", 23 July 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  5. ^ "The Passionate Pursuits of Angela Bowen | Carolina Theatre - Downtown Durham, North Carolina". www.carolinatheatre.org. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  6. ^ "TTC Film Festival Winner The Passionate Pursuits Of Angela Bowen Wins Clarion Award". PBS. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.



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