Bill Ayers | |
|---|---|
 Ayers in 2012 | |
| Born | William Charles Ayers December 26, 1944 Glen Ellyn, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA) Bank Street College of Education (MEd) Columbia University (MEd, EdD) |
| Known for | Founder of the Weather Underground Urban educational reform |
| Spouse | Bernardine Dohrn |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Education |
| Institutions | University of Illinois at Chicago |
William Charles Ayers (/ɛərz/; born December 26, 1944)[1] is an American retired professor and former militant organizer. In 1969, Ayers co-founded the far-left militant organization the Weather Underground, a revolutionary group that sought to overthrow what they viewed as American imperialism.[2] During the 1960s and 1970s, the Weather Underground conducted a campaign of bombing public buildings in opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The bombings caused no fatalities, except for three members killed when one of the group's devices accidentally exploded. The FBI described the Weather Underground as a domestic terrorist group.[3] Ayers was hunted as a fugitive for several years, until charges were dropped due to illegal actions by the FBI agents pursuing him and others.
Ayers went on to become a professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, holding the titles of Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar.[4] During the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, a controversy arose over his contacts with then-candidate Barack Obama. He is married to lawyer and law professor Bernardine Dohrn, who was also a leader in the Weather Underground.
- ^ "Weather Underground Organization (Weatherman)" (PDF). FBI. August 20, 1976. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
- ^ The Weathermen's founding manifesto, signed by Ayers and ten others, indicates, "The most important task for us toward making the revolution, and the work our collectives should engage in, is the creation of a mass revolutionary movement...akin to the Red Guard in China, based on the full participation and involvement of masses of people...with a full willingness to participate in the violent and illegal struggle. Ayers, Bill; Mark Rudd; Bernardine Dohrn; Jeff Jones; Terry Robbinson; Gerry Long; Steve Tappis; et al. (1969). You Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows. Weatherman. p. 28. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
- ^ "Weather Underground Bombings". Federal Bureau Of Investigation. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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