Evans began her life as an activist by organizing demonstrations at Michigan State University during 1965. In 1967 Evans became a member of the East Coast chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). She stated that she became interested in the civil rights movement after getting attacked by police during a demonstration at the Pentagon. "When I first became a political activist, I was a pacifist. I had never experience real violence in my own life and naively hoped that it changed." Evans demonstrated her interest in anti-racism movements by supporting various groups championing Black, Native and Puerto Rican liberation causes.