[Uwhistory] Seattle Black Panther Party History and Memory Project (fwd)

[Lori Anthony]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 09:57:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: James Gregory <gregoryj at u.washington.edu>
To: John Findlay <jfindlay at u.washington.edu>
Cc: Lori Anthony <anthonyl at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Seattle Black Panther Party History and Memory Project

please send to department lists. Thank you.


Join us Saturday, May 20, 3:00-5:00pm
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center

for the unveiling of the
SEATTLE BLACK PANTHER PARTY HISTORY AND MEMORY PROJECT

Celebrate and learn about this new online history project with:

Aaron Dixon, Elmer Dixon, Garry Owens, and other members of the BPP Legacy 
Committee and UW students, faculty, and staff from the Seattle Civil Rights and 
Labor History Project.

The SEATTLE BLACK PANTHER PARTY HISTORY AND MEMORY PROJECT is a multimedia 
educational website that captures the history of the Black Panther Party. Part 
of the University of Washington's SEATTLE CIVIL RIGHTS AND LABOR HISTORY 
PROJECT, the unit has been developed in cooperation with the Black Panther 
Party Legacy Committee. The website includes riveting video interviews, 
photographs, documents, hundreds of newspaper articles about the BPP, and 
transcripts of the 1970 Congressional investigation.

 	www.civilrights.washington.edu

Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center is located at 104 17th Ave.S. between 
Yesler and Washington.

for more information:    civilr at u.washington.edu


James Gregory, Director, Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project
Trevor Griffey, Project Coordinator
Janet Jones, BPP Unit Coordinator


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from the SEATTLE BLACK PANTHER PARTY HISTORY AND MEMORY PROJECT:

The Black Panther Party for Self Defense established its Seattle chapter in the 
spring of 1968. It was one of the first to be created outside of California. 
The Seattle chapter also lasted longer than most, surviving until 1978. 
Although the membership was never large, the organization made a major impact 
on the region. With their trade mark black berets and leather jackets and their 
commitment to armed self defense, the Panthers became role models to some; 
scared others. Either way, the organization showed Seattle that struggles for 
racial justice had moved beyond persuasion and nonviolent protest.

This page introduces the Seattle Black Panther Party History and Memory 
Project. The unit comprises the most extensive online collection of materials 
for any chapter of the Black Panther Party, including the Oakland chapter. The 
links above and below lead to more than a dozen oral histories, scores of 
photographs, rare documents, and  BPP publications, more than 100 newspaper 
articles, and the complete transcript and exhibits from the 1970 Congressional 
Hearings into the activities of the chapter.
                                      * * *
Janet Jones is the coordinator of this special section and conducted all of the 
interviews. Alexander Morrow and Nathan Roberts served as Associate Editors. We 
wish to thank members of the BPP Legacy Committee for sharing stories, 
photographs, and documents. Thanks also to the Seattle Times, Seattle Post 
Intelligencer, Seattle Medium, University of Washington Daily, and Afro 
American Journal, and Seattle Magazine for the articles and photographs that 
appear on the News Coverage page.

Video Oral Histories: short biographies and streaming video excerpts of 
interviews with BPP veterans Aaron Dixon, Elmer Dixon, Michael Dixon, Mark 
Cook, Jake Fiddler, Leon Hobbs, Ron Johnson, Michael Murray, Garry Owens, Mike 
Tagawa, Bobby White, Shamseddin Williams, Kenyatto Amen-Allah. Plus related 
interviews with Larry Gossett and Wes Uhlman.

Photographs: from the Washington State Archives; Eugene Tagawa collection; 
Aaron Dixon collection; Fred Lonidier collection; Museum of History and 
Industry

News Coverage: with the cooperation of Seattle area newspapers we have 
digitized more than 100 newspaper articles that appeared between 1968 and 1979 
making it possible to follow the news coverage that surrounded the BPP.

Congressional Hearings: In 1970 Congress launched a full-scale investigation of 
the Black Panther Party. One set of hearings focused on the Seattle chapter. 
Here you can read the testimony and view the exhibits collected by 
Congressional investigators. Included are photographs of alleged members and 
buildings that served as Party offices or breakfast program centers, testimony 
by a secret undercover witness.

History: This three part essay by Kurt Schaefer explores the first three years 
of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party from its founding by Black 
Student Union members in 1968 through the 1970 crisis negotiated by Mayor Wes 
Uhlman.

Documents: the four issues of the Seattle Party Bulletin and many leaflets and 
other printed material.

Links: Additional information including bibliographic resources and online 
links to information about the Seattle chapter, other chapters, and the Black 
Panther Party headquarters