“The long memory is the most radical idea in America” – Utah Phillips
Curated by Billy X Jennings, the exhibition features Emory Douglas’s artwork as it appeared in the pages of the Black Panther Party (BPP) Newspaper, on BPP posters and ephemera, as well as his recent posters decrying the injustice of the SF8 case. The focus of the exhibition is to underscore that the obdurate persecution of the SF8 is not an isolated case, but in fact has a thread of continuity stretching back to that infamous and illegal COINTELPRO campaign which brought about the dissolution of the Black Panther Party. History is not dead!
Emory will give a short talk on his inspiration for specific pieces, as well as the importance of the role of art in revolutionary struggle. Richard Brown (SF8) will talk about his experiences as a former Panther and community activist, as well as the significance of the SF8 case in the current political climate.
About Emory Douglas –Emory Douglas moved to the Fillmore District in San Francisco as a young boy. He studied commercial art at the City College of San Francisco. Present since the early days of the Black Panther Party (BPP), Emory officially became a member in 1967 offering his talent as an artist to Bobby Seale’s nascent Black Panther Newspaper. From 1967 until the early 1980’s, Emory oversaw the layout and publication as the BPP Minister of Culture, and his artwork graced the pages of the paper (which reached a circulation of 400,000 copies per week at its peak). Many of those images were also to be seen pasted up on the streets throughout the Bay Area. Emory currently lives in San Francisco and continues to lend his talent, voice and vision to the causes in which he believes.
About Richard Brown and the SF8 Case – Eight former Black Panthers were arrested January 23rd in California, New York and Florida on charges related to the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer. Similar charges were thrown out after it was revealed that police used torture to extract confessions when some of these same men were arrested in New Orleans in 1973.
Richard Brown, 65, of San Francisco. “For the past six years I have been a Community Court Judge Arbitrator working with the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. We place a lot of emphasis on restorative justice, so most of the community service done will be done in our own community where the offender can give back to the community.” Freed on bail August 30.
About Billy X Jennings & It’s About Time - Billy Jennings grew up in San Diego and moved to Oakland in June 1968. He was Huey Newton’s assistant and a member of the Black Panther Party from 1968 to 1974. He currently works as the Black Panther Party archivist, running the website It’s About Time, and working to preserve the true history of the Black Panther Party through education.
About The Freedom Archives - The Freedom Archives contains over 8000 hours of audiotapes. These recordings date from the late-60s to the mid-90s and chronicle the progressive history of the Bay Area, the United States, and international solidarity movements. The collection includes weekly news/ poetry/ music programs broadcast on several educational radio stations; in-depth interviews and reports on social and cultural issues; diverse activist voices; original and recorded music, poetry, original sound collages; and an extensive La Raza collection.
www.itsabouttimebpp.com
www.freedomarchives.org
www.freethesf8.org
