February 19, 2016

The Black Panther Party is back in the news. The Black Panther Party for Self Defense, formed in the 1960’s, sought to dramatically challenge an American culture and system they described as racially oppressive. Carrying their guns in plain sight, fists raised in defiance, and berets tipped with precision, they made no attempt to hide their goals for a complete revolution, galvanizing a generation to take pride in being black. Although the Party dissolved under embarrassing circumstances, they are often cited as the inspiration for social justice movements and most recently, Beyonce’s half-time performance at this year’s Super Bowl. We’ll look at the historical and contemporary meaning of the Black Panthers in Stanley Nelson’s documentary, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution. Later in the show, we’ll look at the major speeches given by presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Panelists:

- Callie Crossley, Host, Under the Radar with Callie Crossley, 89.7 WGBH

- Phillip Martin, Senior Reporter, WGBH News

- Kim McLarin, Associate Professor of Writing, Literature, and Publishing, Emerson College

- Andrew Leong, Department of Philosophy, UMass Boston