Transcripts For CSPAN2 The Revolution Has Come 20170930

Of baltimore book festival continues with a history professor spencer on the black part but black Panther Party from california. [inaudible conversations] hello everyone. Thanks for coming welcome to the book fair pavilion things to everyone for coming summit you have heard the spiels already but to mnuchin day couple of things with a cooperative bookstore and coffeehouse at about 14 years at the Current Location with that pavilion with the baltimore book festival over the last decade it has been an exciting opportunity in the midst of the city to marginalizes histories and forgotten narratives and that is what we are here for it is exciting the past couple years due to the resurgence of political activity from grassroots that generated a further interest of the precursor. The black pamper party specifically founded in oakland 1966 with Inspirational Organization that that would be prebe easily discredited and to say those that criticize where those bands of the black panthers depending on the advantage point because the panthers were not simply a reiteration or a more stylish version of the other organizations that were existing at that time but what challenged the preconceptions with a baseline assumption for the movement for civil rights and the black power movement. So what makes them so unique and exceptional such as their commitment of their daily practice as communal housing and communal living in solidarity with militant groups so that said just because they have those ideals it doesnt mean theyre executed in practice. So to do a very difficult job to walk that line through the expos eight with the thought and practice of the of pampers from the lens of the grassroots movement. You can follow on twitter and a professor at williams college. [applause] afternoon. It is good to be here in baltimore i drove down last night from new york with those that the black Panther Party only the things they imagine them doing. So to challenge that perception with the New Historical figures that were central to a changing that was interesting. This is where they think theyre Read Everything and oftentimes you dont realize is a result of that propaganda intertwined and the substances that theyre there their education so nearsighted to be part of that project so to engage with interesting and transformative dialogue. Why did i write the book . With the undergraduate student and leaving Brooklyn New York i simply realized it was a conservative type of environment with a social movement to give me the opportunity that is part of the black Panther Party. With those Internationalist Organization the way day liberated with their participation as well as the ways they struggled deeply within the organization. With africanamericans and their allies with that racism in that team time period. So the history of the black interparty and the interior lens of the organization to answer questions because i was struck despite the fact there were so popular very few people could say what it was like fell five what do they do every day . Of what does that mean . Forty organization . And the really wanted to tell that story and to put it into Historical Perspective terry much a book about black power to define black power coming across the finish line with the early days to throw that struggle with that imperialism for those certainly those questions were there with the Obama Administration but i felt this book project was a way to answer those questions so i want to read from the introduction when i talk about if you were here from the last panel against poverty it is alive and well so what is the book about the black Panther Party . So there seeking lessons from the past four now. What does black power have to offer in drone warfare warfare, immigrant detention , and criminal justice infrastructure. The study of black power in the scholarly literature to literally filled bulls. To create a revolutionary organization with that the industrialization it is time to examine several blocks even when theyre not in the drivers seat with those moments of joy and optimism is an optimistic history. and the black Panther Party are still struggling as part of a new movement as part of black lives matter and those that were a part of the 60s and 70s remain incarcerated today and Political Prisoners. We dont know of the optimism and to inspire people at this time so it really engages that. So oakland and the world war ii era it attracted black men and women who migrated from the south seeking opportunity which they found. But after the war ended in those opportunities evaporated. To deal with housing and to miss educate with an increasingly tight criminal Justice System for the young men and women at this time. A lot of those material conditions those who founded the of black Panther Party their children of migrants they were the next generation in growing up with the hopes and dreams for a Better Future that the migrants tried to enact for their children so they felt that sense of possibility in the context of oakland but also felt the restrictions and devastation of the criminal Justice System. So on so many Different Levels so with the black Panther Party it was a place on the one hand where oakland was called the powder keg where political plight of Political Violence because of the issues that were there like the war on poverty were not addressing. So to have social movements challenging the educational system with a lot of grassroots organizations. Coming together as College Students there were part of a growing movement that was determined to change not just those conditions that made it possible but they were determined to change the world. Having a new vision for the world and one of the ideals so with gender and power in a very real way to be influenced by malcolm x and many activists at the time purvey talk about the black struggle and one that looks like and they talked in general terms and then to keep black men out of the military. For black women heard the of message is that message resonated. And those that joined the black Panther Party and to become politically active. They found those gender roles with a particular idea how black men and women should relate to each other and we should be of the forefront who is the main victim of White Supremacy . Because we still deal with the panel with the perception of primary victims so part of that debate and those who joined the black Panther Party because there was an openness there. Into may get what it would be. They can come into the organization because they did not come in with those but became teachers of others. But to become a part of that started in 1996 and by 1967 if 10 joined the organization as a highschool student talks about the Community College with the class is on black history and to be influenced by that and asking if she could join. There was one woman there that felt they could join in the organization with the sole many key elements of what the black Panther Party did so that program of selfdefense with local Police Forces of course that confrontation had the law on their side to carry a weapon under certain circumstances and they created political theater. Women were part of that they were facing the reality as a themselves were thinking how they fit into the revolution but they would not undergo the same type of questioning they could brizola somebody who went charge them and also a particular ideal to gain sexual access with that in ideological conflict in a the category of gender and sexuality. As they were debating about imperialism with that vietnam war many people being drafted with that draft organization speaking out as they were dealing with politics and so what does that mean to be in a relationship with someone of people different causes and gender as well . As also a key element if you have never been in the organization that is a day question mark how they are treated if they feel empowered and they pushed so hard to get their issues around female empowerment and women doing the same work as men. And in a key way that was their struggle from the moment day ended that day left the organization. Weld the thing as the panthers are well known for was to create dozens and dozens of Community Programs solitude serve against the most harshest reality so to create three health clinics. With those breakfast programs. To give away issues our groceries. So to figure how to feed as many as possible. With that organization so think he felt that was very central. But they wanted those politics to be viewed also the Community Programs continuing to lose serve communities that need that type of political help. So as to mention so that was founded by two people and though larger bay area that was nationwide to be a part of the black Panther Party and they created an organization to having an international section. Into hub and a base that are interacted with all sorts of revolutionaries from around the world. And there are books that are in the pipeline better out in that story has not been told. And then to change those conditions and also as a Global Organization of society. End with that government at the time so to challenge those Community Patrols with those Community Programs by the fbi as part of their programs it has been a place that has been an unspoken to look at the impact of the fbi the way the prominent male leaders were attacked or even killed in chicago. But instead looking at the day to day reality of the black Panther Party if he were you were under surveillance by the fbi. What does that mean for your families . Has a simple rankandfile member they would get into your personal relationships and that made it difficult as a political entity to carry up the political mission. With the big top townsend heard moment. So how the organization grew. And so to address infiltration and then to build trust has and the fbi. And to close certain doors. Event about what im doing in the book. In thatd is how women play a central role. En to hold those titles positions and oftentimes said as of we look for is leadership. And to be in many ways been a strategic way. And then to rebuild that organizing data then this something i highlighted in the book so is this cleavers wife . And then to do that exactly. One of the main architect to give press conferences and was tireless and that the repression was is shaping the organization on the front burner all the time being shielded from history from those Police Forces so those women who were there for those that kept all the lights so the women whose generated that infrastructure oftentimes we dont know their names or see their faces but behind her there are hundreds of others that is the work that is needed to do the Organization Going. Osama latter part of the history. With the nationwide organization the struggle with the way that with the leaders of the irritation. And the widening gulf between them. After the political moment to keep the Organization Going to redefine itself in the 1970s also going to do those politics and in the late 50s to work with the local democratic and not just the of this like mayor but also School Boards and minor City Council Positions to actualize black power and concentrate what they can do to change this community headed is an example when the idea is to make that impact to register people to vote over time this is how old it is central to the panthers and how they operate and what they created to get people out and how to go and knock on peoples doors. There is a lot of support in oakland and also with elaine brown that is one of the things that we could do to figure out to shift the momentum and that politics but think about it in terms of the change in what the tweet me and what that would mean. I a have a son of man temple then we felt like that is one way to bring in a diversity so they create this idea in with spiritual discussions and to have that in a very real way. And to come to the forefront in this time period the was the alternative education to have a brilliant run in this period to be true the transformative and how it was structured to have a holistic educational model like those mixed a classroom or having the holistic approach or have the students ever roll of discipline about consequences within the context of about food culture the this ahead of its really tried to structure into disorganization so low the interesting time at the bottom of the organization there was a beautiful collective the black Panther Party operated collectively live in houses or earned by a owned by the organization to think about the cooking and cleaning very much trying to prefigure the society they wanted to live in. And to make a tremendous sacrifice. If you join in the black Panther Party 1966 now is 76 this is 12 years of your life. Dropping out of high school or college to join in the black Panther Party you made choices to alienate your biological family. To these people within this organization. So what would that mean as part of the way they live . How did they deal with the children . How do they take care of in their time to allow their parents to continue at the same time there is a lot of feminist talking about free day care and how the panthers participated in the streams of activism to be part of that Free Clinic Movement not just a feminist movement but the gay and lesbian liberation and a love of real ways. Thinking about the black Panther Party so those that have guns then question and the time period. Something that did not continue on in the 70s it is like a target on your back. Also it is important to talk about the funerals those who died in the black Panther Party those that were coming of age in this context and though way they continue to meet challenges the way they continue to keep the vision alive is allimportant because we need that alternative america us now. I want to end with a few sentences over sexism regarding the of black Panther Party. And how that was so important because what killed the of black Panther Party . We dont think of those ideals about gender and how they were toxic to the black Panther Party history. Someone to know what it meant to be revolutionary. With the political commitment with betrayal of those ideals of the very organization. The fact remains the panthers story starts with the dignity of the party the and then ends with those same demands. For as we come together under umbrellas for different causes etc. Etc. How is it these ideas and concepts can keep being carried on like an invisible backpack from organization to organization, even though most radical deliberative ones would be in the struggle around issues. How can we make this not just a womans issue . The interesting thing about the pantherss many progressive men were part of that and had to struggle with socialization of women as well. I am talking about ideas, not bodies or types like that, the goal of liberation, types of people were alive with radical whites, they call mother country radicals, they inspired groups who considered themselves yellow power, red power etc. In their quest for black power. When we about the panthers as a group that can be a cautionary tale and source of inspiration for us as we move forward. I will end there, happy to have questions and thank you very much. I am going to call on three people and get three questions, we can repeat them if need to and cut people off if you are asking a question of rambling on so keep it to a question. Dont you think that . I am going to follow 1 to 3 and ask your question and take another round. One, 2, okay. Lets start 3, 123. Thanks for your remarks. How did the black Panther Party deal with the trauma, the Mental Illness they had to face with what was going on . The reality when you speak to panthers the idea of ptsd which is part of the discourse of war, people feel they are in those moments, lots of ways people were unable to process what they partook in, what they had to walk away from. In a lot of ways, a joyful experience, hopeful experience, was deeply a traumatic. They feel they were going to die. When you are packing sandbags against the window and on watch, the reality of some panther offices, that sense of imminent fatality was part of the reality of feeling touch with something, sometimes a new world or the cusp of death and in a lot of ways panthers did not have a way to deal with that and as this default, recreational drugs became centered in terms of what black communities face with, that is an outlived, with the black Panther Party with black communities as a whole and we read about the cia and impact of that epidemic as well. I was wondering, have you interviewed the children of the panthers, the number one question, second one since i know a Founding Member of the Panther Party who is in dc, if you interviewed him before they got the gun. A great question, i did not interview the brother, it was focused on panthers evolution in oakland, to interview him. Did i interview the children of panther members . I did not. If you go online you will see there is organization, in a lot of ways they became a family in ways they were able to remain in contact with each other even as their parents were not able to maintain the same bonds for whatever reason. There is a lot of interest in that history but children in the black Panther Party, that was somewhat of a tangential issue to my focus but if i were to do it again, a documentary made by Mary Phillips about the open Community School looking at and speaking to the children talking about what it was like to go to school and be part of that radical experiment in education that took place. Bringing visibility to female panthers, could you speak to the acceptance or rejection of the term panther . Thank you for asking about this. The term panther at, there was the idea of having a separate womans caucus in the black Panther Party called the panther rats pantherets, they were collected by structural part of the organization, a chief or captain with Leadership Structure and things like that or accountability structure but over time that fell apart over the question of not just being separate but unequal. Many felt it was best to merge separate entities together. Other chapters didnt even have that stage. There was a great book out there edited by jeffries of the black Panther Party and mobile communities that you can read about differences between the panthers in baltimore, panthers in milwaukee, panthers in new york, etc. So you can quit a local perspective. Quite a few male panthers and former panthers spent decades in prison, locally, because of your emphasis, with long prison terms, speaking of eddie conway, local hero here started what includes Community Garden working with you. Could you say more about the connection with the Panther Party and food justice issues . Thinking, wants to raise the awareness of Eddie Marshall conway and his continuing case. Working on beth hayes, so Many Political prisoners and small enough in numbers that we can reach out to them, join support committees, support large overarching organizations which do a lot to bring awareness to the fact there are Political Prisoners in america and support Political Prisoners in the organization as well. In terms of the Food Justice Movement and impact on the panthers in oakland it is interesting, because of their connections to the counterculture and the ways they were connected to the diggers in San Francisco and their movement, they really tried to transform this ideal of modification of food and make visible the infrastructure around food and any quality of it. Being there in california and being connected to people like cesar chavez and the movement for farmworkers going on in mexico, panthers outlined themselves as well, made it important for them in a lot of ways to waive that issue as a political issue, that was not just earth centered but just as centered. You hear things like earth centered and food and things like that, the black community, today we are living at a time when lots of urban gardens and discourse around urban farming and trying to maintain the land of black farmers, places in the south and other parts of the country. There is a very vibrant Food Movement that is very radical and the panthers saw themselves contributing to that movement at the time. Is there a big difference between being a womanist and a feminist . It depends who you ask. Alice walker, i think the term womanist was coined by alice walker. Her definition is woman is him with a different shade of feminism. The term womanis the boutique carries the critique of the ways mainstream feminism has been narrowly defined, exclusive realities of women of color. That is why the womanist umbrella, they see it as a larger africana umbrella that incorporates experiences and history of women of color is not rooted in the narratives around womans empowerment that often in excludes black women. Women joined the workforce after the 1950s, that is not the case for a small segment of women. The universal tendencies of the term feminism became such a consensus term as people as diverse as beyonce, intellectual weight around the question of feminism, the question of feminism is very much a part of the political discourse today. I dont hear as much discourse around womanism being utilized as much as it once was but if you look at things like feminism, africana woman is him, there are lots of writings around that. Many women of color today embrace the term feminism and seek to create their own definition of it. It is a challenge to any are verging middleclass base nondiverse definition out there. Me personally, i love the umbrella of feminism. Womanism works for me. As long as you call it, as long as you are bored with me, we are good. [applause] i think we will leave it at that. Do we have any last words . There was a perfect last word. Lets hear it again for robyn spencer. Lots more great talks coming up. Robyn spencer will be selling books, they are for sale in the back along with other things about the black panthers and other political movements in that vicinity. Please check them out, grab robyn spencers a book, get it signed over there. The next talk will be in five minutes, thanks a lot. [inaudible conversations] baltimore photographer devin allen is next, he discusses his photos which documented the protests and riots in the city following