State-of-the-Field Roundtable on the 50th Anniversary of the Black Panther Party

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

October 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the Black Panther Party (BPP), the most renowned and controversial organization of the Black Power era. From its base in Oakland, California, the BPP’s revolutionary nationalist ideology and organizational activities quickly spread through an extensive branch and chapter network as well as the organization’s newspaper and other publications. The past decade has witnessed an exponential growth in the scholarship on the BPP, broadening our knowledge to include previously overlooked local histories as well as other important themes such as the Party’s gender dynamics, survival programs, international influence, and the nature and impact of state repression. This roundtable brings together leading scholars of the BPP to assess the movement’s impact and legacy as well as the state-of-the-field at fifty.

Sub Unit

• 101st Annual Meeting and Conference of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History

Chair

• Charles E. Jones, University of Cincinnati

Discussants

• Donna Murch, Rutgers University

• Alondra Nelson, Columbia University

• Jakobi Williams, Indiana University

• Yohuru R. Williams, Fairfield University

• ASALH Audience, .