Tag Archives: African American history

The Portland Black Panthers: Empowering Albina and Remaking a City

Burke-PortlandBlackPanthersFrom Ferguson, Missouri to Flint, Michigan, African American communities across the nation continue to struggle for the same basic rights, protections, and social services demanded by the civil rights movement exactly a half century ago. In their timely new book, The Portland Black Panthers: Empowering Albina and Remaking a City, authors Lucas N. N. Burke and Judson Jeffries remind us of an earlier case of concerned citizens, in a similarly overlooked black community, who took matters into their own hands when they felt they weren’t being heard by local leaders. While most of us easily associate the Black Panthers with berets and bullet belts, Burke and Jeffries show us that the Portland branch, which was much smaller than its more infamous counterparts in the Bay area, was more concerned with taking care of neighborhood kids and opening a free health clinic for the community.

Though there definitely are stories of violence, angry protests, police brutality, and other more dramatic episodes in their book, the excerpt I’ve chosen focuses on the group’s early attempts (before it was an official Black Panther branch) to start a free breakfast program for kids in the Albina district. I chose this passage for several reasons. For starters, it’s a warm, “feel good” moment that demonstrates the Portland Panthers’ ability to build community, countering the stereotype that portrays them only as angry and combative. Instead, we see Kent Ford and other Portland Panthers working to secure food donations, and organizing early morning schedules for cooks and servers, actions that clearly take a great deal of planning and effort. Secondly, we see through the press coverage how the Portland branch challenged those very preconceived notions about the Black Panthers. Reporters came in expecting militant ideology and instead found pancakes and syrup.

Finally, I chose this particular excerpt because it also speaks to the vision of the Panthers. Providing free breakfast to school kids might seem like a minor thing, but, as they argued, the idea that everyone is entitled to a healthy diet is truly a revolutionary concept. These days that concept is known as the “food justice” movement, but, as the authors show, it was being fought for in Portland long before it had an official name. Though the Portland Black Panthers branch dissolved by the 1980s, its legacy lives on in the city through the various activist groups fighting for fair housing, living wages, environmental justice, and an end to police brutality, among other issues. By shining the spotlight on the little known Portland Black Panther branch, Burke and Jeffries show us how even the smallest group—in the unlikeliest of places—can affect major change by building up its community and relentlessly pushing back against the powers that be.

Ranjit Arab, Senior Editor

The following is an excerpt from the forthcoming book, The Portland Black Panthers: Empowering Albina and Remaking a City, by Lucas N. N. Burke and Judson Jeffries:

Even though they were not yet card-carrying members of the Black Panther Party, NCCF (National Committee to Combat Fascism) members in Portland worked diligently in the fall of 1969 to establish a free breakfast program for school kids. “The government had money to fight a war thousands and thousands of miles away . . . and send astronauts to the moon,” Kent Ford said, “but ensuring that kids received a well-balanced meal before heading off to school was not a priority . . . so the Panthers made it a priority.” In 1967, the US government spent a mere $600,000 on breakfast programs nationwide. But as more and more Panther branches started their own free breakfast programs, government-sponsored breakfast initiatives proliferated. By 1972, government-sponsored breakfast programs were feeding more than a million children of the approximately five million who qualified for such aid.

Doing the work of a Panther without being acknowledged as a Panther frustrated some of the Portland members. Their community survival initiatives, among other things, were indicative of the NCCF’s burning desire and commitment to be recognized as full-fledged Panthers. Becoming an official Panther came with a tremendous amount of responsibility, but to some it was not significantly different from what they had become accustomed to doing as members of the NCCF. Oscar Johnson remembers how he structured his days around Panther activities: “My work as a Panther was not all that different than what I was doing as a member of the NCCF. I worked nights, so I was the driver. I’d finish my shift and pick up kids who needed a ride to breakfast. Go home and sleep. We solicited cash and food from neighborhood businesses in the afternoon and attended political education classes at night. It felt good. . . . We were doing something. We had the respect of the community.” Drawing on a small but diverse group of young working-class and student activists, these African American men and women used a variety of networks and connections to build a robust breakfast program. The Portland NCCF made the announcement that it was going to start a free breakfast program at a community meeting. “From the outset, people were receptive to the program,” said Black Panther Patty (Hampton) Carter. Believing the program to be a worthwhile endeavor, Rev. Samuel L. Johnson, head pastor of the Highland United Church of Christ, offered his church as the venue for the program. The church, located at 4635 NE Ninth Ave, was ideal, as it was spacious, met building and health code inspections, and was in close proximity to Martin Luther King Elementary School, which was located at 4906 NE Sixth Avenue. One week into the 1969–70 school year, NCCF members distributed leaflets (outlining the schedule, goals, and objective of the free breakfast program) to various community groups and passed them out to kids as they walked to and from school. Ford remembered that “people were so supportive of the program. . . . Rev. Johnson didn’t charge us a dime . . . neither did the Wonder Bread company that gave us fifty loaves of bread each week, no questions asked . . . then there was this one nice lady who (within a month of starting the breakfast program) came in one day with seventy-five cartons of eggs. When I attempted to pay her for her trouble, she turned me down flat saying, ‘You guys are doing good work.’ ”

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Behind the Covers: ‘Black Women in Sequence’

BehindCovers-BlackWomen-00As we head into the 40th Black History Month (AKA African American History Month and #BlackFutureMonth), we feature a guest post from UW Press Senior Designer Thomas Eykemans on the creative process behind Black Women in Sequence: Re-inking Comics, Graphic Novels, and Anime by Deborah Elizabeth Whaley. The book won an award in the Scholarly Illustrated category of the 2016 AAUP Book, Jacket and Journal Show.

As the first detailed investigation of Black women’s participation in comic art, Black Women in Sequence examines the representation, production, and transnational circulation of women of African descent in the sequential art world. In this groundbreaking study, which includes interviews with artists and writers, Whaley suggests that the treatment of the Black female subject in sequential art says much about the place of people of African descent in national ideology in the United States and abroad. Below, Eykemans walks us through the collaborative design.

Comics are one of my favorite visual mediums, so it was a pleasant surprise to learn that I would have the opportunity to work on this book. With a diverse range of imagery to draw from and challenging themes to approach, I reached out to the author to help clarify the intention of her book and how I might best represent that in the cover design. Deborah identified the comic strip Friday Foster as the ideal source for a striking cover image. Friday Foster was the first black female comic strip character in a mainstream publication.

BehindCovers-BlackWomen-03

“Friday Foster,” Chicago Tribune, May 5, 1972.

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Beyond “I Have a Dream”: Reading for MLK Week

As we head into the national Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and African American History Month, we are rounding up a selection of readings from the archives which celebrate the vital and varied contributions of black Americans today and throughout US history. These guest posts and books address social justice organizing and activism around issues of race, gender, sexuality, and difference in keeping with Dr. King’s life, work, and lasting legacy.

Stars for Selma (Guest post from Emilie Raymond, author of Stars for Freedom: Hollywood, Black Celebrities, and the Civil Rights Movement | Read an excerpt)

Before #BlackLivesMatter: A History Lesson from the Black Panther Party (Guest post from Craig J. Peariso, author of Radical Theatrics: Put-Ons, Politics, and the Sixties)

Talking about Critical Mixed Race Studies in the Wake of Ferguson (Guest post from Laura Kina, coeditor of War Baby / Love Child: Mixed Race Asian American Art)

Uncovering African American History in the Pacific Northwest (Guest post from Lorraine McConaghy and Judy Bentley, authors of Free Boy: A True Story of Slave and Master)


Other books of note:

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If you are located in Seattle, Bothell, or Tacoma, don’t miss the MLK Week 2016 calendar of events and social media tool-kit. This year, the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center, the Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity, and the Carlson Leadership & Public Service Center at the University of Washington have partnered on this suite of collaborative events inspired by past and current social justice work in the UW community around the MLK Day holiday (#UWMLKWeek).

“An Evening with Harry Belafonte” and Emilie Raymond’s “Stars for Freedom” Write On! Northwest African American Museum event

Earlier this week UW Press co-sponsored two special Seattle events: The inaugural Equity and Difference Series lecture, An Evening with Harry Belafonte, co-sponsored with the UW Graduate School and the UW Alumni Association, and a Write On! book event with Emilie Raymond, author of Stars for Freedom: Hollywood, Black Celebrities, and the Civil Rights Movement, co-sponsored with the Northwest African American Museum.

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With 2015 marking the 50th anniversary of several key Civil Rights moments, including the march from Selma to Montgomery and the passage of the Voting Rights Act, Stars for Freedom by Emilie Raymond reminds us that the movement was not entirely just a “bottom up” grassroots effort. At the highest levels of American society, a handful of A-list Hollywood celebrities from both sides of the color line put their careers and lives on the line to raise awareness—and money—for the cause. Raymond sheds new light on how stars such as Harry Belafonte made it easier for mainstream Americans to understand the need for racial equality while also setting an example for celebrity political activism that, a half century later, is now considered the norm.

The publication of Stars for Freedom was made possible through two endowments, generously created by Virginia and Dee Wyman and Peter and Linda Capell. In 2004 the Wymans established the V Ethel Willis White Endowment to support books on African American history and culture. In 2008 the Capells created the Capell Family Endowed Book Fund to support the publication of books designed to deepen our understanding of social justice through historical, cultural, and environmental studies. We are grateful to Peter and Linda Capell and Virginia and Dee Wyman for giving us the vision that led to these events.

American Studies Association Conference Preview

The American Studies Association annual meeting takes place in Toronto, Canada this week and we’re looking forward to another exciting conference. We hope you can join us for a book signing with author Deborah Elizabeth Whaley for Black Women in Sequence: Re-inking Comics, Graphic Novels, and Anime. Editor in Chief Larin McLaughlin and Senior Acquisitions Editor Ranjit Arab will be representing the Press—be sure to stop by booth #404 to say hello and to check out our latest American studies offerings.

Here is a sampling of new and recent titles we will be featuring at the conference as well as the book signing details.

Book Signing with Deborah Elizabeth Whaley

Saturday, October 10 at 3:00 p.m.

Black Women in Sequence: Re-inking Comics, Graphic Novels, and Anime
By Deborah Elizabeth Whaley

This groundbreaking study of Black women’s participation in comic art includes interviews with artists and writers and suggests that the treatment of the Black female subject in sequential art says much about the place of people of African descent in national ideology in the United States and abroad.

For more information visit the author’s website: http://www.deborahelizabethwhaley.com/#!black-women-in-sequence/c65q

Enduring Conviction: Fred Korematsu and His Quest for Justice
By Lorraine K. Bannai

Bannai brings an insider’s knowledge to the famous legal case of Fred Korematsu, a man interned by the government under Executive Order 9066, whose conviction was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court.

 

 

Robert Cantwell and the Literary Left: A Northwest Writer Reworks American Fiction
New in Paperback
By T. V. Reed

The first full critical study of Northwest-born novelist and critic Robert Cantwell, best known for his novel The Land of Plenty, who found himself at the center of the radical literary and cultural politics of 1930s New York. 

 

The Rising Tide of Color: Race, State Violence, and Radical Movements across the Pacific
New in Paperback
Edited by Moon-Ho Jung

Featuring a wide range of scholars specializing in American history and ethnic studies, this powerful collection of essays highlights historical moments and movements on the Pacific Coast and across the Pacific to reveal a different story of race and politics.

 

American Studies Association conference preview
“Stars for Freedom” by Emilie Raymond
“Bike Battles” by James Longhurst
“Trout Culture” by Jen Corrinne Brown
“Radical Theatrics” by Craig J. Peariso

Behind the Covers: “The Narrative of the Sufferings of Lewis Clarke…”

Lewis George Clarke published the story of his life as a slave in 1845, after he had escaped from Kentucky and become a well-regarded abolitionist lecturer throughout the North. His book was the first work by a slave to be acquired by the Library of Congress and placed under copyright. In 2012, the University of Washington Press published a facsimile edition of Clarke’s book introduced by his great-grandson, Carver Clark Gayton. Today, UW Press senior designer Thomas Eykemans walks us through the creative process behind producing the cover to this important publication.

The title of a book can go a long way toward determining how its cover is designed. A short, punchy title can be made as bold and splashy as space allows. Most titles are a bit more descriptive, and require some creative line breaks and typographical distinctions. What, then, to do with a thirty-word title—not including the subtitle or author bylines?

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Uncovering African American History in the Pacific Northwest

In honor of African American History Month, we feature a guest post from authors Lorraine McConaghy and Judy Bentley about the story behind their book, Free Boy: A True Story of Slave and Master. The book’s narrative centers on the biography of young slave, Charles Mitchell, who was brought to Washington Territory in the 1850s and whose personal narrative highlights issues of race, slavery, and treason. The long-forgotten story of Charles Mitchell is part of a larger picture of a largely unseen African American history in the Pacific Northwest, but Free Boy—as well as other books in our V. Ethel Willis White series—are part of a growing effort to recognize this important aspect of our region’s history.

Mention the Underground Railroad to a middle school audience and they think of codes embedded in quilts, hidden rooms, and bloodhound chases through swamps. The geography is all East Coast, with strong activity in Indiana and Ohio, too. The drama of this railroad has drawn readers of all ages and crowned Harriet Tubman its heroine.

But the bravery of an unknown boy and an unknown underground attracted us to the story of Charles Mitchell, which we told in Free Boy. This fugitive slave narrative evolved from a one-paragraph newspaper story, which Lorraine discovered when she was researching Civil War history in the West. Charles Mitchell was born a slave on a family plantation in Maryland and was given to the household of James Tilton, Surveyor General of Washington Territory,  when he was only eight. Tilton had promised to educate him and free him when he turned eighteen, but in 1860, at the age of thirteen, Mitchell escaped to the Crown Colony of Victoria, aided by free blacks who had created a tiny Puget Sound Underground Railroad. His flight was reported not because of his courageous break for freedom but because Mitchell’s action embittered Tilton and radicalized his racial views.

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