Architects, Activist, and Avengers: The Black Panthers 1968

Aug. 31, 2012 - PRLog -- Architects, Activist, and Avengers: The Black Panthers 1968
Photographs by Ruth-Marion Baruch and Pirkle Jones
September 1 through November 12, 2012
Opening Reception:  September 8, 2012, 5-7 pm

The Hannah Project Partnership for Academic Achievement and the Pirkle Jones Foundation present  an exhibition of photographs documenting one of the most important liberation movements in recent history. Architects, Activist, and Avengers: The Black Panthers 1968 features forty images by renowned Bay Area photographers, Ruth-Marion Baruch and Pirkle Jones, who photographed the Oakland-based Black Panther Party from July to October 1968.  Questioning the criminal and subversive label placed on the Black Panthers by the mainstream press, Baruch and Jones spent several months capturing their impressions of the Panthers. The result is a series of photographs that humanize the young revolutionaries and poignantly portray their strength and dignity within the universal themes of family, commitment, and hope.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Hannah Project will also present documentary films, book talks, and panel discussions to promote understanding of the revolutionary spirit of the Black Panthers.  The programs will contextualize their vision and explore a number of themes that emanate from the Party’s Ten Point Platform and their work in the community including:  the role of women in the movement, the church and revolution, racial profiling, community schools, and free healthcare.  Panther Party members will be present at the opening reception and other dialogue events.  See Hannah website for dates and times.

“I am so excited by the opportunity to host this exhibit,” Bettie Hodges, Executive Director of the Hannah Project said.  “Not only does the Marin City community have strong ties to the Panther Party, but the movement influenced the lives and careers of a number of our community’s leaders and framed their approach to community empowerment and advocacy for the disenfranchised of all races. It is important that our youth become familiar with the Panther movement and the impact it has had on communities of color throughout the country.”

The idea to photograph the Panthers was originally Ruth- Marion Baruch's. She proposed her exhibition idea expressing "the feeling of the people" to Jack McGregor, then director of the de Young Museum in San Francisco. In early 1968, Baruch met with Kathleen Cleaver, the Communications Secretary of the Black Panther Party, who made arrangements for Baruch to talk to Eldridge Cleaver, the party's Minister of Information. Eldridge Cleaver invited Baruch to take pictures at a Free Huey rally at DeFremery Park in Oakland. Jones accompanied Baruch to the rally, and the two collaborated on the project over the next several months.

Charles Jones of Georgia State University in his essay “Power to the Panthers: An Overview of the Black Panther Party, 1966-82” writes: “Throughout the course of their relatively short existence (1966-1982), the Black Panthers electrified the nation with their dynamic image – berets, black leather jackets – and their revolutionary zeal…Panther comrades galvanized communities and regularly participated in coalitions with the white left and other radical groups of color…Their community outreach activities, later named ‘survival programs,’ fed, clothed, educated and provided health care to thousands.”

“What an amazing time to host this collection,”   Hodges adds. “It is impossible to ignore the similarities between the hot button issues that now polarize electoral politics and the proposals put forth by the Panthers during the height of their movement. Will we be a country that gives voice and support to the poor or will we be a country that rewards the rich and powerful?  That is the fundamental question raised by  the Panthers.”

The Hannah Project Partnership for Academic Achievement is a community-based college and career preparatory program that equips youth and their families with the knowledge, skills, and strategies that build academic proficiency, develop character, and prepare students for school, college, and career success. For more information on the Hannah Project, please call 415.419.1605 or visit their web site: http://hannahproject.org.  To schedule an interview with team members, please contact Mikael Wagner @ 415.255.0800 or 415.786.0428c.