The HCAC public history focused digital archive cataloging is an ongoing process, and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. We welcome your comments and feedback if you have more information to share about an item featured on the site, please contact us at: HCAC-DigiTeam@si.edu
A newspaper article from The Black Panther. Connie Matthews interviews Black Panther Party Member and assistant professor Angela Davis following her dismissal from the University of California in September 1969 after she had been fired by the Philosophy Department on the basis of her membership in the Communist Party.
A newspaper article from The Daily News about Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) being in New Jersey to stand trial for the May 1973 killing of a state trooper and the federal suit her attorneys filed for alleged horrible living conditions and violation of civil rights. Shakur was convicted in 1977 of the killing and escaped prison in 1979.
A news blurb from The News Tribune about the failure of defense attorneys to have Judge Theodore Appleby disqualify Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) from her murder trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. Shakur was convicted in 1977 of the killing and escaped prison in 1979.
A newspaper article from The Black Panther telling the story of Patrice Lumumba, who became the first prime minister of the Republic of the Congo in June of 1960, shortly after Congo gained independence from Belgium. He was assassinated in January of 1961 and is an icon in the anti-colonial movement that was embraced by the Black Panther Party.
A newspaper article from Daily News about the testimony of defense witness Dr. Arthur Davidson during the trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. He testified that the wound in her right shoulder showed that she was holding her right arm pointed straight when she was wounded in the shootout.
Idella Foot moved to the Farish Street District in 1931 and lived her entire life on multiple different streets in the district. Ms. Foote discusses her children and her church affiliation. She also talks about the changes the district has undergone over the decades, saying that the district underwent big changes after the older generation died.
A button with a black and white photo of Huey Newton holding a shotgun. Huey Newton, alongside Bobby Seale, founded the Black Party for Self Defense in Oakland, California, in 1966. The Black Panther Party held an ideology of armed self-defense against the oppressive and racist forces of the United States government and police.
Hollis Watkins was a Civil Rights organizer in Mississippi in the 1960s. This interview was recorded in a meeting of Dr. Alferdteen Harrison's Oral History class at Jackson State and featured questions from Dr. Harrison and several students. Mr. Watkins talks about his experiences with the Civil Rights Movement and the beginnings of Head Start.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about the question of Friday recesses asked for by the defense because of the Muslim faith of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), who was on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. The question has been a feature of the trial and the defense, prosecution, and judge continue to argue over it.
Henry White Madison was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1892. Mr. Madison talks about his first voting experience and recalls the "Good Old Days" when he was a youth with his own band (Madison Band), playing baseball, and working for Pridgeon's Grocery Store in Jackson, Mississippi. The transcript is heavily edited with handwritten notes.
Helen Ware was involved with the Greenwood, Mississippi, Head Start program in Leflore County from its initial planning stages in 1969. She talks about her time working as a social worker for Head Start, including her role going into the community to get parents excited about enrolling their children.
A chronology of major events in the development of Head Start in Mississippi from January 1, 1966 to December 27, 1966. This timeline covers the sequence of events leading to the genesis of Head Start in Mississippi. The first date on the chronology is mislabeled.
A photograph of Harmon's Superette, a shop on East Monument Street in the Farish Street Historic District. At the time of the photograph, the business was closed and the building was in disrepair.
Hannah Tucker moved to the Farish Street District in 1935 and opened Eat & Beat It Cafe in 1952. She talks about growing up in the district and some of the jobs she had. She also discusses some of the changes in the district over the years and her decision to soon move her business out of the district. Transcript is edited with handwritten notes.
Handwritten notes of an agenda for a meeting of the Black Panther Foundation. Personality, attitude, behavior, disciplinary policies, and organizational structure were discussed.
Sketches and handwritten notes by Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) about family life. The topics she writes about include disciplining children, male-female relationships, and country life.
Handwritten notes about the organization of the Black Panther Foundation. Sections: "The Three Points of Unity and Organizational Discipline;" "Correcting Mistaken Ideas;" and "Suggestions on Propaganda Teams."
A note from “Ronie and Papa” to “Nole." The note is in children's handwriting. The sender tells the recipient that it's been a long time, and they are missed.
Handwritten memo to the Henry Brown National Task Force titled "Proposal/plan for work regarding Henry Shasha Brown." Brown was an imprisoned Black Liberation Army (BLA) member. The memo outlines actions to reach the goals of having Brown transferred to a facility closer to New York and to aid in getting him out of jail.
Handwritten letter from ACLU Attorney Chris Hansen asking William Lamson about updates for a report about boundary changes for junior high schools in Topeka dating back to 1941 when the state supreme court ordered the schools to be integrated.
Handwritten draft of a speech by Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) about the Black Panther Foundation. The speech explains the importance of the preservation of Black Panther History for those members that have died fighting the struggle.
Handwritten notes and a draft of a committee report by Frankye Adams-Johnson (Malika) to the Black Panther Foundation Committee. The report gives details about her visit to the Moorland Spingarn Research Center on April 3, 1987. She met with the manuscript librarians there about the possibility of establishing a Black Panther Archive.
A short essay about the revolutionary killing of cops. The author, Frankye Adams Johnson (Malika), gives two recent examples of revolutionaries killing cops, saying the killers are urban guerillas who constitute the military arm of the Black Liberation Army (BLA). The tagline of the essay is “All Power to the New Urban Guerilla, War to the End.”
A button with a black and white photo of H. Rap Brown (Jamil Al-Amin). After organizing in Mississippi during Freedom Summer in 1964, H. Rap Brown became chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1967. He continued SNCC’s adoption of Black Power ideologies which began under his predecessor Stokely Carmichael.
Gwendolyn Hampton was born in the Farish Street District in 1953 and attended several schools in the area, including Smith Robertson School. Mrs. Hampton reflects on changes in many areas in the district, including the disciplining of neighborhood children and the attitude of "country folk" who came to Farish Street to shop.
Gustava Gooden was born in the Farish Street District and at the time of the interview had lived in the home she was in since she was a teenager. She talks about growing up in what she calls the "slum" of the Farish Street District. She discusses the red light district, schools, churches, and businesses in the area.
Gunnie James Haskins was a Black Liberation Army (BLA) member who was imprisoned in 1974 for a robbery to raise money for the BLA. This is the statement he gave on the day of his sentencing for his role in attempting to free BLA members from prison. He acknowledges their sentencing as another sacrifice in the struggle for Black Liberation.
A list of questions to guide the interviewer’s through the recording of oral histories in the Good Old Days project, a series of interviews with senior citizens who talk about their lives, times, achievements, and challenges from their early childhood through the various stages of life. The questions cover topics such as religion, education, etc.
