The Margaret Walker Center's archival collections document a wide array of facets of Black American history and culture with an emphasis on the Southern experience. This collection examines the contributions of women who participated in the Civil Rights and Black Liberation movements. Featured in this collection are materials from the Frankye Adams-Johnson Black Panther Party collection and several oral histories in which women share first-hand accounts of their roles and actions in various movement activities.
Curated By
Garrad Lee
Contributing Institution
Jackson State University
About This Record
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 Star-Ledger 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 about the wounds sustained by Shakur and argued that she could not have shot from the crouching position due to her wounds from the shootout.
A newspaper article from Daily News about the testimony of defense witness Dr. David Spain during the trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. He testified about the wounds she sustained, arguing that she couldn’t have shot from a crouching position due to the position of her wounds from the shootout.
A letter to the New Afrikan Women's Organization (NAWO) of New York from the women in the organization representing New Orleans, Louisiana, and Hazlehurst and Jackson in Mississippi. The letter is dated “May 28, 15 ADM” and signed by NAWO member Fulani Sunni-Ali. She calls for a three day retreat for organizational meetings.
A letter to the participants of the New Afrikan Women's Organization (NAWO) conference on August 1-3 from the NAWO. The letter critiques the final paper that was produced by the conference as well as the conference as a whole, saying NAWO’s national posture was incomplete because of the limited number of women who participated in the conference.
A newspaper article from The Star Ledger about evidence in the trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. Prosecution witnesses showed that blood found on the clothes of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) matched the rare AB blood type of the slain state trooper.
A newspaper article from The Star Ledger about the 15 sequestered jurors in the Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper being given a media blackout after the seizure of three buildings in Washington, D.C. by the Hanafi Muslim sect to avoid possible prejudice against Shakur, a professed Muslim.
A cover photograph from the Court News Section of the newspaper The Home News featuring members of the defense team for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) who was on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. Shakur was convicted in 1977 of killing the state trooper during a shootout, escaped prison in 1979, and is still wanted by the FBI.
An outline of a proposal of objectives for a national conference submitted by Ahadi Tyhimbe of the Los Angeles New Afrikan Women’s Organization for the consideration of the New York New Afrikan Women’s Organization. Objectives include development of goals and objectives, outlining of projects, and selecting a city to host a national conference.
Annie Morganfield talks about sending her children to Head Start in 1966. She recounts going to community organizing meetings and informational sessions about the beginning of Head Start in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. She also talks about the experiences her children had in Head Start and other schools and touches on racial differences in schools.
The unnamed sender addresses the comrades about the mistreatment of women in the Black Panther Party and explains the historical importance of women in the struggle as revolutionaries. The sender urges the revolutionaries to not make the same past mistakes.
A newspaper article from The Home News about a day long juryless court session where defense lawyers made numerous motions to dismiss the indictments against Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) who was on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. The judge rejected these motions and the attorneys are scheduled to call witnesses that day.
A newspaper article from Daily News about Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) being in New Jersey to stand trial for the May 1973 killing of a state trooper. Shakur was convicted in 1977 of killing the state trooper during a shootout, escaped prison in 1979, and is still wanted by the FBI.
A newspaper article from The Star Ledger about the defense team for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), who was on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper, opening their case by calling for dismissal of the murder charge on the grounds that she cannot be convicted since Clark Squire has already been convicted of the killing.
A button with a black and white photo of Assata Shakur. She is a political activist and was a member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA), an organization that engaged in armed struggle with the U.S. government. In 1977, she was convicted in a cop-killing case from 1973. Escaping prison in 1979, she has lived in political asylum in Cuba ever since.
Beatrice Coats talks about her involvement in voter registration work with the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. She talks extensively about her experiences helping to register people to vote in 1964, after being a registered voter herself since 1946. That work led her to helping open a Head Start Center in Hollandale, Mississippi.
Bernice Jones (aka Safiya Bukhari) was a Black Panther Party member and vice president of the Republic of New Afrika. In this personal narrative, she tells her life story from the time of her birth in 1950 until her time in high school.
A newspaper article from The Black Panther. This is a transcript of the address Roberta Alexander gave at the Black Panthers’ United Front Against Fascism (UFAF) conference in August of 1969 in Oakland, California. Alexander, a Black Panther Party member, talks about the role of women in the party and in the larger struggle against oppression.
A newspaper article from The Home News about evidence in the trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. Prosecution witnesses showed that blood found on the clothes of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) matched the rare AB blood type of the slain state trooper.
A newspaper article from The Home News about the testimony of State Police Detective James Challender describing what he saw at the emergency room where Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) and wounded state trooper Werner Foerster were taken after he was fatally shot. Shakur was on trial for the 1973 murder of Foerster.
Carolyn Parker began working with the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) in 1966 after years of working clerical jobs for different human rights organizations. She talks about her work in the Civil Rights Movement and the role of community organization in the beginning of Head Start.
A newspaper article from The Home News about Stanley Cohen, the chief defense counsel in the murder trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper, being found dead in his Manhattan apartment. At the time of reporting, the cause of death was unknown.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about testimony on ballistics and gunshot trajectories given by two different expert witnesses in the trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. The judge in the case barred the jury from learning that one of the experts was hired by the defense.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about an administrative hearing for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) being scheduled for July 27th. The hearing will determine if Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) should be moved out of solitary confinement and into women's general population. She was on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper.
A newspaper article from The Rutgers Daily-Targum about the defense team for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), who was on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper, opening their case by calling for dismissal of the murder charge on the grounds that she cannot be convicted since Clark Squire has already been convicted of the killing.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about defense attorneys for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) filing suit to move her trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper to the federal court. They contend that her civil rights are being violated in at least two ways. The litigation came during jury selection.
A newspaper article from Home News about chemical and neutron activation tests both being inconclusive on the matter of whether Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), the other defendants, or the state trooper had fired the gun in question in Shakur’s trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) being in New Jersey to stand trial for the May 1973 killing of a state trooper. Shakur was convicted in 1977 of killing the state trooper during a shootout, escaped prison in 1979, and is still wanted by the FBI.
A newspaper article from The Home News about the all white jury in the murder trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. Courts have decided that the jury selection is fair since the selections are made from voter registration rolls. Shakur was convicted in 1977 of the killing and escaped prison in 1979.
A newspaper article from The Star Ledger about bullet fragments the prosecution is putting into evidence in what they hope is the last week in their case against Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. Defense attorneys questioned if the fragments were marked on the scene in an unusual way.
A newspaper article from The Star Ledger about the defense team for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) being rejected in their motion to have a mistrial called after disturbances in the courtroom on March 2, 1977, during Shakur’s trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. The article also discusses physical evidence presented by the prosecution.
