More than a clenched fist

: Discussion about black power, politics, culture on campus tonight

By: Tearria Ruffin/Campus Reporter

Posted: 2/26/07

"The Legacy of Black Power in the Media and Culture"
-Tonight, Monday, Feb. 26
-6 pm
-Arcola/Tuscola Room in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union

In the history books, they were militants.

On the TV screen, they were criminals in the streets.

In Tony Chauncy's documentary, "Oh My God," they were the forgotten heroes of a lost revolution.

The Black Panthers and their positive social work will be the focus during a discussion titled "The Legacy of Black Power in the Media and Culture." It will be at 6 tonight in the Arcola/Tuscola Room in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Black Panthers have often been associated with negative connotations. Tonight's discussion will provide a more honest perspective, said Kristen Hoerl, communication and journalism assistant professor at Auburn University.

"We can see what gets left out in Hollywood," Hoerl said.

She said the films that have come out of Hollywood in the past have not shown any of the positive things the Black Panthers have done.

Angela Aguayo, Hoerl and Chauncy will give a different perspective of Black Panthers lived their lives.

"We will try to explore what happens when black community mobilizes and how the media represents them in creative form," said Aguayo, a communications assistant professor at Eastern.

Chauncy witnessed first hand the lives of Panther party members. He lived with notable members such as Afeme Shakur, the mother of Tupac Shakur, and filmmaker Julie Dash. Chauncy said the social services and activism in the group inspired him to make the film "Oh My God."

"Other black people didn't know what they were doing and it caused a division between blacks and panthers," Chauncy said.

Huey P. Newton and several friends formed the Black Panther Party for Self Defense in 1966 after the early death of Malcolm X and several violent urban uprisings.

The group's radical beliefs and behavior caused the group to be alienated by many media outlets and they were often misunderstood.

Aguayo said Chauncy's documentary disproves these notions created by media.

"It provides people with a history that gives marginal credibility and legitimacy," Aguayo said. "It is prompting people to do something."

Mainstream media saw the panthers as militant individuals and dangerous criminals, according to Hoerl.

"The press framed the panthers to make them seem guilty," Hoerl said.

The Black Panthers were more than black clothes, afros and a clenched fist.

They gave aid to the struggling black communities and developed service programs such as free breakfast programs, Chauncy said.

"They didn't get the credit of Martin Luther King," said Chauncy. "It took more than the Martin Luther King peace movement to get this done."

Chauncy said that black people could not get certain privileges of today if it was not for the marches and polical activism.

"They left a legacy of feeling strong," said Chauncy. " They gave us a feeling to feel proud."

Songs like James Brown's "Say Loud. I'm Black and I'm Proud" and images of people wearing their kinky afros is what Chauncy is happy to remember from that period.

Today, the younger generation sings a different tune.

"We were saying we want more opportunities," said Chauncy. "(Hip Hop says) 'please understand, our backgrounds make us the way we are.' I think it is a copout."

"Oh my God" provides an opportunity to have open forum of discussion.

Aguayo wants minority students to bring dialogue on campus.

"It is important for all students to come to understand the history of democracy through the political narratives that aren't allowed to circulate," she said.