Scholar to Discuss the Black Panther Party, 50 Years Later

Image credit: University of Arkansas Press

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Author and civil rights scholar Curtis J. Austin will discuss the history of the Black Panther Party at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in the Arkansas Union Theatre. The event is free and open to the public.

Austin will discuss the history of this civil rights organization, from its beginnings in 1966 to its end in the early 1980s, and its legacy today.

In 2006, the University of Arkansas Press published Austin’s book Up Against the Wall: Violence in the Making and Unmaking of the Black Panther Party.

The Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland, California. The party, which reached its largest membership in 1970, was well-known for its stand against police brutality, for its “Survival Programs” that included free breakfast for school children and free health clinics, for its coalitions with people of all races, and for its effort to bring about revolutionary change.

Despite its social programs the party was controversial. Party members were famous for their image – they wore black leather coats and berets and carried guns – and the party came to be largely associated with violence, not only by those outside the organization, but also  by its own members.

Austin’s book is currently available in paperback. It was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title, was reviewed in academic journals including the Journal of American History and adopted for courses at several universities.

“Understanding the Black Panther Party: a 50th Anniversary Retrospective” is jointly sponsored by the University of Arkansas Student Affairs Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education and the University of Arkansas Press.

Austin is an associate professor in the Ohio State University Department of African American and African Studies, where he teaches courses in the history of the civil rights and black power movements.

About the Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education: The Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education provides academic, cultural and social programs intended to promote inclusiveness, foster achievement, and assist in the development and advancement of a diverse student body with the vision of a campus community where all students feel welcome, valued, engaged and empowered to achieve their full potential.

About the University of Arkansas Press: The University of Arkansas Press was founded in 1980 as the book publishing division of the University of Arkansas. A member of the Association of American University Presses, it has as its central and continuing mission the publication of books that serve both the broader academic community and Arkansas and the region.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.