BLACK PANTHER ACTIVISM MORE BROADLY

“May Day New Haven.”

Unsurprisingly, given the wide variety of locations from which the protesters at the May Day Rally came, Black Panther activists around the country made their discontent with the arrest of the New Haven Nine known from the beginning. One of the most obvious manifestations of these frustrations and desires for change came from The Black Panther, the organization’s national newspaper, which featured bold graphics, provocative articles, and, always, the mission of the organization, articulated in its Ten Point Program.

“Bobby Seale Raps on the New Haven Panther Trial.” Article from the People’s News Service, Ministry of Information Bulletin No. 12, March 21, 1970.

In the lead-up to May Day, Yale's Strike News ran a special issue dedicated to the weekend's protest, featuring a stark red cover with an image of the New Haven courthouse, where the trial was taking place.

Given Bobby Seale’s relevance to the trial, it was only fitting that The Black Panther include an article written by Seale, which spoke to many of the Black Panthers' concerns about their members’ wrongful incarcerations. Importantly, too, and foreshadowing some of the tensions that arose as the protests took place, The Black Panther ran a column that spoke specifically to some of the tensions between Yale and the Black community in New Haven outside of Yale. As the trial carried on and the protests took place, The Black Panther remained a significant method of sharing sentiments of activism within the organization, as well as communicating organizing strategies related to the May Day rallies and beyond.

“To the Citizens of New Haven: The People Rally for Peace and Justice.”

“Yale Students/Faculty Says Free Bobby and Panthers Page.” The Black Panther, Black Community News Service, Vol. 4, no. 22, May 2, 1970.

“Yale Corporation and the Black Community.” The Black Panther, Black Community News Service, Vol. 4, no. 22, May 2, 1970.

“The State of Connecticut vs. New Haven 9.”

“The New Haven Panthers Will Not Confess to a Lie.” The Black Panther, Black Community News Service, Vol. 4, no. 22, May 2, 1970.

The Black Panther always featured an art print, such as this one, featured on the back cover of one of the newspaper’s print issues. The image not only offers a stark contrast to the notion of liberty often associated with the United States, especially with the skull wearing the Statue of Liberty’s crown, but it also lists each of the people whose lives were being specifically adversely affected by the New Haven trial. Cartoons and other drawn imagery were also used as a means of conveying the harmful tactics utilized by the nation’s criminal justice system to negatively affect Black Panther activists, with this image featuring a member of the party being held down to an electric chair.