Black Power, Black Panthers (1990)

Documentary program produced for KQED by Ray Telles and Lewis Cohen in 1990 about the Black Panther Party, featuring a history of the party and a reflection on its political legacy, as narrated by C.R. Anderson. The filmmakers make extensive use of archival footage to illustrate this story, which looks at: the political culture of the 1960s from which the Black Panther Party was born; the Panthers walking into the State Capitol in Sacramento carrying guns (see 13:42 into the clip); the arrest of Huey P. Newton in 1967; the killing of Fred Hampton in Chicago in 1969 and the political aftermath of his death; the release of Huey P. Newton from jail in 1970 and internal conflict within the Panthers organization; Bobby Seale's run for Mayor in Oakland; the leadership of Elaine Brown; the Black Panther Party's disappearance in the 1980s and the murder of Huey P. Newton in 1989, in Oakland. Includes interviews with the following people, from currrent and archival sources: Joseph Alioto; Kathleen Cleaver; Judge Henry Ramsey, Jr.; Landon Williams; David Hilliard; Richard Aoki; Huey P. Newton; Charles Garry; Sgt. Bill Gillespie; Bobby Seale; Emory Douglas; Eldridge Cleaver; Clarence Page; Ed Montgomery; Jonina Abron; Cheryl Simmons; Deborah Johnson; Charles Bates; Don Cox; Wes Swearingen; Bobby Rush; Francis Andrew; Lt. Larry Eagle and Ericka Huggins. The executive producer on this program was Michael Schwarz. Opening graphic designed by Carrie Hawks.