Joann Little press conference in Oakland

KRON-TV news footage from August 22, 1975 with reporter Mike Mills featuring scenes from a press conference by Joan Little in Oakland, sponsored by the Black Panther Party. Little was the first woman in U.S. history to be acquitted with the defense that she used deadly force to resist sexual assault. Little was acquitted on August 15, 1975 at the Wake County Courthouse in Raleigh, NC and is seen here sat with Larry Little (unrelated to Joan), who was the coordinator of the Joan Little Defense Committee, organized by the Black Panther Party. Joan Little states: "The kind of commitments that I have right now is stay out here in the struggle and to work for black people ... right now, it's very important at this stage that we all come together ... because the time for us to seize our freedom is now." Includes views of people watching this press conference. Opening graphic designed by Carrie Hawks.

Note that Joan Little killed guard Clarence Alligood in self-defense while incarcerated in the Beauford County, NC jail, on August 27, 1974.

This 16mm color reversal film print was scanned in 4K (4096 x 2970) using a Lasergraphics ScanStation film scanner, in March 2025.