Anyone familiar with the Black Panther Party knows its genesis was Oakland, Calif.—and the area continues to be a locus of activism, attracting some of the country’s most prominent voices.
This Sunday, several of those voices will gather at the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) to discuss the lasting legacy and impact of the movement Oakland birthed upon both the local and national community. Former leading member of the Black Panther Party Ericka Huggins; Reveal News production manager Mwende Hinojosa; Black feminist writer Ra Malika Imhotep; and Black Panther cub Malkia Devich-Cyril, founder and executive director of the Center for Media Justice, will all participate in a panel discussion titled In Conversation: Black Power Now.
The discussion is occurring in tandem with the museum’s newest permanent installation, Black Power, which expands upon the acclaimed 2016 exhibition All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50. As described by the museum’s site: “this new installation will illustrate the creative ways black anti-racist activists in California supported their communities and challenged the U.S. government.”
One of the current challenges to our personal freedom is the ongoing fight for net neutrality, an effort in large par spearheaded by Devich-Cyril, also co-founder of the Media Action Grassroots Network.
“Black voices have everything to do with black power,” Devich-Cyril told The Root, via Facebook. “When our online voice is threatened, our ability to fight for rights, justice and freedom offline is compromised. To build black power in a digital age requires the legal protection of the black voice. This is one of the things I’ll be talking about on this panel.”
In addition, OMCA is currently featuring a multimedia installation by Bay Area artist and activist Mildred Howard, titled TAP: Investigation of Memory, on view featuring exhibition in the Gallery of California Art through Sept. 1. As described by OMCA, the exhibit “offers a rich expression of African American culture in the Bay Area...This piece serves to examine important themes of identity, church culture, gentrification, dance, activism, and more.”
Tickets are $20 for general admission and $16 for members.